CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Exactly one year ago, Greg Biffle was NASCAR's hottest driver. He had two wins, solid footing in the points standings and was well on his way to becoming a championship contender.
My, how things have changed.
Biffle can't seem to catch a break this year, with his latest bout of bad luck coming Sunday. He had led 49 of the first 82 laps and established himself as the driver to beat, only to see his day come to a crashing end when contact with former teammate Kurt Busch wrecked his car.
Then things got interesting.
Biffle's girlfriend climbed off his box and marched down pit road to angrily confront Busch's fiance. The confrontation was brief, and it's not clear what point Nicole Lunders was trying to make. But as the two women had it out under the hot Texas sun, Tammy Wynette was likely smiling down to see Lunders "Stand By Her Man."
There's no doubt the frustration has set in for Biffle and everyone surrounding him. One of the preseason favorites to win the Nextel Cup title, "The Biff" is now a big if to even make the playoff race.
"It's a shame . . . so many times this year we've had a good car and we just can't complete it," crew chief Doug Richert said. "We certainly don't have the luck going our way this year, but we can turn it around."
It's way too early to count out Biffle, who proved he's one of the top Nextel Cup drivers with a series-high six wins last season and a second-place finish in the final points standings.
But this year he's 23rd in the standings and 188 points behind the cutoff for qualifying for the Chase for the championship. Finishes of 31st or worse in four of the first seven races have put him there.