Editor's note: NASCAR driver Greg Biffle will document his journey through the Chase for the Sprint Cup in an exclusive online diary for USA TODAY: I don't think I've ever been more excited about a 12th-place finish than I was after the checkered flag flew at Martinsville last week.

Our strategic plan at Martinsville was to finish in the top 10 and we only missed that by two positions. We didn't count on Jimmie Johnson leading the most laps and winning. We felt like he'd be strong. We knew that, but to not go to Martinsville and finish 20th or 18th or 30th ? and get back to the lead lap ? was key for us to have a shot at this title.

Obviously, with where we're at in points, we are certainly looking forward to trying to win at Atlanta this weekend. I know everybody goes there to win, but we feel really confident. We finished fourth in the spring race, but we were chasing down the leader, Kyle Busch, at the end. We were second but just ran out of tires a little bit late in the race and ended up slipping back a few positions, but Atlanta is one of our better race tracks and I look forward to trying to close in on the 48 there this weekend. At Texas and Phoenix and Homestead, all four of these race tracks are literally my best race tracks on the circuit, so I think we're in a good position. We'd like to be closer than 149 points, but I don't think that's too much to overcome.

A lot of people will be focusing on tires this weekend after what happened the first race. I certainly think that we've put Goodyear in a box with this new car and many of these new track surfaces and their ability to react. They just can't upset the apple cart and start over, so it's been a work in progress for them. They've missed on some and hit others right on the nail. Darlington was a brand new surface that was really, really fast, probably too fast of a place, but they tested twice and they picked the perfect tire. Then the other extreme is Indy, where we had a tire that wouldn't last, so you're not gonna hit it right every single time.

The thing at Atlanta at the beginning of the year, to defend them, is they went to the conservative side of things. Maybe it was a little too conservative, but, at the same time, they were trying to build some of that into it. The car didn't have a lot of grip, but the surface of Atlanta is much like Darlington before the repave.

We know that race track wears tires out and that's what makes it such a great race track and why it's so competitive. The problem is the new car threw a little curveball at the tire because it used the tire much harder on the right side only, so that was a difficulty for Goodyear to try and figure that out in a short amount of time. I think it was just very, very difficult to drive. The tires didn't have a lot of grip all day, so it just made it difficult inside there. It was elbows up all day long.

No matter the conditions, all you can do is try your best. I mean, if I tried anymore at Charlotte, I would have been backwards in the fence. I tried all I could and I'm gonna do the same at Atlanta and the same at Texas and Phoenix and Homestead. I'm gonna put it all on the line because I really don't have anything to lose, I have a lot to gain. I certainly don't want to crash the car and fall back to sixth in points, but, at the same time, we have to beat the 48 and we have to get the best finish we can. I'm gonna continue to do what I've done in the first six Chase races and that's to try and win.

Normally, you're always looking in front and back ? you're looking in the rearview mirror and looking forward ? but at this point in the season, it seems like I haven't even thought about who is behind me. I don't even care who is behind me because all I care about is the guy in front of me. All I can do is try and beat that guy. He's 149 points ahead of me.

Whatever happens behind me, if they end up beating me or end up finishing in front of me, it would be a moot point. My goal right now is in front of me. At that point, I'm not saying it doesn't matter to me, but what matters right now, and what I'm focused on, is the guy in front of me. If I end up not making that goal, certainly I'm trying to finish the best I can, but if those guys end up faster than me and end up in front of me, there's not a lot I can do about it. Obviously, I'm gonna do my best.

I know that there are a lot of things that can happen inside of a race car. There's a grocery list of things that can happen to put us even in the points with Jimmie, and all you can do is do your best and not worry about him ? just let nature take its course for lack of better terminology. We had the Talladega wreck, of course, and then we had the Carl Edwards' ignition problem. We've seen guys get flat tires or engine failures. All kinds of things can happen, so we'll just do the best we can and see what happens.

The thing is, I'm not out of this Chase. Not by any means. Not with the four tracks we still have left.

This year has gotten off to a flying start, but I finally found some time to go fishing in Mexico! It seemed like it was never going to stop raining in California but finally the rain lifted and we were able to race Monday morning. Sunday night we had an awesome car, but with the sun out on Monday the car wouldn?t handle and we finished 14th. I didn?t race in the Nationwide Series race so I was able to fly out after the cup race and into San Carlos, Mexico early Monday afternoon.

I keep my 41? Luhr?s Convertible deep-sea fishing boat ?Little Loose? in San Carlos on the Sea of Cortez. The fishing in San Carlos is excellent year-round but this time of year we focus on deep water fishing, catching 25 to 50-pound Yellowtail in 40? to 60? water. We had some luck this trip and were able to catch a few yellowtail. It was awesome to get out on and get away from all the craziness.

I think one of my favorite parts of fishing in San Carlos is pulling into the marina and having your catch cleaned and packaged to take home. But even better is sending some of the catch to the ?Marina Terra? restaurant for dinner. There is nothing like eating your fresh catch hours after pulling it into the boat!

But like every good vacation it came to an end and I had to head back to work in Las Vegas. We had a good weekend finishing second in the Nationwide race and third in the Sprint Cup race. The year is off to a good start so far, I hope we can head to Atlanta and keep up the momentum.

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion, opened the season with a 10th-place finish in the Daytona 500. He has enjoyed quite a bit of success at California Speedway over the years, winning in the Sprint Cup Series (2005) and the Nationwide Series (?06 and ?04 twice), and scoring three top-10 finishes in three starts in the Craftsman Truck Series.

GREG BIFFLE ? No. 16 3M Ford Fusion ? DO YOU BELIEVE IN MOMENTUM? AND, IF SO, WHAT DOES A TOP-10 LAST WEEK AT DAYTONA MEAN THIS WEEK AT CALIFORNIA? ?Yes, 100 percent. Absolutely. You?ll see a guy get a pole or have a good run and then it plays over to the next week and weeks to come. But, definitely our run last week was what we needed. I?ve re-played that race over 100 times in my head and I?m glad I?ve finally forgotten about it now, because I feel like we could?ve won that 500. I was in position to win the 500, in position to get a top-five, which would?ve been better than a top-10. But, I?ve accepted the fact we got 10th and it was a great finish and to come here top-10 in points, at a race track where we run good at and go next week to a track we run good and so on. So, I?m pretty happy, you know? And I think the momentum is on our side, definitely. You look at last year, COT only, or the new car, second, second, 12th, so those are good stats for us.?

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In 1998, the Halifax Humane Society (HHS) held its first NASCAR Memorabilia Auction at the Daytona Club at Daytona International Speedway. The event was the brainchild of Daytona 500 Experience's Alana France and HHS Director James Noe, who believed that NASCAR's many fans would be very supportive of helping animals in the Daytona Beach community. Along with the help of Preston Root and Amy France, the auction has grown in popularity each year and enjoys a burgeoning return clientele who make the event a "must do" during their annual Daytona Speedweeks vacation. The popularity of the event has made this a wonderful fundraiser for the Halifax Humane Society, an open-door facility that handles over 17,000 animals each year from the greater Daytona Beach area.

After 10 years of success with HHS, the event has transitioned to The NASCAR Foundation in an effort to use the strength of the sport and its people to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most. After participating in the event for two years, the Greg Biffle Foundation and Ryan Newman Foundation signed on to play a bigger role and be beneficiaries of the the event along with HHS. The Greg Biffle Foundation and Ryan Newman Foundation are two members of The NASCAR Foundation Family of Charities with missions to support Human Societies and animal welfare.

To view Fox Sports News coverage from the event please visit video.msn.com.

It's been a long time coming but the new gregbiffle.com is here!

I'm excited about the new site and all of the interactive things we've added. I wanted a site that gave the fans an inside view into the things I enjoy at the track and outside it. I wanted to give you all an inside look at some of my favorite "toys" such as my Ford GT and Mustang GT 500, a place to learn about the Greg Biffle Foundation, a section loaded with personal photos and videos, a link to all the newest merchandise, a place to check in on the racing results and most importantly a section devoted totally to you the fans.

The fan section is awesome. We've added some downloadable wallpapers; a schedule of my appearances and locations the #16 3M Ford Fusion Showcar will appear. Soon we'll be adding a direct link to my infieldparking.com profile and be posting all my fans profiles in the fan section. We're also going to be offering some great contests throughout the year to meet me and even spend the day with me up at my mountain property.

So I hope you enjoy the redesign of the site. Remember to look around and visit often.