Biffle has been lucky and good

ShareThis

Throughout sports, games and life, this statement's often been uttered by many: "I'd rather be lucky than good."But how does that saying relate to this year's NASCAR title hunt? Where does the role of being good or lucky come in to play as 12 drivers try to win The Chase For The Spring Cup Championship?Greg Biffle -- Very good.Overlooked by the most everyone in the prelude to the Chase, Biffle has won the first two races of the championship playoff in similar fashion -- late-lap passes. In some ways, the Washington state native has transformed into a modern-day David Pearson, lurking in the pack and overlooked for most of the race, then suddenly pulling in to Victory Lane when the rest of the field is unhooking their belts and climbing from their cars.Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson -- Lucky and good.The pair comprised two of the three elite drivers for the first 26 races, so they're definitely good, but luck was with both drivers last Sunday when they managed to avoid an early-race scrape with the spinning Dodge of Patrick Carpentier. Edwards barely tapped the No. 10, but Johnson escaped unscathed.The lucky miss was similar to one Kurt Busch used at Homestead on his way to the 2004 championship. Busch had a detached right wheel early in the race, a problem he discovered just as he was nearing the pit road entrance, forcing him in for service. If the wheel problem had happened 50 yards later and eventually come off, he probably would not have won the title by eight points over Johnson.The Richard Childress Racing drivers, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon -- Good.Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer have been strong but not in contention to win in two races, while Stewart -- a lame duck at Joe Gibbs Racing -- is suddenly carrying the flag for Toyota's Cup efforts, though he is more concerned about the Chevys he will drive next year. Eighth-place Gordon has also been solid, 118 points out of first. There are six Cup titles in this group.Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth -- Good but unlucky.The 88 was good at Loudon, the 17 stout at Dover. But each driver had problems at the track he didn't run well at. These two drivers, close friends in the past as they battled for Busch Series titles, are not out of it by any means, but they've used one "Get Out of Jail Free" card already. Another finish outside the top 20 will likely end their title chances.Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch -- Good drivers out of luck.The two drivers, primarily Busch, responsible for putting Toyota racing on the map at the Cup level quickly became the Chase's first victims after just two races. Human error on a teammate's part and rare engine failure were Busch's downfall, while Hamlin succumbed to engine failure as well. For two of Gibbs Racing's three drivers, Busch's words said it best: "We're done."One thing is certain. The Chase eventual winner at Homestead in November will be both lucky and good.(Bill Whitehead covers NASCAR for Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal. E-mail wwhitehe@ircc.net.)