NASCAR Richmond 2014: Greg Biffle endures ‘rough’ night, still makes Chase

It was by no means easy, but Greg Biffle secured a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup on Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

Often running mid-pack, Biffle struggled throughout the Federated Auto Parts 400. He finished 19th, two laps down. But it was a result good enough to give him a seven-point advantage over Clint Bowyer.

“I drove as hard as I could and it was enough to get us in,” Biffle said. “I knew I needed to be in the top 20 and it was all I could do.”

Biffle had to finish 22nd or better to clinch a Chase berth. With Bowyer a fixture at the front of the field, there were several moments when it appeared Biffle wouldn’t qualify for the Chase. But Brad Keselowski, a multi-time winner in 2014, won Saturday night while Bowyer finished third.

“That was rough,” Biffle said. “We’ll have to go back and look at what we did wrong.”

Biffle had posted five consecutive top five finishes prior to Richmond, but the short track proved challenging for everyone within Roush Fenway Racing. Teammates Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 22nd and 26th, respectively.

“We just missed the setup,” Biffle said. “It was clear that our whole company did -- Carl, Ricky and myself were way off tonight, which is frustrating because five Top-10s in a row put us in this position. Tonight was not pretty.”