Greg Biffle Leaves Roush Fenway Racing After 19 Seasons

Greg Biffle is departing Roush Fenway Racing after 19 seasons driving in various series for the team.

Greg Biffle Leaves Roush Fenway Racing After 19 Seasons

In a press release, the 46-year-old stated he was “excited about the next chapter of my life, and I look forward to exploring other opportunities– particularly in radio and television– both inside and outside of NASCAR.”

Biffle, who had driven the No. 16 Ford since 2002, tweeted the departure was a “mutual agreement we started working on many months ago.”

“I want to be competitive and win races and run in the top 10,”  Biffle told the media at Kansas in mid-October. “If I’m not doing that then I’m probably going to do something different.”

Biffle, a former champion in both the Nascar Truck Series and what is now the XFINITY Series, is coming off several frustrating seasons in Cup.

Though he owns 19 career victories in Nascar’s top series, he has not won a race since doing so at Michigan in June 2013– a stretch of 129 races.

In 510 career starts, he has registered 92 top-five and 175 top-10 finishes with 13 poles.

Biffle first began driving for owner Jack Roush in the Truck Series in 1998. He won 16 races and the 2000 championship in that series before moving up to what is now the XFINITY Series in 2001, where he won the championship a year later. Biffle owns 20 wins overall in that series.

Both of his titles marked Ford’s first championships as a manufacturer in each series.

“We’ve had an incredible run and I am so appreciative for the opportunity to be a part of Roush Fenway,” Biffle said. “For a kid that grew up Washington, I’m extremely proud of everything we have been able to accomplish over the last 19 years — both on and off the track. I’ve enjoyed every minute.

“I’m thankful to Jack Roush for the opportunity to have driven his race cars for all these years. It’s very rare in this sport to have been able to stay with one team this many years, and to have been as successful as we have been.”

Roush also praised Biffle for his commitment to the team.

“I don’t have the words to say what Greg has meant to this organization,” Roush said. “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. I know that Greg and I will maintain a strong friendship and I look forward to leaning on him on occasion as we continue to work on improving our performance.”

Roush did not say whether it plans to field the No. 16 car with another driver next season.

AVONDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 11: Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 Performance Plus Ford, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 11, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)