INDIANAPOLIS -- Greg Biffle was fined $5,000 and put on probation until Dec. 31 for skipping a press-box interview following his second-place finish in the Kroger 200 Busch Series race at O'Reilly Raceway Park last week.
Biffle said Wednesday that he talked to reporters on pit road after the race Saturday night but avoided the press box because of the huge crowd.
"I want to be clear that I was very excited about the second-place finish and was in no hurry to leave," he said in a statement released by his team. "It just seemed unreasonable at the time to try to get to the press box as the grandstands were emptying in the opposite direction."
NASCAR requires the top three finishers and the highest-finishing rookie of the year candidate to attend post-race interviews.
"I have always been a big supporter of the NASCAR Busch Series and willing to help promote the series in any way," Biffle said. "I understand the importance of the media obligations related to participation in all NASCAR series and once again apologize to anyone who may have felt slighted this weekend at ORP."
Busch Series crew chiefs Chris Rice and Chuck Meyers also were fined $5,000 apiece and placed on probation until Dec. 31 for equipment not conforming to NASCAR rules.
