Biffle joins list of Chase favorites

In the Rear Window: New Hampshire

New Hampshire treated Republican presidential candidate John McCain, a track-side guest, to a 2008 first-time winner and a shocking finish for one of the presumptive championship favorites as the first race of 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup got underway Sunday afternoon.

Greg Biffle took the checkered flag to secure his first win of the season in solid style, driving past the winner of the series’ last two races – Jimmie Johnson – with just 12 laps to go. The Roush Fenway Racing driver has flown under the radar nearly the whole season, but a win in the Sylvania 300 vaulted him up to “Chase favorite” status at just the right time.

However, history has only seen one driver (Kurt Busch, 2004) go on to win the Chase after taking the first win of the 10-race run in the four years of its existence. And unfortunately for Biffle, two odds-on favorites for the title – Johnson and Carl Edwards – finished second and third, respectively.

The strong finishes for the pair of favorites landed them in a dead-even tie at the top of the Chase standings, with Biffle 30 points back and another tie for fourth between Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton, who are both 50 points behind.

Despite strong season, Busch looking to rebound

With a race under their belts, the 12 eligible teams now have an idea of what they need to do to win the 2008 title. For Kyle Busch’s team, that picture could not be any clearer.

Simply put, the No. 18 is now at a point where he’s got to win and recover now or face an offseason where “choke” is the only word ringing in his head.

Busch dropped from a 30-point lead in the Chase heading to New Hampshire to a 74-point deficit in eighth place, thanks to a sway bar breaking in the front suspension during the early laps of Sunday’s event. He was able to finish the race after losing laps on pit road while the team tried to fix the car and spinning while trying to battle the ill-handling car.

Busch has eight wins in 2008 to lead the series and has had one of the most consistent cars on-track all season long, regardless of the course layout. The good news? This weekend’s race at Dover is the Sprint Cup Series’ second visit to the track in 2008, and Busch won the first event there back in June after leading the last 153 laps.

Dropping the green flag: Dover

Race: Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA
When: 2 p.m. Sunday (TV coverage 1 p.m.)
TV/Radio: ABC/105.1 FM
Location: Dover International Speedway
Distance: 400 laps/400 miles
Track Layout: 1-mile Oval
2007 Winner: Carl Edwards

Miller’s Preview: Dover is home to one of the Sprint Cup Series’ two race tracks that boast a unique all-concrete surface that, in the likely opinion of Carl Edwards, is great news for the second race of the Chase. In the past two years, Edwards has found enough success at Dover to earn the nickname “Concrete Carl.” With the way the No. 99 has run lately, it’s hard to pick against him – especially with Kyle Busch’s Chase run nearing the chopping block.

Miller’s Pick: Carl Edwards