Winston Cup rookie and former Busch series champion Greg Biffle is entered in Saturday’s Busch race at Chicagoland Speedway, but not with the team he raced with last weekend at Daytona. Biffle will not drive Evans Motorsports’ #7 Chevy, which he drove last weekend in place of Randy LaJoie, who was released from the team. Instead, Winston Cup driver Joe Nemechek, whose Nemco Motorsports Busch team is partners with Evans, will drive the #7. David Reutimann will drive Nemco’s #87. In addition, Biffle will attempt to qualify Nemco’s #88, a car the team often uses to collect last-place money in races. Biffle can ensure the car will make the field since, as a past series champion, he is guaranteed a provisional. Biffle is not expected to start the race in the #88, however, team officials said. Ford Motor Co. expressed concern with Roush Racing’s decision to allow Biffle, who drives Fords in Cup, to drive a General Motors product in the Busch race at Daytona. Biffle, who won his first Winston Cup race Saturday night at Daytona, agreed to drive Daytona as well as “selected other races for the remainder of the season” for Evans. Ford has not been pleased with Biffle’s decision to drive non-Ford products. Roush and Ford officials met over the weekend on the matter. In May, Ford nixed a one-race deal Biffle had to compete in the inaugural NASCAR Truck series race at Charlotte because Biffle was planning to enter a Dodge truck.(ThatsRacin.com), no word on who will run the #88 in place of Biffle for the race.(7-8-2003)
UPDATE: Joe Nemechek is entered at Chicago and will drive the #7 Kleenex/Scott Brands Chevrolet. Last week at Daytona, 2002 NASCAR Busch Series champion Greg Biffle finished 23rd in the #7 car and was able to use that experience en route to his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory one night later in the Pepsi 400. Biffle will get more series seat time Saturday in the #88 Chevrolet owned by Robert Overman and led by crew chief Brian Pattie, who normally serves as Nemechek’s crew chief with the #87 CellularOne Chevrolet. That car will be driven by David Reutimann with Eric Phillips as crew chief.(NASCAR PR)(7-9-2003)
