Greg Biffle’s long tenure with Roush Fenway Racing is over, with the veteran driver and team mutually agreeing Biffle will not return to the organization in 2017.
Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing mutually parts ways after 19 years
Biffle has driven Roush’s No. 16 Sprint Cup since 2003 and been with the organization since 1998.
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Biffle has driven Roush’s No. 16 Sprint Cup car since 2003, and raced in NASCAR’s lower national divisions for the team since 1998. He won the 2000 Camping World Truck championship and the 2002 Xfinity Series championship, the first two NASCAR titles for the team co-owned by Jack Roush and the Fenway Sports Inc., the parent company of the Boston Red Sox.
“I don’t have the words to say what Greg has meant to this organization,” Roush said in a statement. “He is a true racer who has always exhibited a will to win and an intense passion for speed. For almost two decades Greg has given us an opportunity to run up front and compete for wins.
”Greg exemplifies what every owner hopes for in a driver, and I’m extremely thankful for having him as part of our organization.
It's been a great 19 yrs at Roush Fenway racing, it was a mutual agreement we started working on many months ago for a departure after 2016
— Greg Biffle (@gbiffle) November 21, 2016
Roush has not named a replacement to fill Biffle’s seat as the driver of the No. 16 car. The 46-year-old Biffle told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio he does not have any future plans solidified. He said if he cannot find the right opportunity, retirement is an option.
“I felt like time had run its course and it was time for me to move on and explore other opportunities,” Biffle told host Dave Moody. “I don’t have anything for 2017 at this particular time, but I have talked to several teams.”
Biffle’s departure comes as Roush continues to deal with a performance that’s seen the three-car team fail to win a race or have a driver earn a Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff berth in each of the past two years. Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drive Roush’s other two Cup entries.
Biffle is a 19-time Cup Series race winner (all with Roush) and finished runner-up in the 2005 championship standings. His last victory occurred at Michigan International Speedway in June 2013. He finished a career-worst 24th in the 2016 season standings, which just completed on Sunday.
“I am so competitive of a person, and it truly crushes you to put 100 percent effort in it, the guys at the shop, the team, everybody is pulling on the rope the same direction and working as hard as they can and the results just aren’t what we wanted them to be,” Biffle said. “And week after week it can really start weighing on you.”
See More:
