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Fishing Mishap Sidelines Biffle

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 21, 2009

BRISTOL, Tenn. - Greg Biffle bruised his ribs while fishing this week and will not race in today's Nationwide Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Biffle, who will race in the premier Sprint Cup Series event Sunday, said he was hurt Tuesday night when he jumped from the dock to the boat and slipped in a wet spot. He banged his right side on the boat.

"I wish I had a better story, I really do," he said Friday at Bristol. "It's just one of those freak, stupid accidents where you take a fall and you have no way to stop it or brace it or grab because I was over top of water. You're gonna land on your ribs with all your weight, plus you jumped on top of it, so it was a stupid deal. ... Everybody's jumped onto a boat before, but I just lost my footing."

Matt Kenseth will replace Biffle in today's race.

HE SAID IT

"I look at it basically from kind of a greedy standpoint. As long as that 43's out there, then Richard Petty's out there. In other words, that's my signature deal just because of the 30 or 40 years with that number. If they take the No. 43 off the racetrack, I'm going to have to do something else to get my name recognition out there. It's something I feel good about."

- Richard Petty, on why he prefers the No. 43 not be retired in NASCAR

FIA RETREATS AFTER CHALLENGE

LONDON - Formula One's ruling body backed down Friday and agreed to put off a new points system for the sport until next season, responding to objections from teams and top drivers.

The Formula One Teams' Association said FIA's decision this week that the championship would go to the driver with the most race wins instead of highest point total was invalid. F1's governing body then reversed course.

"If, for any reason, the Formula One teams do not now agree with the new system, its implementation will be deferred until 2010," FIA said in a statement just hours after the teams announced their objection.

The U-turn came just more than a week before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 29, heading off the possibility of a boycott.

FIA said it decided to go to a race wins scoring system Tuesday, under the impression that teams wanted the switch from the established system of giving the title to the driver with the most points. Such was the strength of criticism from the teams and drivers, including Fernando Alonso and world champion Lewis Hamilton, FIA might not be able to implement the change next year, either.

EARNHARDT WANTS VIDEO OF FATHER'S 1979 BRISTOL WIN

Dale Earnhardt won his first NASCAR race 30 years ago at Bristol Motor Speedway, and his son wishes he had a video of the monumental race.

Earnhardt drove his Chevrolet to victory in the Southeastern 500 at Bristol, a fitting place for his first trip to Victory Lane.

"That makes sense, I guess, him winning his first race here, because this track - if there's a racetrack that fits his personality - this would be the one," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Friday before qualifying at Bristol.

"He loved racing here and loved winning in front of the people here in Tennessee. This is such an exciting race track, and I just think he fed off of that for all those years."

Earnhardt went on to win nine races at Bristol, but his son has yet to see the 1979 victory in its entirety.

"That'd be awesome, to get a videotape of that race," Earnhardt Jr. said. "I've never seen it, just some clips of him coming off the corner."

His son was present for several other wins, and his favorite was the 1985 victory when Earnhardt lost his power steering 50 laps into the race. The seven-time Cup champion rallied for the win in an unbelievable feat of strength.

"The Earnhardt moment for me here was when he ran like 450 laps and won the race with no power steering," Earnhardt Jr. said.

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