Greg Biffle, Roush Racing and Ford Get a Much Needed Victory

Improved performance couldn't be coming at a better time for Ford and Roush Fenway Racing.

Not only did Greg Biffle post the team's first victory of 2010 on Sunday with his win at Pocono Raceway, he greatly solidified his chances of joining teammates Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

And it lifted the spirits of Roush Fenway co-owner Jack Roush, who remains hospitalized (but has been upgraded to fair condition) with facial injuries after a plane crash last week.

"It's cool to see a Ford in victory lane, especially with everything that happened this week," Edwards said.

With five races remaining until the Chase field is set, Biffle has an 88-point lead on Clint Bowyer for 11th place. Bowyer, with a chance to give Richard Childress Racing three Chevrolets in the Chase, has a 34-point cushion on Mark Martin for the 12th and final position. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is another 95 points back, nine ahead of Ryan Newman.

Before Sunday's red-flag delays and a variety of strategic pit stops as rain continued to threaten, the performance story of the day had been the dominance of Hendrick Motorsports' top cars.

After failing to place a car in the top 10 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway the previous week, Hendrick's Jimmie Johnson led 96 of the first 120 laps. Teammate Jeff Gordon led 39 and was on the point when the leaders pitted with 34 laps to go.

When the red flag waved, however, and the race was halted for a second time, the field was completely shuffled. Biffle, who took two tires, went from 21st to second behind Sam Hornish Jr., who remained on the track. Edwards, who had been battling to hang on to seventh place, was third. Gordon was 11th on the restart, and Johnson had been relegated to 24th.

Once the race resumed, what mattered was the package Roush Fenway had in place. Biffle got around Hornish in no time and drew away from the field in the final 20 laps. Tony Stewart couldn't dispose of Hornish in time to threaten but finished second, just ahead of Edwards.

Biffle, who won for the first time since winning the first two races of the Chase in September 2008, credited Ford's new FR9 engine, which also won a points race for the first time.

"I beat the hell out of the engine today," Biffle said. "It shouldn't be running, but it still is. It got the durability test, I can promise you."