He talked about momentum and a string of racetracks that play in his favor as the Chase for the Championship approaches. Like other drivers trying to make the playoffs, Biffle wanted to bring as much confidence, no matter how artificial, to the road course race.
Restrictor-plate events at the Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway always have an affect on the standings, but Watkins Glen remains one of the biggest hurdles for drivers who still aren't comfortable making right- and left-handed turns.
"We really like Watkins Glen, Michigan," Biffle said. "So, we feel like if we can keep these top-fives up, certainly that's what we need to do to get in (the Chase)."
Road courses clearly favor a select few. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart have four victories each at the 2.45-mile race course in upstate New York. Biffle's best finish is a 10th in six career starts. In fact, four of his six races ended with finishes of 30th or worse.
So he's taking a new approach: Talk his way to a good finish.
Biffle is 12th in the standings. The top 12 will move into the Chase in five races. With so little time to make up lost ground, Biffle is one of a handful of drivers who want to get through Sunday's race without doing too much damage in the points.
Matt Kenseth is only one point ahead of Biffle, and he also struggles at Watkins Glen. Kenseth has two top-10 finishes in nine races there, and his average finish is 16.2.
Kyle Busch, who won last year at Watkins Glen, is 13th in the rankings. This might be his best chance to make up ground.
"I think we're darn lucky to be 12th with as bad as things have been, really," Kenseth said. "I think, just on speed, we're probably good enough to get into the Chase; I don't think, right now, where we are on speed and performance and finishes, we're a championship contender by any means.
"If we can run in the top 10 every week from now until through Richmond, I think we'll make it. I'm not so sure we can run in the top 10 every week."
Every winner at Watkins Glen has qualified for the playoffs since the Chase started in 2004. Denny Hamlin won last week at Pocono and he was divided on the importance of that victory. He was happy to break a 50-race losing streak, but equally important was it gave him a little cushion for this week's race.
"Yeah, I'm kind of glad we built a little cushion today because Watkins Glen will be tough," he said. "I think it's just going to be survival, to be honest with you. That's going to be another race where I think the conservative approach is probably going to take you further than anywhere because guys are going to dive bomb getting in (Turn) 1."
Hamlin's record at Watkins Glen is good. He's finished 10th twice and second once in three starts. But at No. 5 in the standings, he's still worried.
While he won't admit it, so is Biffle.
"Kyle Busch is not out of it," Biffle said. "So, we're up against some tough competition. We know we have to not make mistakes, and finish these races up front."
A top-10 finish at Watkins Glen can propel a driver in the rankings. The separation between sixth-place Carl Edwards and Biffle is just 102 points. It's possible, if not likely, that Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman, Mark Martin, Kenseth or Biffle will drop out of the top 12.
"I'm definitely looking forward to it," Kahne said. "I've always been a fan of road courses. I love that type of racing, but I didn't have any results to show that I was a fan of road racing other than qualifying good."
Kahne won earlier this year on the road course at Infineon Raceway.
Montoya won at Infineon last year. He likes the idea of having a road course so close to the cutoff before the Chase.
"Watkins Glen we normally got a really good car," he said. "For us, if we can get a top five out of there - I know we can probably win the race - but if we get a top five out of there, the points for the Chase would be huge."
The tracks that follow Watkins Glen - Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta and Richmond - are good tracks for Biffle. He has four career victories at those tracks. His average finish at Watkins Glen is 28.7.
"Watkins Glen has been a good track for us," he said.
Eventually, he may talk himself into believing it.




