Biffle could leave Roush for Gibbs, or not

UPDATE #2 Greg Biffle said on Thursday he remains 100% committed to re-signing with Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle's commitment to signing a new deal was questioned after he criticized his team following Saturday night's race at Darlington Raceway. He had the fastest car the first half of the race, but fell back because of a loose wheel and then was sidelined when the timing belt broke. "That had nothing to do with my contract," he said before the All-Star Pit Crew Challenge at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. "I was mad my stuff was broke." Biffle said negotiations are continuing and he hopes to finish a deal by mid-summer. "That is my focus," he said. "My focus hasn't changed." ESPN.com

05/13/08 Greg Biffle certainly didn’t sound like a guy committed to Roush Fenway Racing when he blasted the faulty equipment that led to his last-place finish at Darlington Raceway. “All I want is equipment to drive that stays together," said Biffle, who started from the pole and led 95 laps Saturday night before loose wheels, a bad vibration and a broken timing belt ended his race early.

“It is really frustrating, but you know what, I’ve just come accustomed to expecting it because week after week it’s something. Something breaks. Something falls off. I give it 110 percent as a driver all the time, and you just want your equipment to last and be able to win these races."

The rant was, of course, based on frustration. He seemed to have the car to beat, but instead left the track still searching for his first win of the season.

Still, it was clear “The Biff" was sending a message with his biting remarks.

Just what might that message be? Well, signing a contract extension with Roush might not be the slam dunk both sides have led everyone to believe.

In fact, Biffle might finally be ready to test the free-agent market.

If that’s indeed the case, the first place Biffle should look is Tony Stewart’s seat at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Of course, that ride isn’t technically open right now. Stewart is under contract through 2009, he’s yet to ask to be released from his contract early and Gibbs officials have insisted they’ll hold him to his deal. But it’s becoming increasingly clearer that the two-time champion has some juicy offers on the table that he’s taking rather seriously. Yahoo Sports

05/12/08 Greg Biffle is sounding a little less certain about his desire to remain at Roush Fenway Racing. The driver said during Monday’s Nationwide Series test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway that he doesn’t know if Roush Fenway Racing is where he wants to be next season, citing a consistent pattern of team-inflicted mistakes.

“You know, you get frustrated, and you look at that last race, and you say: ‘Gosh, I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to do something different,’" said Biffle, who led 95 laps in Saturday’s Dodge Challenger 500 at Darlington Raceway before a broken timing belt in his car’s engine relegated him to a 43rd-place finish.

“But you look around the garage, everybody has these issues. Everybody has these problems. A timing belt can fail on anybody’s race car. You can have a loose wheel at any time. You can have a problem with the transmission. All these guys have had these issues in the past. I just don’t want to continue to have them year after year."

Biffle, whose contract with Roush Fenway expires at the end of 2008, said as recently as two weekends ago at Richmond International Raceway that he fully intends to return to the team in 2009.

But the driver of the No. 16 Ford was highly critical of his team at Darlington for leaving two loose wheels on his car. One of those wheels forced Biffle to make an unscheduled green flag pit stop, giving up the lead.

“It’s easier to accept when it’s a Denny Hamlin situation, where he dominates at Richmond and he gets a flat tire," Biffle said, referring to the woes that cost Hamlin an almost certain win at Richmond two weekends ago after leading all but one of the first 382 laps.

“That can happen, and it did happen, and a driver can accept that. … But when it’s other issues it makes it harder inside to take because stuff will happen. I don’t know. It’s one of things. You feel frustrated, but you’ve got to continue to give it 100 percent effort all the time." SceneDaily.com