Greg Biffle admits his lost championship glory to $90M NASCAR legend Tony Stewart still "eats at him"

Greg Biffle, one of NASCAR’s most accomplished drivers, recently reflected on the 2005 season and admitted that losing the Cup Series championship to Tony Stewart still "eats at him". He made the admission while speaking to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series was an exciting season for NASCAR fans. The series saw a thrilling rivalry between $90 million-worth Tony Stewart (according to celebritynetworth.com) and NASCAR Legend Greg Biffle. Before the Chase began, Stewart was the dominant driver of the regular season, where he led the standings with 3,716 points, a 209-point lead over Biffle, but the Chase Reset system reset the points for the top 10 drivers and brought the gap down to just five points before the playoffs. Biffle also had the advantage of having six wins during the season compared to the NASCAR legend’s five wins.

Despite this, Stewart was able to retain his spot in the final standings. Driving the #20 for Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart clinched his second Cup Series with 6,533 points. Biffle, driving the #16 for Roush Racing, finished the season as a runner-up with 6,498 points. Biffle won the finale but Stewart only needed a 15 or above finishing position which he secured to win the title.

To Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his podcast, Dale Download Jr., Greg Biffle shared the utter disappointment he faced when he conceded the title to Tony Stewart:

"We lost the championship by three positions. Out of anything, of course, over my career, right? That eats at me," said Biffle on the podcast.

Biffle believed he was incredibly unlucky, citing the issues he faced after being put a lap down because of his tire being loose.

"And I was running third, and we had a wheel loose at Texas. And I had to come back down and put a, change the wheel, put a new tire on. And we got a lap down, and we were in the lucky dog position and every single time the leaders had passed somebody, the caution had come out," Biffle mentioned.

"And I'm not gonna say NASCAR, you know, played a role in that, but maybe somebody had, you know, deck was stacked against us a little bit, you know, our right side guy left the wheel loose. And so we finished 20th that day, went and ran a good run at Phoenix and won at Homestead. And I was less than 20 car lengths from lapping Tony Stewart," he added.

The #16 driver mentioned how he needed only three higher positions to match the points and the greater number of race wins would have propelled him to becoming the 2005 Nextel Cup Series.

"He was like right there. And I mean, I'm foaming at the mouth. Caution's out, debris. And I'm like, oh, you know. Where is it? Where is this bull? Yeah. And anyway, I ended up winning that day. And, you know, I needed three more positions and I would have got the title," he said.

Stewart, popularly known as "Smoke," is one of motorsport’s most versatile and accomplished drivers. Born in Columbus, Indiana, Stewart's career spans from go-karts to NASCAR glory. He claimed three Cup Series championships (2002, 2005, and 2011).

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Tony Stewart shared a thumping message ahead of NHRA season

NASCAR legend Tony Stewart is gearing up for the 2025 NHRA season, which kicks off at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida, from March 6-9. He shared his anticipation for the event on X, posting a photo of himself in his racing helmet with the message:

"14 Days until the 2025 NHRA season fires up! See you in Gainesville"

Stewart, now an NHRA Top Fuel driver, aims to add to his impressive list of accolades at the 56th annual NHRA Gatornationals.