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FoxSports first reported Monday that Greg Erwin had been replaced as crew chief for Greg Biffle’s #16 at Roush Fenway Racing. Matt Puccia, who was working on Roush’s R&D team, was announced as Erwin’s successor beginning this weekend.

Erwin and Biffle have struggled this season capturing just one top-five and five top-tens – they sit 14th in the points. Biffle finished an abysmal 21st on Sunday. Compare that to his teammates: an eighth place finish for David Ragan, a sixth place finish for Matt Kenseth and a fifth place finish for Carl Edwards. Those three also have at least one win each and combine for a total of four.

Still, the move came as a bit of a surprise. Together Erwin and Biffle have racked up four wins and three Chase appearances – including a third place points finish in 2008. For all intents and purposes, it’s been a good marriage.

That apparently has been in flux recently. Biffle is known to harangue his crew and crew chief on the radio when he doesn’t think things are going like they should. We heard that this weekend’s ranting from Biffle was enough for Erwin and he told Roush management he had enough.

It sounds as if he’s still with the organization, but was unwilling to continue in his role as crew chief of the #16. Erwin is no doubt a talented crew chief, but no one can blame him for finally deciding it was time to move on.

As we say here so often, success in this sport is all about chemistry. When you’re driver is constantly telling you you’re “ruining his career” or are incompetent it’s only a matter of time before things start to sour.

While I don’t necessarily think Matt Puccia is the answer to Biffle’s performance issues this season, perhaps a change at the top will be enough to improve that all important chemistry. Good luck to Matt Puccia in his new endeavor – I think he may need it.

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The struggles for the Ford teams have been well documented this season.  There is even a tidbit on Jayski’s Cup Series page right now about how this is Ford’s longest winless drought to start a season since 1983.  And those struggles haven’t just been on the Cup side.  Roush Fenway’s Nationwide Series program hasn’t been as strong this season as they’ve been in past years.  Carl Edwards has led the way, but for a time, two of the other RFR teams were outside the top 30 in points.  The #16 team has since raced their way back in, but the #6 team remains 102 points out of a guaranteed starting spot.  The one Ford team that did have a moderate amount of success over the first part of the season, especially with limited resources, was Baker Curb Racing’s #27 team with Greg Biffle.

After Eddie Pardue was dismissed as crew chief of RFR’s #16 a few weeks back, Ben Leslie took over as the interim boss.  It was announced this week however, that starting at Road America the #16 team would have a new leader; none other then Baker Curb’s Ricky Viers.

With Red Man tobacco on the hood, Greg Biffle behind the wheel, and Viers calling the shots, Baker Curb’s #27 was the best running Ford in several races this season.  They managed to finish second twice, just missing wins at Las Vegas and Richmond. 

A new FDA regulation that basically ends tobacco advertisements curtailed Red Man’s sponsorship, and with the team’s future in jeopardy, Roush took the opportunity to bring Viers on board.  Who better to help turn around your company’s NNS program then the guy who’s been beating you all season?

Viers joins Drew Blickensderfer, Matt Puccia, and Mike Kelley as crew chiefs at Roush Fenway, and the pressure is on these four to slow down Joe Gibbs Racing’s dominance of the series.

Besides hopefully helping the whole program, Viers is tasked with making contenders out of Roush prospects Colin Braun and Brian Ickler.  Braun and fellow Roush young gun Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have both struggled mightily in their first full seasons, and those struggles have led to their schedules being cut.  Ickler was brought in from Kyle Busch Motorsports to strengthen Roush’s driver development program and fill those holes in the schedule.

The NNS teams tested at Road America today in advance of Saturday’s race, and things may already be looking up for RFR.  Ford drivers were first and second fastest in both sessions, and the combo of Viers and Braun was good for fourth quick.  With Braun’s road racing background, this might be just what this team needs to turn the season around.

We’ve all heard the saying “if you can’t beat them, join them.”  In the ultra competitive world of NASCAR, it becomes “if you can’t beat them, steal what makes them better then you.”

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