The fifth installment of this series will bring a veteran that is either loved or hated, an exciting, talented, yet booed young driver, and a driver that is close to bringing home a coveted Sprint Cup Trophy.
#8 Greg Biffle
Greg Biffle was born December 23, 1969 in Vancouver, Washington. Biffle was first noticed by legendary NASCAR Champion and TV broadcaster, Benny Parsons, when he raced in the NASCAR Winter Heat Series covered by ESPN2 in 1995-1996. Parsons told NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner, Jack Roush, that he should hire Biffle before someone else did.
Roush ended up hiring Biffle to race in the Craftsman (now called Camping World) Truck Series, where he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1998. Two years later, Biffle won the championship for that series. He moved up to the Busch (now called Nationwide) Series, winning the title for that series in 2001.
Biffle started competing full time in the Sprint Cup Series in 2003.
In 2008, Biffle had 36 starts, 2 poles, 2 wins, 12 Top 5s, 17 Top 10s, an average start of 14.0, an average finish of 13.0, finishing third in the points with 6,467.
Biffle will be back in the #16 3M/Dish Network Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing in 2009. The crew chief will be Greg Erwin.
I expect Biffle to have a very solid year overall, but will have some trouble in the Chase. This will be the reason he finishes eighth this season.
#7 Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch was born May 2, 1985 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the younger brother of former Sprint Cup Champion Kurt Busch. Busch’s driving career started with go-karts and Legends cars when he was 13 years old. Between 1999 and 2001 he gathered over 65 wins and two track championships at Las Vega Motor Speedway’s Bullring.
Busch moved into a Craftsman Truck race in 2001, but was booted from the garage area because of a rule disallowing anyone under 18 to compete.
He quickly gained recognition as a very talented driver and eventually was hired by Rich Hendrick to drive in the Nationwide Series and select races in the ARCA/REMAX Series after turning 18. Busch was then slated to take over the #5 Kellogg’s machine after Terry Labonte announced his retirement.
Busch has been lauded as an immensely talented driver, but lacks patience. He is notorious for being too aggressive at times, thus not creating too many allies in the garage.
Busch had a breakout year in 2008, starting 36 races, 2 poles, 8 wins, 17 Top 5s, 21 Top 10s, an average start and finish of 12.0, finishing tenth in points with 6,186 points. Busch led the points for most of the season, until having terrible luck during the Chase.
Busch will again be driving the #18 Interstate Batteries/M&Ms Toyota Camry in 2009 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Steve Addington will continue the crew chief responsibilities.
#6 Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon was born August 4, 1971 in Vallejo, California. Gordon began racing at the age of five in quarter midgets. By age six, he had won over 35 races and five track records. At age 13, he became interested in Sprint cars. His family eventually moved to Pittsboro, Indiana so that there could be more opportunities for Gordon to race. In 1990, Gordon won the USAC Midget Crown, then captured the USAC Silver Crown a year later.
In 1991, Gordon began racing in the Busch Series for Bill Davis Racing, winning the Rookie of the Year. In 1992, he set a NASCAR record by grabbing eleven poles in one season.
Gordon began his Sprint Cup career in 1992, driving for Hendrick Motorsports. His very first Sprint Cup start was Richard Petty’s very last at the season finale in Atlanta.
Gordon has gone on to win three Daytona 500’s, and four Sprint Cup Championships. He is the driver that everyone either loves, hates or loves to hate.
During the 2008 campaign, Gordon posted 36 starts, 4 poles, 0 wins, 13 Top 5s, 19 Top 10s, an average start of 11.0, an average finish of 15.0, and ending the season seventh in points with 6,316.
I believe Gordon will end his winless streak in 2009, nabbing 2 wins. He will be in contention for a championship, but will eventually fall short during the Chase.
For the seventeenth year in a row, Gordon will again be piloting the famous #24 DuPont/Pepsi/U.S. National Guard Chevrolet Impala for Hendrick Motorsports. Steve Letarte will again be the crew chief.
That is the scoop for drivers eight through six in this series. Tomorrow’s installment will crack the top five, so I know you don’t want to miss that! Until then have a good one!
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