Greg Biffle obit

NASCAR legend Greg Biffle and family killed in plane crash

Biffle was named one of the 75 greatest drivers in 2023

 

He was not on the list.

A plane owned by retired NASCAR star Greg Biffle crashed at Statesville Regional Airport at 10:15 a.m. on the way to Bradenton, Florida.

Garrett Mitchell, better known as YouTuber Cleetus McFarland, has confirmed that the Biffle family was on board and indeed died in the incident.

“Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us. We are devastated. I’m so sorry to share this.”

Local authorities confirmed casualties but provided no additional details. 

The incident occurred at 10:15 a.m. at the airport located 45 miles north of Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the regional facilities used by many organizations and individuals within the industry.

Overseeing the incident was the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office but in the hours since the crash, they have been joined on-site by the Federal Aviation Administration. A brief press conference was held around noon with airport manager John Ferguson sharing what little he could at the time.

This is before Mitchell stated the Biffles were amongst the casualties.

“Like we said, at approximately 10:15 a.m., we got a report of a jet that crashed off the end of the runway on the east end. By time I came out, it was fully engulfed. We’ve had multiple agencies that have come. The FAA arrived at about 12 o’clock today.

“They are taking over the scene and the investigation. We have no information on the cause. The airport is closed until further notice. It will take time to get the debris off the runway.”

The following update on the reported plane crash in Statesville, NC, is available from AccuWeather: “Adverse weather conditions were reported in the vicinity of Statesville Regional Airport around the time of the plane crash. Heavy drizzle and a cloud ceiling near 1,200 feet were reported at 10:15 a.m. The cloud ceiling had reportedly lowered to around 400 feet, with heavy rain reducing visibility to less than 2 miles at 10:30 a.m. Weather conditions are often a critical factor that investigators carefully review after a plane crash. It may take months to a year or longer for investigators to determine if the weather conditions contributed to the crash.”

The plane was quickly identified in the moments after the crash as a Cessna C550 with the tail number N257BW, which is owned by Biffle’s GB Aviation Leasing LLC.

Biffle as the 2002 NASCAR Busch Series champion, the 2000 Craftsman Truck Series champion and was named as one of the sport's 75 greatest drivers in 2023 due to his 19 wins at the highest level from 2002 through sporadic starts this decade.

In recent years, Biffle became known for philanthropy centering on animal welfare through his Greg Biffle Foundation and his relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in 2024. Biffle is a registered pilot and used his helicopter to take supplies to Western North Carolina in the aftermath of the devastating storm.

According to Kenny Wallace, Craig Wadsworth was also on board the aircraft with the Biffle family.

He last competed part-time in the ARCA Menards Series West, driving the Nos. 23/24 Chevrolet SS for Sigma Performance Services.

After racing in the NASCAR Winter Heat Series in the mid-1990s, he was recommended to Jack Roush by former racer and announcer Benny Parsons. With Roush Racing, he was the 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year. He won the 2000 Craftsman Truck championship. He reprised this progression in the NASCAR Busch Series, winning the 2001 Rookie of the Year, immediately followed by winning the 2002 championship. Biffle drove in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush from 2003 until 2016, winning 19 races in the No. 16 Ford.

Biffle, who began his NASCAR career in 1995, was the first of only three drivers that have won a championship in both the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series, and the sixth of only thirty-six drivers to win a race in each of NASCAR's three national series. Biffle returned to NASCAR with a Truck Series start for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2019 and 2020.

Biffle was born in Vancouver, Washington, and raised in Camas. He began his racing career driving on short tracks around the Pacific Northwest. He first gained attention as a driver when he raced in the nationally televised Winter Heat Series in the winter of 1995–1996. Biffle dominated the series championship that winter, leading former ESPN announcer and NASCAR champion, Benny Parsons, to recommend the driver to Jack Roush.

Roush Racing promoted Biffle to a full-time driver in the Craftsman Truck Series in 1998. Despite not winning a race that season, Biffle's four pole positions are the most by a Truck Series rookie to date, and they helped him earn an 8th-place finish in the final standings and the Rookie of the Year Award. He followed it up with a stellar 1999 season in which he recorded nine wins, the single-season Truck Series record that stood (until Corey Heim broke his record with 10 wins in 2025). He finished second in the final standings, just eight points behind champion Jack Sprague. In 2000, Biffle won the Truck Series title with another five-win season, beating his Roush teammate Kurt Busch by 230 points. It was Biffle's first championship in one of NASCAR's three major series. It was announced that Biffle would move up to the Busch Series for 2001; however, he ran four more Truck races for Roush that season and won at Phoenix. Biffle made a Truck Series start in 2004 for another long-time Ford team, Circle Bar Racing, at Homestead.

Biffle ahead of Matt Crafton at Texas in 2019.

On March 28, 2019, Biffle announced he would be testing with Kyle Busch Motorsports the next day at Texas Motor Speedway in the No. 51 truck. He was eventually tabbed to drive the truck for the SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas. Biffle started sixth and won in his series return, leading 18 laps and holding off Matt Crafton while winning $50,000 in a promotion with Gander Outdoors; it was his first Truck victory since 2001.