Driver Greg Biffle dies in plane crash along with his family

Greg Biffle, winner of 19 races in the NASCAR Cup Series and runner-up in 2005, died this Thursday in a plane crash at the Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina. Biffle was traveling with his wife Cristina, his daughter Emma, and his son Ryder.

Garrett Mitchell, a content creator known as Cleetus McFarland and a close friend of Biffle, confirmed the deaths through his social media. Mitchell and Biffle regularly shared events in the automotive world and had maintained a public relationship for years. "I can confirm that Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, his daughter Emma, and his son Ryder were on that plane... because they were coming to spend the afternoon with us. We are devastated," Mitchell wrote.

Kenny Wallace, a former NASCAR driver, later confirmed that Craig Wadsworth, who worked as a motorhome driver for the Wallace family for six years, was also traveling on the aircraft and died in the accident.

Photo By Getty Images - Nascar

19 wins and a runner-up championship

Biffle accumulated 19 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series during 14 full seasons with Roush Fenway Racing between 2003 and 2016. His best year was 2005: six wins, second place in the championship, 15 top 5s, and 21 top 10s. He completed 515 races in the premier series.

Few drivers have remained with a single team for so long in the modern era of NASCAR. Biffle joined Roush in the 1990s and stayed with the organization for over a decade in Cup Series, a period during which he won races on short tracks, intermediate tracks, and superspeedways.

Before reaching Cup, he completed the championship progression: Trucks in 2000, Xfinity in 2002, both with Roush. That sequence of titles in development series was less common in his generation than in later years.

Biffle was born on December 23, 1969, in Vancouver, Washington. He developed his career in regional series in the northwestern United States before joining Jack Roush's program in the late nineties. Roush's development model at that time produced drivers who arrived in Cup Series with complete experience in the lower series.

His last full season was 2016. He ran five one-off races in 2022 but never returned to full-time competition after the competitive restructuring of Roush Fenway Racing.

Photo By Getty Images - Nascar

Certified pilot

Biffle was a certified pilot for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. The aircraft involved in the accident, a Cessna C550 with registration N257BW, was owned by GB Aviation Leasing LLC, Biffle's company. The accident occurred around 10:15 a.m. at the Statesville Regional Airport, a facility located 45 miles north of Charlotte that several members of the NASCAR industry regularly use.

The Federal Aviation Administration took over the investigation. The typical aircraft accident investigation process requires months or more than a year to establish definitive causes.

Biffle used his aircraft for travel during his active NASCAR career. He owned and operated several aircraft including a Cessna 210, Bell 206, and Dassault Falcon models. He recently participated in humanitarian aid work, using his helicopter to transport supplies to North Carolina when Hurricane Helene affected the region. Those activities were part of his philanthropic work focused on animal welfare and community support through the Greg Biffle Foundation.