05/09/2016
Tire Rub Leads to 27th-Place Finish for Biffle at Kansas
KANSAS CITY, K.S. (May 7, 2016) – Greg Biffle rebounded from an unscheduled trip down pit road for a right-side tire rub after contact with the wall to finish 27th in his No. 16 Ford EcoBoost Ford at Kansas Speedway. Biffle started the race 20th after getting loose in qualifying and that loose handling condition continued to plague him during the race, resulting in the contact with the wall.
Biffle knows his way around Kansas Speedway, racking up two wins over his 19 career starts at the 1.5-mile speedway. In round two of qualifying Friday evening Biffle’s No. 16 Ford EcoBoost Ford got loose and kept him from advancing to the final round and resulted in a 20th-place starting position.
At the drop of the green flag Biffle began to steadily advance through the field, but the handling on his Ford continued to be on the loose side. Biffle lost some track position after different wedge adjustments on pit stops didn’t result in the grip he needed.
Just over 60 laps into the 267-lap event the loose handling condition caused Biffle to brush the outside wall, leading to a tire rub. The tire rub was severe enough for Biffle to make an unscheduled green flag trip down pit road for new right-side tires. Biffle went one lap down in the process and then an additional while the handling worsened after the contact.
The team gambled by taking the “wave around” at the one opportunity that presented itself, but wasn’t able to capitalize on it since a much needed caution never came. Biffle was left finishing three laps down in 27th.
