Greg Biffle: A NASCAR Legend and Humanitarian

On the 18th of December 2025, the motorsport world went into mourning following the deaths of Greg Biffle, Greg’s wife of two years, Cristina, and his children Emma and Ryder, who were 14 and 5, in a plane crash in Statesville, North Carolina. Hauler driver and family friend Craig Wadsworth and pilots Dennis and Jack Dutton also lost their lives in the crash.

(Image Credit to NASCAR)

Biffle was known as one of the good guys. During Hurricane Helene, he helped lead efforts to bring rescue supplies to victims of the hurricane by helicopter. A statement from NASCAR about Biffle’s untimely passing mentions his humanitarian work:

“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.”

From Vancouver, Washington originally, Biffle began racing on short tracks before he made a name for himself in the NASCAR Winter Heat Series in 1995/96.

The Winter Heat Series was broadcasted on ESPN, with NASCAR champion Benny Parsons and commentators Bill Weber and Bob Jenkins leading the coverage. Biffle shined in the series and won the championship, impressing Parsons who told Jack “Cat in the Hat” Roush about the 26-year-old. Roush was the owner of Roush Racing, who had been title contenders with Mark Martin during this time period.

Roush would go on to sign Biffle in 1998 to the NASCAR Truck Series program and he would impress, winning Rookie of the Year and finishing eighth in the drivers’ standings.

He followed this up with a runner-up finish in 1999 and then the championship in 2000. Biffle and Roush would work together for 18 years in three different series.

Promotion came to the Nationwide Series, a tier below the Cup Series, and Biffle would shine again. In his rookie season he scored five victories and finished fourth in the standings, once again winning ROTY. In 2002, Biffle won the Nationwide Series and achieved his dream of debuting in the Cup Series that year, taking part in seven races.

The Cup Series would make Biffle a household name, with the Washingtonian winning a race in every season from 2003 to 2008. Standout seasons included a runner-up finish to Tony Stewart in 2005, a campaign which saw him win six times and take a further 14 top ten finishes and a third place finish with the renamed Roush Fenway Racing behind Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, scoring two wins and another 15 top tens.

Biffle left the NASCAR Cup Series at the end of 2016 to become an analyst, but made a brief return to the Cup Series in 2022, racing five times before calling it a day. The following year, he was named as one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers, joining the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty on the list. Over his 515-race Cup Series career, Biffle took 19 wins, 13 pole positions and 175 top ten finishes, placing him inside the top 50 for most wins at the highest level of American stock car racing. Biffle still holds the record for the most victories at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, tied with Denny Hamlin and Stewart.

He was married twice with two children. His first marriage to Nicole Lunders lasted eight years and they had a daughter, Emma. His second marriage to Cristina Grossu lasted from 2023 until their deaths in 2025 and they had a son called Ryder.

Tragically, Emma, Cristina, Ryder and Greg lost their lives in the plane crash. They were on their way to visit Garrett Mitchell, also known as Cleetus, a well-known motorsport content creator.

Biffle will be remembered as a brilliant NASCAR talent and a great man for the state of North Carolina. Biffle would’ve turned 56 just five days after his passing.

Article written by Liam Ploetner