TALLADEGA, Ala. — It’s not often a driver will give an honest answer regarding strategy at the Talladega Superspeedway. Then again, Greg Biffle more than once has been too honest.

So while most drivers danced around the subject of “laying back” over the first three-fourths of the Amp Energy 500 Sprint Cup race today, title contender Biffle was straightforward as usual.

“It is the smart move,” Biffle said when asked if he would consider hanging toward the back of the field to help protect his third-place standing in the Chase. “I don’t want to be in harm’s way. It’s like riding that snowmobile along the bottom of the avalanche to see how courageous you’re going to be before it comes down on you. Everybody wants to sit back in the bleachers and watch that, but not a lot of people want to get out and participate in it.

“So that’s the situation you’re in: Do you want to participate or not?”

The “laying back” strategy has become the popular method to attacking the dangers of Talladega, where restricted engines produce large packs of cars. Tony Stewart was one of the pioneers of the ploy, and fellow champion drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have adopted it.

Biffle has typically waited to see what the race’s pace was before deciding where he’s going to run. But in the thick of the championship hunt, he doesn’t want to take a chance.

“To me, it’s an easy decision because there is absolutely zero to be gained from running up front all race,” he said. “It’s almost senseless if you think about it.”

For Johnson, the points leader and two-time defending champion, the strategy isn’t as clear-cut anymore. If everybody tries to stay back, he noted, the advantage is gone.

“The problem with just riding around, what we found out last time, is there were more guys hanging back than there were up front,” Johnson said. “So, actually, up front was safer than being in the back. It’s just something you have to monitor inside the car. The goal is to not be in the eye of the storm and look at who is running in the pack, and you decide if that’s the crowd you want to run with.”

Unfortunately, watching cars just run around the 2.66-mile track until the final 20 laps isn’t very endearing for fans. It’s something Biffle is aware of, and he believes fans will see a good race — just not for a while.

“I hate to see it for all the fans who want to come out and watch a great race,” Biffle said. “They’re going to see a great race with 50 laps to go, or 25-40 laps to go. They’re going to see an awesome race and they’ll definitely get their money’s worth, but for us to be racing at the 300-mile portion of the race like it’s 10 to go is senseless.”

From Biffle’s Talladega record, it’s easy to understand why he’s willing to adopt the safer-is-better policy here. In 11 career starts he has an average finish of 25th. Before finishing 18th here in April, he recorded four consecutive DNFs.

“We haven’t had the best track record here, but I really feel we’ll be in the thick of it Sunday,” Biffle said. “I know a lot can happen here and I definitely think we’re going to see a little move in the points this weekend, just because it’s more wide open. There will be more guys in the mix, so there is the potential for a little bit of movement.”

You just may have to wait 450 miles.

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