Throwback Thursday Theater: Roush-Fenway Trio Battles It Out at Dover

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor

For any multi-car team owner, their proudest and most anxious moment at the racetrack is when the majority of their drivers are fighting it out for the win at the front of the field. In the 2008 Camping World RV 400 at Dover, Roush-Fenway Racing would provide those feeling for team owner Jack Roush.

Though the first 300 miles around the Monster Mile was a mixed bag, with 10 different drivers leading, the final quarter of the race was all Roush-Fenway. Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, and Matt Kenseth all took turns up front down the stretch, but it was the last 30 laps that were the most thrilling of the race.

As Edwards and Kenseth hounded each other for the race lead as the laps wound down, Biffle, who had been patiently biding his time in the top-10 all day, set his sights on his teammates and the lead.

Lap after lap, the three drivers raced within inches of each other, with none of them wanting to yield the lead to the other.

Eventually, something had to give and Biffle made his move with nine laps to go. As Kenseth found himself held up by lapped traffic, Biffle powered to the outside of his Roush-Fenway counterparts, clearing Edwards by the time they came off of Turn 2 and pulling even with Kenseth down the backstretch.

Half a lap later, Biffle’s No. 16 Ford was into the lead and it was his turn to hold off Kenseth and Edwards over the remaining laps.

Though they tried to keep pace with him, Biffle was just too strong and pulled away for a 0.934-second win. Kenseth came home in second, with Edwards in third.

“I was just hoping they didn’t get tangled up in a hairball coming off turn four on that last lap,” Roush said after the race. “It was spectacular to see that the engineering has worked and the help we’ve got from Ford Motor Company is paying a big dividend. The drivers are doing what they need to do and closing the deal on the race track.”

The 1-2-3 finish for Roush was their first since sweeping the top-four positions in the 2005 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The win for Biffle was also his second straight win in the Chase that year and gave Roush two fall Dover race wins in a row.

“I’ll tell you what, I knew I had to race Matt Kenseth clean, he’s a great teammate, and Carl Edwards,” said Biffle. “I got a run on the outside of him and got up beside him. He tried to pinch off going down the backstretch, which is what he should have done, he was leading. We got together a little bit, but I had my nose out there and couldn’t give up. It was my last chance to get him.”

Though they didn’t end the day in Victory Lane, both Kenseth and Edwards noted how entertaining the final laps were with the three drivers battling it out for the win.

“It was fun,” said Kenseth. “It was intense. I think I gave Carl enough room there, but probably squeezed Greg a couple of times pretty bad. We all wanted to win. We haven’t won yet this year. We haven’t run that good, so it’s good to get the DeWalt car running up front again. We tried to look at what those guys were doing. Engineering department did a good job. All the cars were pretty fast…Guess I’m second happiest.”

“Third is still good, but that is the most fun you can have right there,” said Edwards. “That’s a blast. I’m glad it was Greg and Matt that finished in front of me. It’s a good points day. Man, I could do that all night. I wish we didn’t have to stop. That was fun.”