Greg Biffle won’t return to Roush in 2017 – Nascar

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NASCAR veteran Greg Biffle announced Monday that he and Roush Fenway Racing have agreed to part ways, leaving the driver’s immediate future very much up in the air.

Biffle, 46, had been with the company for 19 years. He called the decision to part ways a “mutual agreement” and touched on multiple topics in an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Among them — he wants to drive in 2017, but has no concrete plans; he had fielded offers from multiple teams, including JTG Daugherty; and the on-track results over the past three years weighed heavily on the driver as he mulled his future.

“It’s been a tough decision to make,” Biffle said on Sirius. “I’ve kind of been faced with it several times throughout my career. … I felt like it had kind of run its course. I felt like it was time for me to move on and explore some other opportunities. I’ve enjoyed my time with Roush, and Jack (Roush) has meant a tremendous amount to me.”

Since 2003, Biffle has piloted the company’s No. 16 Ford. His best season came in 2005, when he notched six wins and a career-best 15 top-five finishes en route to a second-place finish in the driver standings.

All told, Biffle has 19 career premier series victories, along with a championship in both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

“I don’t have the words to say what Greg has meant to this organization,” Roush said in a team release. “He is a true racer who has always exhibited a will to win and an intense passion for speed. For almost two decades Greg has given us an opportunity to run up front and compete for wins. Greg exemplifies what every owner hopes for in a driver and I’m extremely thankful for having him as part of our organization.”

Biffle said this decision has been in motion for a few months. The driver, who turns 47 in December, added that he’s taking a leap of faith leaving without another deal in place.

“It was probably my toughest decision to make, to not have another deal,” he said. ” …  I have talked to several teams, including the JTG (Daugherty) team. I met with those guys probably a month, month-and-a-half ago. They’re a great organization, they’ve got competitive cars, but it just really didn’t work with me.”

Biffle last won in 2013, which is also Roush’s last Sprint Cup Series win as a team, although the organization won the XFINITY Series title in 2015 with driver Chris Buescher. The struggles in the premier series appeared to be the tipping point for the driver.

“I’m so competitive of a person,” he said. “It truly crushes you to put 100 percent effort in — the guys at the shop, the whole team … everyone is pulling the rope in the same direction and working as hard as they could, and the results just aren’t what we wanted them to be.

“Whether it’s right or wrong, it was like, ‘Let’s do something different for both of us.’ “