Greg Biffle wins Basha's 200 Nationwide race

The surprise wasn't that team owner Jack Roush earned his 100th career win in NASCAR's Nationwide Series on Friday night.

Rather, the surprise was in who earned the victory.

Carl Edwards, who entered the race as the series points leader, dominated early and led 79 of the first 97 laps but a broken valve spring sent him behind pit wall for repairs. That opened the door for Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle to win Friday night's Bashas' 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Even Biffle's win wasn't secure.

With less than 20 laps remaining, Biffle and two others stayed out on a pit stop while the rest of the lead lap cars pit for tires. It appeared Biffle would be in trouble.

A big wreck with 15 laps to go slowed the advance of the cars on fresh tires and NASCAR's decision not to red-flag the race left only six laps after the caution for Biffle to hold off his competition.

There was still one more caution and a two-lap overtime remaining, but it wasn't enough time for Jason Leffler to catch Biffle, who earned his second win of the season and 20th of his career.

"I was really worried. I thought we were sitting ducks," said Biffle about his team's decision to stay out on old tires. "I think the fans got a really good show tonight.

"It's too bad we had all those cautions there at the end. There was a lot of anxiety for me inside the car. Getting the 100th victory is great."

Biffle said the long caution from the wreck with 15 laps left helped cool his tires enough to get a good restart.

"When the green (flag) came out, the car had a lot of grip," he said. "It was going to be really hauling the mail for another 10 to 15 laps anyway. I don't think (Leffler) was going to get there."

Brad Keselowski finished third for the third consecutive race, Joey Logano - who won last weekend's race at Nashville - was fourth and Kevin Harvick fifth.

Edwards finished 33rd which allowed Kyle Busch (who finished 10th) to take the series points lead. Busch now holds a 47-point advantage over Edwards.

Thatsracin.com

Rookies not given fair chance

As he drove from one NASCAR Sprint Cup test to another — two days removed from his second career Nationwide Series win — Joey Logano's voice quickened in his own defense.

"I don't think people give people a fair chance these days," Logano said. "People talk about all this racing stuff and think they know what they're talking about, and I guess to some extent they do, but they don't realize what it's like to be in that seat and to not be able to test [at NASCAR sanctioned tracks]."

The 18-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver entered Cup racing saddled with wild, perhaps ridiculous, expectations. He and Scott Speed, NASCAR's other rookie-of-the-year candidate racing the full season, both found success at other levels and in other types of racing, and many expected early success in NASCAR's premiere series.

Seven races in, reality has hit both of them.

Logano, 18, and Speed, 26, have both struggled. Logano is in the top 35 of owners points at 35th place and Speed, who did not qualify for Texas, is 38th. Even 39-year-old Max Papis, who is scheduled for 18 races this season and eligible for rookie of the year, has finished 36th and 35th in his two races.

Now more than ever, with testing banned at NASCAR sanctioned tracks and a car that drives unlike any race car in any other series, patience is a must.

"I think we're seeing guys struggle that maybe you didn't expect to struggle, but it's not a knock against those guys' talent," said Regan Smith, the 2008 rookie of the year. "This car is just tough. It's very tough."

Logano spent Tuesday testing in Rockingham, N.C., after about six hours at Virginia International Raceway on Monday. Any extra time at tracks that resemble Cup tracks helps. He's also tested at New Smyrna Speedway.

A testing overhaul isn't Red Bull Racing's strategy.

Speed spent Tuesday hanging out at Sea World in Orlando, getting spit at by a Beluga whale.

The No. 82 Red Bull Toyota team, he said, hasn't done any testing at non-NASCAR sanctioned tracks, and doesn't think that would help. The tracks, he said, are much too different.

"I don't think it hurts me from going to learn the tracks, it hurts not having the time in the Cup car," Speed said. "Just not having the time to learn about different changes and having a good feel and gaining the experience for what does what on the car."

The Class of 2008 struggled similarly last season. Last year's rookies huffed and puffed their way through, with Smith finishing best in 34th. The Car of Tomorrow, then in its first full season, was even less familiar to teams, and drivers had little preparation for what they faced.

But at least they had testing at tracks where they would race.

Smith came close to a win in the fall at Talladega. He crossed the finish line first but was penalized for passing below the yellow line and wound up 18th.

Their struggles starkly contrasted previous rookie classes this decade.

The 2007 rookie of the year, Juan Pablo Montoya finished 20th overall and won a race. Denny Hamlin won the award in 2006 with two wins and a third-place series finish. A 20-year-old Kyle Busch won the award in 2005, also winning two races. Further back than that, in 2002 Jimmie Johnson, who finished second in ROY standings to Ryan Newman, finished fifth in series points standings.

"We've had some young drivers come in and have remarkable success in their first year," Jeff Burton said. "Those aren't normal things. The struggles that we're seeing happen now are normal."

It has made the season frustrating for Logano, whom Mark Martin once said could ultimately be one of the best in the sport.

And as he furiously seeks the right combination, Speed takes a lighter approach. He entered stock car racing in search of a new challenge instead of staying in Formula 1 as a test driver or going to an American open-wheel team.

The struggles, he said, are fun.

"For me it's not about being the best," Speed said. "I probably will never be as good as Jimmie Johnson or Kyle Busch and, honestly, I don't care to be. I'm just having fun learning to see how good I can get at the sport."

Orlando Sentinal.com

Can Kasey Kahne stay in the top 12?

Starting this week at the Phoenix race the Nascar drivers will be going through their toughest part of the season. There will be 13 straight weeks of racing covering all types of track, road course, short tracks and super speedways.

I'm hoping Kasey Kahne can stand up to the grind and keep his position in the top 12 in the Sprint Cup standings. Right now Kasey is in 10th place but only 35 points from being in 13th so he needs to step it and get to winning.