Victory burnout for Greg Biffle and the 3M Filtrete team.
The "Cat In The Hat" couldn't have hoped for a better finish to the NASCAR weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway. Roush Fenway-built Fusions and Mustangs were at or near the top of the speed charts whenever the Texas Motor Speedway went hot. Jack Roush topped off the weekend with a win in Sprint Cup, the Samsung Mobile 500 with Greg Biffle driving and in Nationwide with a win by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300.
Qualifying third in his 3M Filtrete Ford Fusion, it only took four laps for Biffle to take the lead under the lights Saturday night at the Texas Motor Speedway. Aggressive pit strategy by his competitors moved Biffle out of the lead during subsequent green flag pit stops to as low as fifth. Carl Edwards, in his Fastenal Ford Fusion, worked his way up to the top 10 after a disappointing 20th place start, but a questionable lug nut secure on the right rear forced the #99 crew and chief Bob Osborne to bring Carl back down pit lane for a second time to re-secure the wheel. Carl would drive his Fastenal Fusion back through the field a second time from 30th place to an eventual eighth place finish.
Greg Biffle salutes God and...
Greg Biffle salutes God and Country with his wife Nicole, daughter Emma and crew chief Matt Puccia.
Great calls by Biffle's crew chief Matt Puccia, perfect execution by the 3M Pit Bulls and skillful driving moved Greg Biffle into second place, where he stayed for some time to size up his competition and save his tires for the end. Biffle finally dropped the hammer with 30 laps to go and passed five-time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson for the lead. He never looked back and cruised to his second career win in Texas. This win was the first Sprint Cup win for his new crew chief, Matt Puccia, who moved up to the top crew spot from Roush Fenway's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series organization.
"I am just thankful to get the opportunity to drive these cars as fast as they are," said Biffle. "Vegas we were off a little bit, and that ate at us a little bit because that's a good track for us. So we came here and really focused on our car to get it driving the best we could." Matt Puccia added "Looking ahead to the season, what we've built and what we have in front of us, we've got some good racetracks coming. We've got Kansas, Richmond, Talladega and Darlington and we look ahead and there's not one race I can't say we can't go and run good and be in contention to win every week, so we're looking forward to getting going the next part of this little stint."
Marcos Ambrose ran strong...
Marcos Ambrose ran strong all weekend long in his Stanley Tools Ford Fusion, but a late race splash and go for fuel dropped the Richard Petty Motorsports team to 20th.
Director of Ford Racing, Jamie...
Director of Ford Racing, Jamie Allison, makes it a point to wish all Ford team members good luck before every race.
Greg Biffle took over the...
Greg Biffle took over the lead on Lap 4 and led most of the early laps in clean air.
Matt Kenseth stayed in the...
Matt Kenseth stayed in the top five all race long and that is where he finished in Texas.
Front tire changers finish...
Front tire changers finish work on the right side of the 3M Filtrete Ford Fusion and prepare for the left and a quick clean of the grille.
Aric Almirola's Smithfield...
Aric Almirola's Smithfield Foods Ford Fusion was loose all day, but he still managed to hang on to a 22nd place finish at the Texas Motor Speedway.
The Blue Team from Fastenal...
The Blue Team from Fastenal wasn't sure about the lug nuts on the right rear tire on this stop, so Bob Osborne ordered the team to recheck the wheel on Edward's Fusion to avoid a potential accident.
Best Buy driver Matt Kenseth...
Best Buy driver Matt Kenseth moved up to second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings with his fifth place finish at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Fastenal driver Carl Edwards...
Fastenal driver Carl Edwards had to battle his way up through the field from a bad tire stop to finish eighth on the day at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Biffle prayed for no cautions...
Biffle prayed for no cautions as he cruised for the final 30 laps on his way to winning the Samsung Mobile 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Greg Biffle lights the rear...
Greg Biffle lights the rear hides during his victory celebration after his winning the Samsung Mobile 500 in Texas.
A Fusion up in smoke, but...
A Fusion up in smoke, but the folks at 3M probably won't mind.
The 3M crew celebrates the...
The 3M crew celebrates the NASCAR Sprint Cup festivities in victory lane at Texas.
To make his first NASCAR Sprint...
To make his first NASCAR Sprint Cup win as a crew chief memorable, his 3M Filtrete crew drenched Matt Puccia with ice water in the Samsung Mobile 500 victory lane.
A happy Greg Biffle fields...
A happy Greg Biffle fields questions during the winner's press conference at the Texas Motor Speedway.