- Associated Press - Sunday, September 22, 2013

LOUDON, N.H. (AP) - Greg Biffle could offer Matt Kenseth one tip for the Chase.

Don’t count on that championship just yet.

Biffle was the first driver in Chase history to win the first two races (2008) of the 10-race playoff and he followed with a third in Kansas. A strong showing, just not strong enough to beat Jimmie Johnson for the championship. Biffle had four finishes of 10th or worse and finished third in the final standings.

“I won the first two races before, also, and didn’t win the championship,” Biffle said. “Anything can happen.”

Absolutely.

And Biffle is counting on a bit of a reverse from `08 to win his first championship. Biffle finished behind Kenseth and Kyle Busch on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and has put himself in a solid fifth place in the points race, only 38 points behind the streaking Kenseth.

“I think we all know they were going to be good when the Chase came,” Biffle said. “Let’s face it, they’ve had good cars forever. … They do have fast cars, no doubt.”

Biffle worked his way through traffic to make it a three-car race to the finish. He just didn’t have enough to catch Kenseth, though he did hold off a charging Johnson, who was fourth.

“I’m sure he’s not happy right now, not being able to get by me and having what appeared to be a little faster car,” Biffle said. “Some guys’ cars run good at the beginning of the run and some guys seemed a little stronger at the end. My car seemed to do better at the end of the run.”

If Johnson was unhappy, he found the perfect way to unwind.

“I’m digging Jack Johnson’s new album, you? Chill but that’s the beauty of it,” he wrote on Twitter a few hours after the race.

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