Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle dead in North Carolina plane crash

Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle along with six others — including three family members — died in a plane crash Thursday at Statesville Regional Airport in Statesville, North Carolina.

Biffle, who spent 16 seasons driving in NASCAR’s top series, was 55.

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The other six victims included Biffle’s wife Cristina; their 5-year-old son Ryder; Biffle’s daughter from another marriage, Emma, 14; Dennis Dutton and his son Jack; and Craig Wadsworth, who was also a part of the NASCAR community.

“We are devastated by the loss of our loved ones,” the families said in a joint statement. “This tragedy has left all of our families heartbroken beyond words.”

YouTube star and part-time NASCAR racer Garrett Mitchell — known as Cleetus McFarland — posted to Facebook that Biffle and his family were headed to visit Mitchell and his family. Biffle had appeared in numerous videos on Mitchell’s popular YouTube channel.

The Cessna C550 was scheduled to fly to Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport from Statesville, about 40 miles north of Charlotte. Per FlightAware, it took off at 10:06 a.m. ET and traveled just 29 miles before it crashed while attempting to land back at Statesville at 10:32 a.m. ET.

The plane was owned by GB Aviation Leasing LLC. The address listed on the FAA registry for the plane matches an address for Biffle in Mooresville, North Carolina.

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Biffle was born in Vancouver, Washington, and began his racing career in the Pacific Northwest, far from the Southeast epicenter of stock car racing. In 1998, he got his break when team owner Jack Roush gave him a ride in the third-tier Truck Series. He won a title in his third season, moved his way up to the second-tier Xfinity Series and won a title there, too. Then it was onto the top-tier Cup Series.

Biffle competed for 16 full or part-time seasons in NASCAR’s Cup Series from 2002 through 2022. He raced full-time in the Cup Series from 2003 through 2016 and scored 19 wins and 92 top-five finishes over 515 career starts.

His best season came in 2005, when he finished second to Tony Stewart in the points standings. Biffle’s six wins were the most of anyone in the Cup Series that season and his average finish of 11.9 was second only to Stewart.

Biffle finished in the top 10 in the Cup Series points standings in six different seasons. He was third in 2008 and finished fifth in 2012.

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Biffle is one of just two drivers to have won both a championship in the third-tier NASCAR Truck Series and the second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series.

All 19 of Biffle’s Cup Series wins came while driving for Roush Racing. His last victory came at Michigan in 2013, 10 years after he won his first race in 2003.

“I have lost a dear friend and partner in our NASCAR program,” Jack Roush said in a statement. “His contributions to our race team over the years are immeasurable.”

Biffle drove for Roush Racing for nearly his entire Cup Series career before he parted ways with the team at the end of the 2016 season. He returned for five races in 2022 with back marker team FDNY Racing and never finished better than 20th in any of those starts. He was named one of NASCAR’s 75 greatest drivers for NASCAR’s 75th anniversary in 2023 and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Biffle is elected into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the near future.

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In a statement, NASCAR said the following:

“Greg was more than a champion driver, he was a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to so many. His passion for racing, his integrity, and his commitment to fans and fellow competitors alike made a lasting impact on the sport. On the track, Greg’s talent and tenacity earned him championships in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as well as numerous wins and accolades in the NASCAR Cup Series. Beyond his racing career, he gave of himself for the betterment of our community. Most notably, Greg spent countless hours of his time helping the citizens of North Carolina during the disasters that followed Hurricane Helene. His tireless work saved lives.”

In 2024, Biffle, a licensed pilot, used his helicopter and pilot skills to help people in remote areas of North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The hurricane had flooded out roads and caused significant infrastructure damage to the Appalachians due to flooding rains.

“It’s been busy — a lot of seat time in the helicopter, more than I ever would have imagined in my life,” Biffle said in an October 2024 interview with NASCAR.com. “But it feels good to be able to get supplies and things in need into these people that need the help the most, that are still cut off. The mission now, is, even though the roads are starting to open, the grocery stores aren’t. Some of the grocery stores are wiped out, gas stations still don’t have fuel, the power is not back on everywhere, so these folks still need supplies and food and they can’t just hop in their car and go driving around looking because they’ll ultimately end up out of gas somewhere and stranded.”

“I had such tremendous respect for Greg as a driver,” NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon said on X, “and we shared countless tough battles on the track. Like so many others, I was inspired by his tireless relief work during Hurricane Helene. My heart goes out to the Biffle family and everyone hurting.”