Biffle Easily Wins MBNA 400

Greg Biffle’s surprising run to the top of Nextel Cup competition got a boost Sunday from a stunningly easy victory in a crash-filled race on the Monster Mile.

Biffle got his series-leading fourth win this season to close within 46 points of pacesetter Jimmie Johnson. The victory in the $5.5-million MBNA 400 was Biffle’s first at Dover International Speedway in Delaware and the seventh of his career.

In a race slowed seven times for 33 of its 400 laps, Biffle won in part because he avoided traffic problems that resulted in hard crashes. Among those taken from the field were four-time Dover winners Jeff Gordon and Ricky Rudd, and Ken Schrader and Dave Blaney. They were not injured.

Until this year, Biffle was largely overlooked among drivers for Roush Racing, which also fields cars for four-time Dover winner Mark Martin, series champion Kurt Busch and former champion Matt Kenseth.

Biffle said the Roush organization’s tightknit approach is behind its success. He said his car wasn’t so good leading up to the race until Kenseth’s team prepared it with a new shock package.

“That’s what teamwork is all about,” he said.

He did make one decision on his own -- to take four tires on his final pit stop under green while most of the others were saving time by taking two.

“I said, ‘I want four tires, and I don’t care what happens,’ ” he said. “I was prepared to put four on and race for the win.”

Biffle started second because rain prevented qualifying Friday, forcing the field to be set by car-owner points. He bided his time over the first half of the race, then passed Elliott Saddler for the lead on Lap 241.

After that, the field became strung out, allowing Biffle an open track with few traffic problems. He wound up leading a race-high 150 laps on the high-banked concrete oval.

Biffle’s Ford beat Kyle Busch’s Chevrolet by 4.281 seconds. Martin was third in a Ford, followed by Johnson in a Chevrolet and Rusty Wallace in a Dodge.

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NASCAR driver and team owner Robby Gordon drove a Chevrolet truck to victory Saturday in the four-wheel class of the 37th Baja 500 desert race in Ensenada, Mexico.

Gordon covered the 419-mile course in 9:10:32 for an average of 45.66 mph. The race featured a near-record 345 starters.

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Larry Sampson of Covina was discharged from County USC Medical Center after crashing late Saturday in a race at Irwindale Speedway.

Sampson had been kept overnight for observation after complaining of neck and shoulder soreness.