ThatsRacin.com: Greg Biffle

Biffle leads group hoping to bring relief to animals

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 13:20 EST

An animal welfare group led by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his wife is ready to raise millions of dollars in private contributions for a south Iredell animal adoption and education center.

The Mooresville-area center would help reduce the number of dogs and cats euthanized at the county animal shelter on Twin Oaks Road in Statesville, Friends of the Animals members told me last week.

Iredell County Animal Control continues to euthanize animals at a higher rate at the shelter it runs than surrounding counties, including Mecklenburg.

Friends of the Animals members are scheduled to speak at Tuesday's Iredell County commissioners meeting about their willingness to launch a capital campaign of $2 million or $3 million for the south Iredell center.

Also, Dr. Kathy Kramer will tell commissioners that volunteers want to work with the county to improve conditions at the Twin Oaks Road shelter. That includes eliminating its carbon-monoxide gas chamber and instead using more humane lethal injection on unadoptable pets.

Kramer is a Charlotte veterinarian formerly of the Animal Hospital of Statesville.

Speaking on behalf of Friends of the Animals, Kramer also will ask commissioners to approve longer hours for adopting and reclaiming animals at the shelter, keeping kennels filled with animals and having Animal Control workers scan for microchips at least three times before an animal is euthanized.

The group also will ask that the shelter strictly adhere to state cleaning regulations.

Nicole Biffle told me last week that plans for the capital campaign don't depend on commissioners approving the group's recommendations for improving the shelter. "Absolutely it would help," she said.

Biffle, president of Friends of the Animals, said she hopes for a strong turnout Tuesday. "Everybody's welcome who's interested in animal welfare," she said. Her husband intends to give the group's closing statement.

The county has already met three of the recommendations by keeping adoption kennels full, scanning every animal for microchips and adhering to state cleaning regulations, Assistant County Manager Tracy Jackson told the group at one of its meeting in August.

Getting county leaders to agree to the lethal-injection change and expanding shelter hours may be more challenging, he told the group. Shelter workers say they have nightmares from euthanizing animals in the chamber, and now they'd be looking each in the eye, he said.

Adding hours could raise taxpayer costs in a conservative county, he said. "I feel we're doing everything within our resources," Jackson told the group.

Friends of the Animals is committed to doing everything it can to help the animals, Nicole Biffle said.

"They cannot speak for themselves, so it is up to us to get these changes made," she said in a Friends of the Animals news release later last week.

Petitioning the commissioners

Friends of the Animals will gather at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on the front lawn of the Iredell County Government Center (old Iredell County Courthouse) before the 7 p.m. commissioners' meeting.

The group's petition to commissioners can be reviewed and signed electronically at www.friendsoftheanimals.org.

Friends of the Animals hopes commissioners will agree that the Iredell County Animal Shelter should:

• Immediately increase its hours open to the public. The shelter currently is open 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays.

• Increase adoptions by always keeping adoption kennels filled and continue to work with private rescue groups.

• Immediately scan all animals for microchips and document at least three times.

• Strictly adhere to state cleaning regulations immediately.

• Work with Friends of the Animals to hire or train euthanasia technicians to eliminate the carbon monoxide gas chamber.

Biffle won't resume contract talks with Roush until or unless runs get better

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 20:10 EDT

Greg Biffle on Friday said he would not resume negotiations on a contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing until the performance of his No. 16 Ford team improves significantly.

“I’m not 100-percent happy with the performance of the team,” Biffle said. “I’m not going to run 20th in points. If I’m not happy, why should I negotiate?

“We’re not cleaning house, but we’re getting better. Greg (Erwin, crew chief) is doing a great job building this race team. We have a couple of weak links we’ve talked about. We want to strengthen our team and we need to show up at the race track competitive when (the car) comes off the truck.”

Biffle has a contract through the 2008 season with Roush. However, the primary sponsor of his team is leaving at the end of this season and a new sponsor’s contract would most likely need to run concurrent with the driver’s.

Biffle has struggled this season. He is 19th in points with just one top-five and three top-10 finishes in 14 starts. His most recent Nextel Cup victory came in last year’s season finale at Homestead, Fla.

“I’m not going to sign a five-year extension running like that,” he said.

However, Biffle has not given up on Roush Fenway. In fact, his previous success at the organization, he said, leads to faith his performance will improve soon and he will resume negotiations. He called the prospects signing an extension at some point at “around 90 percent.”

“I am convinced that we have the ability to make this a championship caliber car and team. I’m convinced that Roush Fenway has the ability to make this a championship caliber car and team,” he said.

“We’ve got all the tools and resources we need. We need to execute it as far as the management side of it. Have good people and there’s technology we need to get better at.”

Biffle speaks on driver's athleticism

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 19:03 EDT

RICHMOND, Va. -- While commenting on the melting foam during a break in the test at Richmond, Roush Fenway Racing’s Greg Biffle talked about how that provides a bit of insight into what conditions drivers face inside their cars.

“People say we aren’t athletes,” Biffle said. “Well, that foam is inside the race car. If my arm was a foot longer, I could reach over and poke it with my finger, and that stuff is burning. That’s how hot it is inside that race car for 4½ hours.

“The cars smoke outside the right-side pipes going into the corner – just black smoke – and it must be the change in fuel from leaded to unleaded fuel, and we see flames coming out the right side pipes. I don’t know about the chemistry, but I think that’s unburned fuel typically is what ignites in the exhaust system when it’s hot, so there may be some issues with trying to science all of this out as we go forward.”

No rule, so Biffle not penalized

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 11:27 EDT

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Greg Biffle didn’t receive a penalty last week because of his was too low in the rear after the race because NASCAR’s rulebook regarding the “car of tomorrow” only has minimum rear heights applicable to Daytona and Talladega.

In essence, there is no rule requiring a minimum height in the rear of the car, but Nextel Cup Series director John Darby said that will likely soon be rectified.

“The only two tracks where there is actually a minimum height prescribed in the rulebook are Daytona and Talladega,” Darby said. “In regards to post race heights there are maximum heights spelled out for the downforce tracks and dimensions are given.”

Darby said NASCAR is working on a procedure that will soon encompass both maximum and minimum heights.

“We understand we have to have a minimum going down the road. Where we’re at right now is determining where the teams need it and where we need it.”

Biffle won't be penalized for Bristol infraction

Wed, 28 Mar 2007 19:20 EDT

Greg Biffle’s team will not be penalized for failing inspection following Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, the debut of the car of tomorrow.

Biffle’s No. 16 Ford was too low following the race. But the car was taken to the NASCAR research and development facility in Concord, and a NASCAR source said nothing was found to indicate the problem was caused by anything other than wear and tear that occurred during the race.

Nextel Cup teams will be at Martinsville Speedway today for inspections for this weekend’s Goody’s 500.

NASCAR vice president for competition Robin Pemberton and Nextel Cup Series director John Darby are then scheduled meet with reporters Friday morning to talk about what was found on Biffle’s car and what that might mean going forward in terms of tolerances allowed on the new race cars.

Biffle’s Ford too low in postrace

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 20:27 EDT

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Greg Biffle got a fifth-place finish Sunday at Bristol, his first top-10 finish of the season in the No. 16 Ford, but the car was found to be too low in postrace inspection.

NASCAR vice president for competition Robin Pemberton said Biffle’s car would be taken back to the research and development facility in Concord for more examination. Penalties will be forthcoming early this week.

Biffle didn’t know about the problem, the only one announced after NASCAR checked eight cars after the race, before he left the track.

“We had great pit stops today,” Biffle said. “Everybody just worked really hard. This is what this team is made of. We’ve had about four of these (good) runs now, but this is the first one we’ve finished. I feel really good about it.”

Biffle was third before a caution on Lap 484 and stayed on the track when the cars behind him pitted for fresh tires.

“(Crew chief) Pat (Tryson) called me in to take four tires but I was about a foot past the commitment line,” Biffle said. “I didn’t want to try to chance it. It’s unfortunate because I think we could have won.”