Mark Martin and the late Greg Biffle shared a deep mutual respect. Their paths overlapped for four years as teammates at Roush Racing. Following Biffle’s death last month, the NASCAR world has been reflecting on his most iconic achievements, and Martin did the same during a recent conversation on Kenny Wallace’s YouTube channel.
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The veteran driver piloted the No. 6 Ford while racing under the Roush banner, while Biffle drove the No. 16. A photo of Biffle racing at Darlington Raceway in 2005 recently resurfaced on social media, and what immediately caught everyone’s attention was how much lower his car sat compared to the rest of the field, including Martin’s.
“Greg and Doug had this thing worked out where they could get their left front lower than anyone else at Roush,” Martin explained.
“They had a 450 lb. left front spring that would travel a lot. All of us had one of those. But Doug [Richert] had figured out a way for it to slip around in the bucket a little bit and get even extra low.”
Team Greg had won several races on intermediate tracks with that package. Everyone in the garage knew what they were doing, but few were willing to try it themselves.
Martin further explained, “The No. 6 car was always scrutinized more heavily than any of the other teams. We were not brave enough to try to replicate that with the No. 6 car. But it was fun because you could see it clearly right there on the racetrack.”
Was Biffle’s setup in the No. 16 car legal?
While explaining the technical details behind the package, Martin also confirmed that the car consistently passed inspections and was deemed legal. He went on to praise what an exceptional teammate Biffle was and fondly recalled a couple of moments when he left him floored with his character and attitude.
As a teammate and a senior in the garage, Martin knew everything that was going on in the No. 16 camp. To date, he is amazed by the impeccable work that Biffle and his crew chief, Doug Richert, managed to put together.
He said, “I knew everything that he had in his car, and was just amazed at the performance that he, Doug, and his team were able to squeeze out of that No. 16 car.”
Biffle won 19 races in the No. 16 Roush Racing car over a period of 14 years.
