Greg Erwin has been replaced by Matt Puccia as the crew chief of the #16 Ford Fusion driven by Greg Biffle. It’s little surprise that there are three Roush Fenway drivers who are currently in position to make the Chase, the surprise is that Greg Biffle is not one of them.
Erwin had been the crew chief of Biffle dating back to 2007, the team finished fifth in the Sprint Cup standings last year and won races at Pocono and Kansas. This year however the duo has finished with only one top-5 and five top-10’s in 18 races. Those numbers simply are not enough to make the Chase and after a 21st place finish at Daytona and numerous pit road mistakes there was bound to be a fall guy.
Ok truthfully there was only one guy who could take the fall. Greg Biffle is a proven Sprint Cup driver who recently resigned with both Roush Fenway and 3M.
The replacement for Erwin is Matt Puccia. Puccia has been in the Roush Fenway fold for some time and served as the crew chief of Paul Menard’s 2010 Nationwide effort. Menard was constantly at the top of the scoreboard last year in the Nationwide Series and while he didn’t score any wins he is enjoying his best season in Sprint Cup action this year.
You never know which way these things are going to go. Had Biffle not won two races last year it’s possible that Erwin may have been replaced prior to this year.
One thing is for sure. With the way the #16 car has been running this year they weren’t going to make the Chase. Like so many others the next weeks are crucial for the team. A win would bolster their chances as it’s likely Biffle will remain ahead of drivers such as David Ragan and Brad Keselowski. The problem is Biffle is 31 points out of 10th which is the last spot that guarantees a Chase birth without a win.
A new position for Erwin has not been announced yet.
