[sportsfan2006]

By Brit Fryer
Inspin.com/WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

It looks the “The Biff” is doing just fine.


Greg Biffle took part in the Nextel Cup Series’ preseason test session this
week at Daytona International Speedway — just one month after the Roush
Racing driver injured his shoulder during a tire test at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway.

“I was a little nervous coming down here about how it was going to be inside
the car,” Biffle said. “Not driving the car but reaching everything …
reaching over and getting the helmet hook and trying to hook up the things
behind your head that are hard to get to and getting to the seatbelts that
are behind you. It seems to be the reach is the biggest thing that hurts
your shoulder is the range of motion.

“Actually, I’ve been fairly well, doing really well. I’m pretty happy about
that.”


The 2006 season was disappointing for Biffle. He missed the Chase a year
after finishing second in points.

But Biffle has new life, a new crew chief (Pat Tryson) and a new sponsor
(Ameriquest).

“I hate to talk about our crash in Las Vegas, but that was a big event. It
was a really big crash, and it was our first test together,” Biffle said of
Tryson. “It was our first time together as a team. It was our first time
together as a group.

“We are definitely coming back from that incident, but we’re really working
well together. I like Pat and the way that he executes things.”

TESTING MAKES PERFECT: Preseason testing cranked up Monday at Daytona, with
half the Nextel Cup Series hitting the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Jeff Green posted the fastest lap through the first three days. On Wednesday
afternoon, his No. 66 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet was clocked at 186.722 miles
per hour. Second fastest was Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose No. 8 DEI Chevrolet
turned a lap at 186.606 mph on Day Two’s second session.

The surprise of testing was Tony Raines. He has been guaranteed a full
schedule with Hall of Fame Racing, and he’s making the most of the
opportunity early on. Raines was at the top of the charts all week.

“The Daytona 500 is obviously the biggest race of the year,” Raines said. “I
was down here last year every day in the trailer and at the track with the
team and the crew. I’m looking forward to actually being able to drive. It’s
a big race, and I’m pumped up about getting to it.”

Last season, two-time Cup champion Terry Labonte ran the first five races
for the first-year team, while Raines — the eventual full-time driver —
stayed on the sidelines.

Testing continues next week.
GOOD-BYE, BOBBY: Veteran NASCAR driver Bobby Hamilton died Sunday night
after a year-long battle with neck cancer. He was 49.


“A lot of people didn’t know him real good, but he kind of came up when I
did, and he didn’t have nothing,” said Sterling Marlin, a fellow driver and
Tennessee native. “He was driving a wrecker in 1990. He was a nice guy ... a
good driver who never had the best equipment.”

Hamilton was a winner in all three of NASCAR’s top series, claiming four
Nextel Cup victories in a career that spanned 371 starts. Hamilton won a
single Busch Series race and was a 10-time winner in Craftsman Truck, taking
the championship in 2004 in a truck he owned.
PERSONNEL CHANGES: Ricky Rudd returned to Nextel Cup and Robert Yates
Racing. He’ll drive a Ford alongside teammate David Gilliland. … Roush
Racing hired veteran crew chief Larry Carter to work with Jamie McMurray on
the No. 26 Ford. … Derrick Finley has been named crew chief for the No. 36
Bill Davis Racing Toyota driven by Jeremy Mayfield. … Mike Bliss is back to
drive for BAM Racing.



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