NASCAR Cup Series

Biffle gets extra bonus for Kansas win

Published Oct. 4, 2010 3:38 a.m. ET

foxsports

Ford Racing boss Jamie Allison must now put his money where his mouth is.

On Saturday, Allison offered $100,000 to any Ford team in the Chase for the Sprint Cup that pulled off a win in the final eight races. Greg Biffle and the No. 16 “Pit Bulls” delivered on Sunday.

“It means a lot to me,” Biffle said. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do with my half of the money yet.”

Allison was giddy about his new contingency program. Generally, Ford offers bonuses for teams that finish first, second or third throughout the year. The additional dividend serves as an enticement for the title.

“It’s fairly straightforward. This is sports — these guys are athletes. When you’re at that level, and you’re in a very high-pressure situation, you’ve got find every tool available to kick it up to the next level,” Allison said.

“It really just amps up a little bit more excitement, and gets the crews all thinking about what might be, above and beyond what exists. And you know what? These are just small, little pieces. I don’t look at it as a bounty. I look at it more as ‘Hey, this one needs a little bit more.’”

Allison believes it pays to incentivize his troops. It had been seven races since Greg Biffle posted Ford’s only win of the 2010 Sprint Cup season. However, Biffle, Matt Kenseth or Carl Edwards still have a shot at a six-figure bonus to their immediate teams with victories in the final seven Chase races.

On Sunday, the Nos. 16, 99 and 17 finished first, sixth and seventh, respectively.

“When you sit up on the pit box and watch, usually a tenth of a second makes the difference between first and 20th,“ Allison said. “For any Chase race, I’ve raised the stakes. And the stakes are high. We’re in the hunt. We’re in the championship, and it’s just a little bit more for them to put in a little bit more. That’s one small thing I can do.

“Usually, it’s a pep talk or a coach kicking you in the rear. You don’t need that here. Here, they’re already performing at the highest level. I’ve just seen that a pit stop can make a difference. A pit call can make a difference. Everybody’s working at the highest level, and this is just a small thing that I wanted to do from Ford to go out to the three Ford Chasers and say, ‘There’s a little bit extra here.”

And should a non-Chaser Ford driver win — say David Ragan?

“I would give him a big hug,” Alllison said. “There’s other forms of currency beyond money. A little recognition goes a long way.”

Following Allison’s first trip to Victory Lane, he flew back to North Carolina with winning owner Jack Roush to attend the weekly Monday meeting. Certainly, the No. 16 3M team will be thrilled to see him.