Long Pond, Pa. — Greg Biffle, crew chief Greg Erwin and the rest of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion team gave Roush Fenway Racing co-owner Jack Roush the best medicine imaginable Sunday afternoon: A stirring and emotional victory in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway.

And just for good measure, Carl Edwards brought the No. 99 Aflac Fusion home third behind Biffle and Tony Stewart. NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin completed the top five in a lengthy race

Three times during the 200-lap race, Biffle used two-tire pit stops to gain track position, the last one coming during the final round of pit stops on lap 170.

That allowed Biffle to leave pit road in second place behind Sam Hornish Jr., who stayed out. An unusually lengthy 14-lap caution period for clean up of a violent backstretch accident involving Kurt Busch and Elliott Sadler near Turn 2 and, later, intermittent light rain, meant the green flag fell for the last time on lap 180.

Biffle passed Hornish on that first green-flag lap, never again surrendering the lead, as he pulled away to win by 3.598 seconds over Stewart. Biffle’s margin of victory was the second-longest in 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup races so far this season.

After the race, Biffle and Roush spoke by phone, the driver in victory lane and the team owner at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he was recovering from facial injuries suffered Tuesday during a crash lending of his jet at Oshkosh, Wis.

Needless to say, the post-race phone call between Roush and Biffle was one of, if not the most emotional of the driver’s career.

“In victory lane he told me that he had never met somebody that had the will to win like I do,” said Biffle of Roush. “He said he didn’t say that because I drive for him; he said he feels that out of any of the drivers. You know, kind of put goosebumps on my arms. I’m glad he thinks of me like that. I give 110 percent all the time, I never give up.”

While the victory was significant because it was a shot in the arm for the recovering Roush and a morale booster for the team, it’s actually much more than that: It’s a real and true indication the Blue Oval Boys are back, and just in time with the Chase for the Sprint Cup practically around the corner.

Two races ago, Edwards finished second at Chicagoland Speedway. Last week, Biffle was third at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On Sunday, Biffle was first, Edwards third at Pocono. And with those two drivers and teammate Matt Kenseth safely in the top 12 in points, it looks like the Roush squadron is peaking at exactly the right time to make a championship run.

At Chicagoland they knocked on the door.

At the Brickyard, they pounded on it.

And it Pocono, they flat kicked the door in.

“There’s a lot of people that have worked on these race cars and touched ‘em,” said Biffle. “The fab guys back at the shop have been working night and day to try to figure out what we’re missing. The engine guys have been working really hard on this new engine. My team [has] been working really hard. They’ve been working out, working on pit stops, strategy. It finally paid off.”

Oh, yes, it did. And this may be the start of something very, very big indeed.

“There’s not many doubters on that team,” crew chief Erwin said. “… Whether you’re fifth, 10th, 12th, wherever you’re at, there’s really no quit in any of those guys that are with me and work around us in that 3M 16 shop. It’s going to be a lot easier tomorrow morning to stand in front of them, I can tell you that. Big momentum boost. Perfect time of the season.”

Source: http://www.fordracing.com/news/detail/index.asp?article=38179