Sportscasting | Pure Sports
Home / NASCAR / Former NASCAR Driver Greg Biffle, Family Members Die In Tragic Plane Crash

Former NASCAR Driver Greg Biffle, Family Members Die In Tragic Plane Crash

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Updated –
We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. Ads on our site are served by Google AdSense and are not controlled or influenced by our editorial team.
Greg Biffle

Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, a 19-time Cup Series race winner and two-time NASCAR champion whose impact has extended far beyond his accomplishments on the racetrack, died Thursday morning along with his wife and two children in a plane crash at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.

North Carolina Congressman Richard Hudson confirmed the news in a post on social media platform X about four hours after the plane crash-landed at approximately 10:15 a.m.

Later, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said in a news conference that the crash involved seven unidentified fatalities, and that it believed Biffle to be one.

Shortly after the news conference, the families of all seven victims released a statement (available below) acknowledging the passing of their loved ones.

Among the deceased are Biffle, 55, along with wife Cristina, Greg’s teenage daughter, Emma, and the couple’s young son, Ryder.

Biffle and the other passengers left the Statesville airport, located roughly 45 minutes north of Charlotte, on board a Cessna C550. Local authorities quickly identified the plane as belonging to Biffle’s GB Aviation Leasing LLC after the aircraft quickly returned to the airport and crashed on the runway as it appeared to attempt to land.

The plane immediately became engulfed in flames, leaving a massive wreckage that remains under investigation.

Greg Biffle Left Lasting Legacy Both On And Off Racetrack

Along with winning 19 races over a NASCAR Cup Series career that lasted 14 full seasons and part of two others, Greg Biffle captured the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2002 and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title in 2000.

Biffle spent almost his entire career with Roush Fenway Racing (now RFK Racing), nearly winning a Cup Series title in 2005. That year, he finished a career-best second in points to champion Tony Stewart.

Most of Biffle’s Cup Series wins came at mile-and-a-half and 2-mile tracks, although he earned his first career Cup triumph at 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway in July 2003. Biffle never prevailed in a Cup Series race at a track under one mile.

Since 2016, his last season as a full-time Cup Series driver, Biffle had made seven starts across the Cup and Truck series.

After spending little time in the public eye since his move away from full-time racing, Biffle made headlines and won hearts in September 2024 with his heroic humanitarian efforts to help victims of the catastrophic flooding that ravaged Western North Carolina.

Greg Biffle and wife Cristina used their private helicopter to deliver food, water and supplies to those devastated by Hurricane Helene. Navigating dangerous terrain, the couple coordinated rescue missions and delivered 500 Starlink satellite internet kits to help families reconnect.

Their efforts didn’t go unnoticed.

In a statement released Thursday, NASCAR called Biffle “more than a champion driver.”

“He was a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to so many,” NASCAR said. “His passion for racing, his integrity, and his commitment to fans and fellow competitors alike made a lasting impact on the sport.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to Greg’s entire family, friends, and all who were touched by his life.”

NASCAR World Reacts In Shock To Death Of Greg Biffle, Family Members

Upon learning of Greg Biffle’s death, the NASCAR community reacted in an unsurprisingly swift and heartfelt fashion.

Naturally, RFK Racing and Biffle’s former longtime boss, RFR Racing co-owner Jack Roush, are among the most impacted.

After all, it was with Roush that Biffle earned both of his NASCAR championships and all of his Cup Series victories.

Many others who knew Biffle similarly wasted no time making their sadness known. They included current Cup Series drivers Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, Zane Smith, Bubba Wallace and Carson Hocevar.

Check out some of the tributes below.

Former NASCAR drivers Kenny Wallace and Clint Bowyer also shared memories of Biffle. And Cup Series champion crew chief Rodney Childers did the same.

See what each had to say in light of Thursday’s tragedy, which clearly sent shockwaves throughout the NASCAR world.

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
All posts by Jared Turner
Other News