LOUDON, N.H. — Greg Biffle began the Chase for the championship as a longshot. At best.
Winless for almost a year and seeded ninth in the 12-driver field, few considered him a serious contender. But “The Biff” never counted himself out, believing a strong run Sunday in the opener at New Hampshire Motor Speedway would put him in position for the Sprint Cup title.
Biffle used a self-described “textbook pass” on Jimmie Johnson with 12 laps to go to snap a 33-race winless streak and vault all the way to third in the Chase standings. He trails co-leaders Johnson and Carl Edwards, his teammate at Roush Fenway Racing, by just 30 points.
“I felt like we were a definite threat for the Chase if we made it because of the momentum we’ve had and how good the (Chase) racetracks are for me,” he said. “There were some that I was a little nervous about, and one was Loudon. We’ve gotten through the one a little better than I expected, which is here, so I feel like we’re definitely the dark horse.”
Johnson, the two-time defending series champion, seemed to have the first round of the Chase locked up after leading a race-high 96 laps. But Biffle was saving his Ford, hopeful that a late caution or two would give him the chance he needed to run Johnson down.
He got it when Patrick Carpentier spun late, setting up a restart with 13 to go. Biffle slid past Johnson on the next lap to grab the surprise win and leave Victory Lane with a noted swagger. It was his first victory since Kansas last September.
Johnson finished second and said he knew Biffle would make a run after David Ragan and Carpentier brought out a pair of cautions with less than 20 laps to go.
“Short runs is what hurt me the most. I felt a little vulnerable, and sure enough he got by,” Johnson said. “But the big picture, second place is not a bad day at the office.”
Edwards finished third and was followed by Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt Jr. as Chase drivers swept the top five.
Kyle Busch, the regular-season points winner, struggled from the start in a disaster of an opening race. He broke the sway bar on his Toyota minutes after the race began, and struggled to keep his car off the wall as he tried to nurse it to the mandatory first caution at lap 35. He barely made it and fell two laps off the pace — one lap because of a penalty — and restarted in 43rd place. He finished 34th, 12 laps down.
