CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Greg Biffle has been selected by NASCAR as one of the 75 greatest drivers in history. He was nominated to the Stock Car Series Hall of Fame and drove for 18 years at the top of the sport.
However, despite all the racing and some memorable victories, he is perhaps best remembered for his selfless and tireless work helping others. as a helicopter pilot a year ago, provided assistance to victims of Hurricane Helen.
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Biffle loved to fly and was back in the air Thursday aboard a small plane that crashed at Statesville Airport north of Charlotte, authorities said. It was believed that he was among seven people killed including his wife and two children. He was 55.
“This tragedy has shocked all of our families in ways beyond words,” said a joint statement issued on behalf of the victims. “Greg and Christina were devoted parents and active philanthropists whose lives centered around their young son Ryder and Greg's daughter Emma. Emma was a wonderful person with a kind soul who was loved by many people. Ryder was an active, inquisitive and endlessly joyful child.”
The statement said Dennis Dutton and his son Jack were on board. and Craig Wadsworth, “beloved by many in the NASCAR community.”
“Each of them meant everything to us, and their absence leaves an immeasurable void in our lives,” the statement said.
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Biffle has won championships in both the lower-level national trucks and the Xfinity Series – the first driver to do so – and has spent nearly his entire career driving for Roush Fenway Racing, which is headquartered about 40 miles south of the crash site.
“I have lost a dear friend and partner in our NASCAR program,” team owner Jack Roush said on social media. “His contributions to our racing team over the years are immeasurable.”
The suffering has engulfed the tight-knit racing community, from drivers to team owners like Chip Ganassi. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein singled out Biffle for his “courage and compassion” and for helping hurricane victims. NASCAR did the same.
“Greg was more than just a champion driver, he was a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor and a friend to many.” “Beyond his racing career, he has given of himself to our community. In particular, Greg spent countless hours of his time helping the citizens of North Carolina during the disasters that followed Hurricane Helen. His tireless work saved lives.”
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A native of Vancouver, Washington, Biffle has made more than 800 starts in three NASCAR series and won the Truck Series title in 2000 and the Xfinity title in 2002. In total, he won 54 races at NASCAR's three national tracks, including 19 at the top level of the Cup Series. He finished second in the championship standings to Tony Stewart in 2005, his best season, and three years later became the first driver to win two playoff races in one year.
Biffle made his debut in the 2002 Cup. He earned his spot on the Roush team through the old “Gong Show” method of driver selection, in which candidates competed against each other in an attempt to earn a job with one of NASCAR's top teams.
He retired in 2016 but returned in 2022 to run five races. including the Daytona 500. He was then 52 years old.
“I have the utmost respect for Greg as a driver and we have shared countless tough battles on the track,” former Hall of Fame driver Jeff Gordon wrote on social media. “Like so many others, I was inspired by his tireless relief work during Hurricane Helen. My heart goes out to the Biffle family and everyone suffering.”
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Piloting was deeply loved, and Biffle's YouTube channel and social media accounts were filled with joyful outings with friends and family. In 2024, Biffle won the National Motorsports Press Association's Myers Brothers Award for his humanitarian efforts after Helen. Biffle piloted his personal helicopter to deliver supplies and aid to the hardest-hit communities in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee.
During one of the trips to the mountains, a man is trapped signaled to Biffle for help with the mirror. After several attempts, Biffle was able to land his helicopter and deliver supplies to the man and his neighbors. He came back this year to register.
“At that moment I had no idea how destructive this storm was,” Biffle explained Later. “What started as one family being saved… turned into 4,000 posts… It went viral.”
One of his partners in this project was friend Garrett Mitchell, a YouTuber and race car driver known as Cleetus McFarland. Mitchell said the Biffle family planned to spend Thursday afternoon with him in Florida.
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“We are devastated,” Mitchell wrote on Facebook.
So did U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina.
“Biffles performed hundreds of rescue missions in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helen,” Hudson wrote on social media. “The last time I spoke to Christina, just a couple of weeks ago, she reached out to us and asked how she could help with relief efforts in Jamaica. That's what the Biffles were.”
Roush, the team owner, was involved in several plane crashes during his time as a driver and nearly died in a 2002 crash in which he landed upside down in a lake near Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Larry Hicks, a retired member of the United States Marine Corps, rescued Roush from the overturned wreckage before Roush drowned.
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Many of its former drivers have earned pilot's licenses, including Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin, all Hall of Fame drivers.
In retirement, Biffle spent his years building cars in his shop, running a quarry in Virginia, and caring for his two children. Less than a week ago, Biffle posted a video of his family—daughter Emma, 14, son Ryder, 5, and wife Christina—picking out a Christmas tree during an outing that included a trip to get ice cream.
“It was a successful day,” Biffle said. “Now it’s time to get the jewelry out and put it to work.”
