NASCAR Rumors: Greg Biffle Has New Crew Chief
Greg Biffle is an accomplished professional stock car driver for NASCAR, having won 19 career Sprint Cup victories. However, he hasn't really tasted the kind of success he had early in his career today, going winless in his 93 recent starts and failing to make the Chase the last time out after ranking 20th in the standings.
Perhaps hiring a new crew chief will turn things around for the veteran driver.
Roush Fenway Racing announced on Thursday that they hired Brian Pattie to become Biffle's new crew chief, officially replacing Matt Puccia. Pattie is no stranger to the racing industry, having previously served as crew chief for both Chip Ganassi Racing and the now defunct Michael Waltrip Racing.
As a matter of fact, Pattie will be joining his new team because he was out of job when Michael Waltrip Racing closed shop, making this signing a great opportunity for him.
Pattie will be taking care of the No. 16 Ford team next season, after serving in the same capacity for drivers Clint Bowyer and Michael Waltrip, where he spent majority of his previous four seasons. He then went to David Ragan after the first Pocono race this year. But because Michael Waltrip Racing decided to close its doors and campaign this year, Pattie didn't have a choice but to look for another team.
Puccia, on the other hand, has been with Biffle's since halfway through the 2011 season. After getting the boot, he is expected to immediately jump to the Xfinity series machine of Darrell Wallace Jr.
In related news, Nick Sandler will be returning for Ricky Stenhouse Jr., while Trevor Bayne's No. 6 car will be handled once again by the returning crew chief, Bob Osborne. Meanwhile, Phil Gould, Elliott Sander's crew chief the last time, will be playing the same role for Ryan Reed's Xfinity Series.
