Remembering Greg Biffle: NASCAR champion and Hurricane Helene hero

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Greg Biffle was simply days away from his 56th birthday when he died in a tragic aircraft crash in Statesville, North Carolina, which occurred on Thursday morning. Among the many passengers have been Biffle’s spouse Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder, in addition to man recognized as Craig Wadsworth, who was pals with Kenny Wallace and was his motorhome driver for a number of years.

‘The Biff’ is being remembered by the NASCAR group in an outpouring of tributes, however his affect went far past the race observe.

Following Hurricane Helene, Biffle, who was a registered pilot, flew daring helicopter missions into the mountains of Western North Carolina and Jap Tennessee to assist these stranded and ship support to these lower off from the remainder of the world by the historic floods. He has aided in different reduction efforts as properly, together with just lately in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa impacted the area.

In NASCAR, Biffle got here from the Pacific Northwest, and his early achievements bought the eye of NASCAR Corridor of Famer Benny Parsons.

He arrived on the scene on the nationwide degree within the late 90s, and was named the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Sequence Rookie of the 12 months in 1998. The next 12 months, he gained 9 of 25 Truck races in a win report that stood till Corey Heim toppled it this previous 12 months. Biffle was one of many first to congratulate Heim on the achievement.

In 2000, Biffle turned a Truck Sequence champion with 5 wins, beating Kurt Busch to the crown. The next 12 months, he moved as much as the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements (then Busch) Sequence the place he additionally earned Rookie of the 12 months honors, whereas additionally profitable 5 races. Only one 12 months later, he was a champion there as properly, defeating Jason Keller.

He went on to win 20 NOAPS races and 18 NCTS races in his profession, and whereas he by no means turned a champion on the Cup degree, he had loads of success on the high degree of the game too.

Greg Biffle celebrates first Cup win

Photograph by: Autostock

Biffle made his Cup debut in 2022, driving for Jack Roush. However 2003 was his first full-time season, and it didn’t take him lengthy to seek out Victory Lane.

Within the 2003 Pepsi 400 at Daytona Worldwide Speedway, he began thirtieth, however was working second behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. within the closing laps of the summer season traditional. He fell again a couple of spots as he bought put within the center three-wide, however a lot of these round him nonetheless needed to pit for gasoline. This gave Biffle the lead with 20 laps to go, and he had a teammate in Matt Kenseth straight behind him. Kenseth finally needed to pit as properly, whereas Biffle was in a position to be part of up with a gaggle of vehicles on the back-end of the lead lap, and used the draft to avoid wasting gasoline and maintain a lot of the area at bay. Nonetheless, Bobby Labonte stayed with him till the ultimate lap when he ran out of gasoline as properly. However not Biffle, who cruised to the end line, over 4 seconds away from his closest competitors as he turned a NASCAR Cup Sequence race winner.

Biffle shortly asserted himself as a high driver within the No. 16 machine, and in 2005, he practically gained the Cup Sequence title. After profitable six races, he ended the 12 months because the championship runner-up, simply 35pts behind Tony Stewart.

That 12 months additionally featured Biffle’s most dominant Cup win when he led 219 of 334 laps to seize the checkered flag at Texas. There have been a handful of tracks the place Biffle actually shined throughout his profession, and Texas was simply one in every of them. He had 4 wins at Michigan, three at Homestead, and two at Dover.

Victory lane: race winner Greg Biffle celebrates Southern 500 win

Photograph by: Autostock

However none of these triumphs evaluate to profitable one in every of NASCAR’s most grueling races in back-to-back years. Biffle gained the 2005 Southern 500 at Darlington. He led 176 of 370 laps, however needed to battle previous Ryan Newman on a green-white-checkered restart with contemporary tires to safe the victory.

The next 12 months, he gained the Southern 500 once more in a equally dominant exhibiting, main 170 of 367 laps. He held off a charging Jeff Gordon, and in doing so, he joined Gordon in unique membership that additionally included Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, and Herb Thomas. They have been the one drivers to have ever gained the historic race in back-to-back years, and Biffle was the final driver to do it till Chase Briscoe went back-to-back in 2024 and 2025.

His profession featured a number of iconic moments, together with a well-known duel with Mark Martin the place he beat his teammate in a photograph end at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He additionally wasn’t afraid to get into it exterior of the automotive. Simply ask Jay Sauter, or Boris Stated, or Jimmie Johnson, or Kevin Harvick…

Greg Biffle takes the checkered flag inches forward of Mark Martin

Photograph by: Kurt Dahlstrom

However whereas tempers flared typically on the observe, Biffle had everybody’s respect as one of many truest abilities within the storage. He continued to be aggressive into his 40s, profitable his remaining race within the 2013 season at Michigan Worldwide Speedway. At 43 years previous, he earned his nineteenth and remaining Cup Sequence win by main the ultimate 31 laps of the race, crossing the end line practically three seconds away from Kevin Harvick.

Later in his profession, he returned to the Truck Sequence for his first begin there in over 15 years. Regardless of that, he earned a powerful win whereas driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports in what would find yourself being his remaining win at any of the three nationwide ranges.

Greg Biffle

Photograph by: Chris Graythen – Getty Photos

Biffle briefly returned to the Cup Sequence in 2022, showing within the Daytona 500 for the fifteenth time in his profession. He ran 5 races that season, making his remaining begin at Talladega for the NY Racing Group.

Biffle was inducted into the West Coast Inventory Automobile Corridor of Fame in 2022, and was named as one in every of NASCAR’s 75 Biggest Drivers in 2023.

Watch: Greg Biffle ecstatic after incomes fifteenth Daytona 500 begin

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