But his runner-up finish was just enough to put the four-time champ back at the top of Sprint Cup points standings.
Sure, the lead is tenuously slim (a mere eight points over Denny Hamlin, to be exact). But the look on Johnson's face after the race said it all - it's good to be king of the hill, even if you're holding on by your fingernails.
So Johnson is again the man to beat for the championship, but Biffle's surprising Kansas win puts Roush Fenway in good stead.
Early on, Biffle's No. 16 car faded fast - even the boys in the broadcast booth thought The Biff didn't stand much of a chance.
But a lot can happen in the course of a race, and between Biffle and crew chief Greg Erwin, the No. 16 team made all the right calls to turn a lackluster start into a stellar finish.
"About the first half of the race, I didn’t adjust on it really. When I got right behind the 14, really putting pressure on him, I still couldn’t get the gas down. At that point I said, ‘I got to tighten the car up if I’m going to win the race'. If I go backwards, I go backwards," Biffle said.
"We decided to tighten it up and put some wedge in it, put some air in the left rear tire and I think the car really started tightening up. At the next stop I put some more wedge in it. I’ll tell you what, those last two runs, it was amazing. It was literally the best car I’ve ever driven here."
After a killer of a pit stop, Biffle gained the top spot. And his car took off like a rocket, leaving the pack behind.
With today's win, Biffle moved up to eighth in the Chase, just 85 points behind leader Johnson. And Biffle said the team is more motivated than ever to make a title run.
“You know, everybody asked us last week if we’re out of the Chase, have we given up, whatever the case was," Biffle said.
"The 16 team will never give up. We’re just going to approach each race like we did today, qualify the best we can, do the best we can in practice, execute the best we can at the racetrack."
Johnson take note.
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