Know When to Walk Away

Greg Biffle's Season in the Crossroad's

By Richard Tix

Kenny Rodgers said it best, "You have to know when to hold'em, know when to fold'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run." Well Greg Biffle might need to have The Gambler stuck in his head for the 2014 season.

Greg Biffles Career is in the crossroads entering 2014. We enter the season and the Biff is in the last year of his contract with Roush Fenway Racing, who he has been with his entire 12 year career. Not a lot of rumors have been out there that the team and driver have been close to a deal either, meaning Biffle could be looking for a ride soon.

The big question is, should Greg Biffle "walk away?" Not walk away from NASCAR, he still has some good years left, but walk away from the only team he has known on the Cup level, RFR. No NASCAR team running Ford cars have won a Championship since 2004. Last year might be the icing on the cake as it seemed like no Ford would even have a chance after NASCAR introduced the Gen-6 car.

Greg Biffle isn't getting any younger, this year he will turn 44 years old.  In NASCAR years he has started the downfall of his "peak." Not to say a driver cant compete at the highest level at his age, it just seem many start to slip down the ranks slowly.

In 2012 Greg Biffle witnessed his long time teammate leave the team for greener grass. Matt Kenseth and RFR parted ways which left Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth turned 41 in his first year with JGR so he was in almost the same situation and it works out wonderfully. Kenseth finished his first year with JGR 2nd in points after winning a Cup leading 7 races.

Maybe Biffle needs to talk with Kenseth about his experience with leaving a long time team? If the opportunity is there Biff should definitely look at moving on for one last chance to contend again. Maybe JGR would open up a fourth car for the veteran driver? If not there, maybe MWR will be ready to have another full time car in 2015? Both teams would be a great step for Biffle.

If anything, a move will show once again if its the driver or the car (parts). I will say this, if he gets no interest in a team like JGR or MWR it might be best to stay put. A lot of young guys are starting to come through the ranks and the last thing Biffle would want to to be pushed aside and end up trying to compete with a team that is underfunded. So, is this the time that Biffle should "walk away?" Or should he be listening to a different song this season?

The Biff has a loyal following. I am sure all of those loyal fans would love to see him push for a Championship. So what do you guys think, should Biffle look to move on? Is it RFR and Ford holding him and Carl back or are they just not Championship contenders? Let me know on Twitter!

• NASCAR Team Spotlight: Hendrick Motorsports
• Duck Commander Sponsoring TMS
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Driver Spotlight: Greg Biffle (Preseason Addition)

Greg Biffle 2014 Preview

By Richard Tix

Going into 2014 Greg Biffle will be in the last year of his contract with Roush Fenway Racing. This NASCAR Behind the Wall Driver Spotlight is going to focus on just that, possibly his last year with Roush.

In 2013 the Biff made the Chase yet again (5th time in 6 years) but once again didn't do much with it. He finished 9th, which was his worst finish in a season that he made the Chase. Biffle also had only one win, 4 top 5's, 13 top 10's, and zero Poles.

Those 2013 stats are not the kind of stats a Cup driver in his "prime" years should be happy about. In 2014 Biff will need to turn those numbers around to be a contender again. Not only that, but he could be looking for a ride if things go south early. Roush Fenway proved that they aren't afraid to make a move, parting ways with Kenseth after the 2012 season, and that was after Kenseth had been in the team stable for many seasons.

So will Roush move on after 2014 with Edwards being the lone big dog and move towards youth (Edwards also is in his last year of his contract)? With 2013 being just another stale season I wouldn't be surprised if the early season races in 2014 are circled on Biffle's calender as extra important.

My thoughts are that Biffle should look to move if he can find another contending ride before its too late in his career. Right now it seems Ford, and Roush, just cant compete on a weekly basis with Hendrick or Gibbs. Maybe year two of the Gen-6 car will be better then year one, but no Ford driver had a dominate year in 2013 and some of the blame should maybe fall on Ford. So, is it to late for Biffle to save his ride, or should he cut the ties and try to resurrect his career and try to make a push at a Championship before it is too late?

Let me know what you think! Contact me on Twitter. Is 2013 slow run Biffle's fault, or a slow Gen-6 transition by Ford? Will he be back at Roush? Will Biffle ever contend again? Should Biffle WANT to move after 2014? Let the count down to Daytona Continue!


Take a look at some past Spotlights and Articles on NBTW:

• Duck Commander Sponsoring a Race
• NASCAR's New Penalty System
• NASCAR World Top Stories: February
• Past Driver Spotlights

2014 Contract Year: NASCAR Drivers

By Richard Tix

As in normal NASCAR fashion, the 2014 season will start and many drivers will not know where, or if, they will be driving in the Cup Series in 2015. NASCAR Behind the Wall will take a look at the top drivers that are not under contract for the 2015 season.

Clint Bowyer

Bowyer had a controversial 2013 season with Michael Waltrip Racing, in fact 2012 ended with the Gordon controversy too. With all of that said, Bowyer is also in the last year of his contract with MWR with no plans announced yet (rumors have been out there they're working on a deal). Bowyer has been a great fit with MWR in a marketing sense but he has also made the Chase the past two years. In 2014 Clint will be the lead dog at MWR with Martin Truex Jr out after NAPA left town. So, can MWR really afford to ship Bowyer out and look for a new top driver in the same season?

 **Update 5/5: Clint Bowyer and MWR reach a new 3 year extension. Also Clint, MWR and 5 Hour energy reach a 3 year extension. **

Carl Edwards

Carl enters the 2014 season with no idea where he will be in 2015. He and our next driver, Biffle, have both been with RFR their entire careers. Both have not had contract renewals yet for any season past 2014. So will Roush bring back Edwards if he has another stretch run where he struggles like in 2013? It will be interesting to see if one, none, or both drivers are brought back in 2015. **Update 4/16: NBC Sports link on contract talks**

**Update 7/28: On Sunday it was officially announced that Carl Edwards would not be coming back to RFR. There had been speculation, but this was the first official word to come from anyone. No word on the official landing point of Edwards, but most believe (I thought he would possible stay put back in RFR Contract Talks) it will be Joe Gibbs Racing where his fellow teammate Matt Kenseth left for a short time ago**


Greg Biffle

During the 2012 season Roush Fenway Racing announced it was parting ways with Matt Kenseth and he was heading to Joe Gibbs Racing leaving Greg Biffle the long standing team member. Could the same thing happen in 2014 with the Biff? Greg Biffles contract will be up after 2014, and while he has been consistent, he doesn't seem to win as much as some would hope. So, is the Biff on his way out at Roush? If so, where will he land? He is on the back half of his career so will he land another major ride before its all said and done? **Update 4/16: ESPN link on contract talks.**

Jamie McMurray

McMurray always seems to the guy that gets the boot off a team. Maybe this mary-go-round ride will have him back at Roush after this season? What is known, is that McMurray's contract is up after the 2014 season. He could be brought back, but with so many young guys on the rise and the fact that McMurray has been hovering around the top 20, I can imagine Ganassi Racing looking for new talent to fill his spot.



Marcus Ambrose

2014 is Ambrose's last season under Richard Petty Motorsports contract. I also believe that RPM will not bring him back in 2015. Marcus is a great guy, but he has not proven that he can win at any place but a road course. I can see them maybe working a deal to run the two road courses on the year but one has to think that RPM wants to put a guy who can win week after week out there. But, maybe Ambrose can find an early season win at an oval and change everything?


Aric Almirola **

Another RPM guy in the last year of his contract, Almirola has shown some promise in his young career. Is that promise going to be enough for RPM to bring him back for another shot, or will they look to start over with even younger guys? RPM has a few young guys in development that they could bring up (Ryan Truex and Corey Lajoie). With two guys having expiring contracts will RPM make the move towards youth now or hold over for a year or two?

 **Since originally writing this article Aric and Smithfield inked a 3 year deal. So it looks like some of the in season pressure will be off of him and the #43 team. I still included him in this article not only because he started the offseason under pressure but also so fans don't miss that he was resigned.**

Danica Patrick

Stewart-Haas Racing just brought in two new drivers so I can not see them making another big splash after the 2014 season, but the fact remains that Danica's contract is up after the season. Danica may not have proven anything yet on the track, but she is a cash cow off of it. Even when she isn't winning, the car is still bringing in money. Maybe with Smoke, Kurt, and Harvick bringing in the top 10's and Win's SHR will take the loss (or win) with Danica and all the money she can bring in and resign her. Who knows maybe Danica will want to jump ship? (All speculation because her contract isn't out in the media. Sounds like GoDaddy isn't resigned yet past 2014. Seems like they would want to bring back a cash cow even if she doesn't win)

Well that's it for 2014, these are the drivers on the line. Let me know what you think on Twitter! Who will be back with there same teams? Who will find a new team? Who will be out of NASCAR? Who will win a race in 2014?