Gregory Jack Biffle (born December 23, 1969) is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver of the #16 3M Ford and part-time Nationwide Series driver of the #16 CitiFinacial Ford both for Roush Racing.
NASCAR career
Biffle gained national attention when he raced in the NASCAR Winter Heat series on ESPN2 in the winter of 1995/1996. Former ESPN announcer and NASCAR champion Benny Parsons told Jack Roush that there was no way he could pass up the chance to hire Biffle, and that if he did he would regret it while watching Biffle win races for another team owner <ref>Greg Biffle</ref>.
Craftsman Truck Series
Starting in the Craftsman Truck Series, Biffle first won Rookie of the Year in 1998 for Roush Fenway Racing. In 2000, he won the series title in the #50 Grainger Ford F-150, which was his first championship in one of NASCAR's three major series. In 2001, he ran four more races for Jack Roush in the #99 Eldon Ford F-150. His last truck start was in 2004 for Tom Mitchell in the #44 Ford Racing Ford F-150 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Busch Series
Biffle first drove two races in 1996 for Dick Bown in the #51 Barbasol Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Biffle joined the NASCAR Busch Series full-time in 2001. He won the series rookie of the year award. He had five wins and finished fourth in points. In 2002 Biffle brought Roush another championship, this time in the NASCAR Busch Series. His four wins, twenty top fives and twenty-five top tens earned him the championship victory over fellow Busch Series regulars Jason Keller and Scott Wimmer. Biffle has continued to drive in the Busch Series every season since then. Biffle ran only part-time in 2003, but contended for the NASCAR Busch Series championship again in 2004, finishing third behind Sprint Cup driver Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch. Running part-time again in 2005, Biffle again placed in the top ten in NASCAR Busch Series points standings, despite running only twenty-seven races, eight races fewer than the full season.
Winston/NEXTEL/Sprint Cup Series
In 2002, Biffle drove his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup Series) race at California Speedway in the #16 Volvo Trucks Ford Taurus for Roush Fenway Racing. He also drove for Andy Petree Racing in the #55 Schneider Electric Chevrolet Monte Carlo and for Petty Enterprises in the #44 Georgia Pacific Dodge Intrepid. In total, Biffle ran 7 races with 3 top-5 starts and a best finish of 13th.
Biffle started competing full time in NASCAR's top circuit in 2003, and he finished in 20th place in the final Sprint Cup series points. He earned his first win at the Daytona International Speedway in the Pepsi 400. He finished second to Jamie McMurray for Raybestos Rookie of the Year. His car was sponsored by Grainger Industrial Supply, Co., who had previously sponsored him in his Busch and truck series efforts.
Greg Biffle showed steady improvement over the 2004 season as he earned two more race wins en route to a 17th place finish in the points.
2005 was Biffle's breakout season. He finished the season tied with teammate Carl Edwards for second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, thirty-five points behind champion Tony Stewart. Biffle won the tie-breaker for second because of his six race victories, the most of any driver in the Sprint Cup Series that season.
In 2006, Biffle won twice, at Darlington Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Biffle struggled considerably during the year, finishing 24th at Pocono Raceway, 33rd at the Brickyard and 38th at Watkins Glen International.
The Army National Guard served as the primary sponsor from 2004-2006. Ameriquest served as a primary sponsor for most of 2007 before selling off a lot of its sponsorship to other companies due to financial difficulty and is no longer a sponsor of the #16 Ford. Other sponsors included Post-it/3M, Jackson Hewitt Tax Services, Subway, Charter Communications and Prism Guard Shield.
For 2007, Biffle will drive the #16 3M Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle is currently signed with Roush Fenway Racing until 2008.
Personal life
Greg is a fan of fishing and enjoys deep sea fishing in Mexico, were he keeps his factory sponsored Luhrs fishing boat. Greg formerly owned a pub venture in his hometown of Vancouver, WA called "Biffles Pub and Grill" located at 11500 NE 76th St Vancouver, WA. Greg was married on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 in South Carolina to his longtime girlfriend Nicole Lunders. [1].
Greg guest starred in CBS's situational comedy Yes, Dear. The episode, On Your Marks, Get Set, Mow, featured a tractor racing subplot which interloped with the greater "Father fights for respect of his son" theme. Biffle portrays himself as a NASCAR racer moonlighting in the small time tractor series.
On December 22,2007 Greg appeared on Food Network show Paula's Party with cook Paula Deen to cook steak,<ref>Greg Biffle cooks steak with Paula Deen.</ref> and take Paula for a ride in a Mustang.<ref> Greg Biffle doing donuts with Paula Deen</ref>
Greg Biffle Foundation
Greg also has a foundation in his name that he and Nicole manage. Their primary goal is to create awareness and serve as an advocate to improve the well-being of animals by engaging the power and passion of the motorsports industry. The foundation donates to local Humane Societies, no-kill animal shelters, spay and neuter clinics, and the Animal Adoption League.
Races Won
Winston/NEXTEL/Sprint Cup (12 career wins)
Nationwide Series (18 career wins)
- 2006 (1 win) Stater Brothers 300 (Fontana)
- 2005 (1 win) Bashas' Supermarkets 200 (Phoenix)
- 2004 (5 wins) Diamond Hill Plywood 200 (Darlington), Stater Brothers 300 presented by Gatorade (Fontana), MBNA America 200 (Dover), Goulds Pumps/ITT Industries 250 (Pikes Peak), Target House 300 (Fontana)
- 2003 (2 wins) Little Trees 300 (Charlotte), Nicorette 300 (Atlanta)
- 2002 (4 wins) MBNA Platinum 200 (Dover), GNC Live Well 250 (Milwaukee), Charter Pipeline 250 (Madison), Kroger 200 (Indianapolis), Busch Series Championship
- 2001 (5 wins) Pepsi 300 presented by Mapco/Williams (Nashville), Nazareth 200 (Nazareth), GNC Live Well 250 (Milwaukee), Little Trees 300 (Charlotte), Outback Steakhouse 200 (Phoenix)
NASCAR driver Greg Biffle's #16 3M car will sport a special Give Kids A Smile paint scheme during the 58th Annual Richmond 400. The event also is part of the yearlong celebration of the Give Kids A Smile program's 10th anniversary in 2012. Fans can follow Give Kids A Smile on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GiveKidsASmile. nationwide program expansion activities to help children in need of dental care.(Victory Management Group PR), see an image of the scheme on my #16 Team Schemes page.(4-24-2012)
References
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External links
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