Biffle Wins Vegas Gamble

Gambling on track position instead of fresh tires, Greg Biffle and his Grainger Ford crew slickered the field to win the Orleans 250 NASCAR Craftsman truck race Friday evening at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

When leaders Ron Hornaday and Jack Sprague pitted for tires with 25 laps remaining in the 167-lap race, crew chief Randy Goss elected to keep Biffle on the track. The strategy paid off as he held off a desperate challenge from Sprague to win his record ninth race of the season.

Sprague tried to pass Biffle on the outside with eight laps to go and the two cars sideswiped at 150 mph. But Biffle held on and Sprague never came that close again. Sprague finished second, Hornaday third.

Biffle averaged 127.220 mph for the 250-mile race around Las Vegas’ 1.5-mile track. The win extended his series lead to 130 points over Sprague with three races remaining. The season ends Oct. 30 at California Speedway.