Greg Biffle Wikipedia, Biography, Age, Plane Crash, Death, Wife, Daughter, Career, Family, Net Worth

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Greg Biffle (1969–2025) was an American professional stock car racing driver and humanitarian, widely known in the motorsports world by his nickname “The Biff.” A celebrated figure in NASCAR history, he was one of only three drivers to have won championships in both the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He spent the majority of his premier series career driving the No. 16 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, where he became recognized for his versatility and consistency. His contributions to the sport were immortalized in 2023 when he was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.

Born in Vancouver, Washington, Biffle’s path to stardom was unconventional compared to the southern-based traditions of stock car racing. He honed his skills on the short tracks of the Pacific Northwest before gaining national attention during the 1995–1996 Winter Heat Series on ESPN. His performance there impressed broadcasting legend Benny Parsons, who urged team owner Jack Roush to hire him. This partnership launched a dominant career; Biffle won the Truck Series Rookie of the Year in 1998 and the Championship in 2000, followed by the Busch Series Championship in 2002.

Biffle’s statistics in the NASCAR Cup Series solidified his status as a top-tier competitor. From 2003 to 2016, he secured 19 Cup Series wins, including prestigious victories at the Southern 500 and Daytona. He was a perennial playoff contender, finishing as the championship runner-up in 2005, a season where he won a series-best six races. He held the distinction of being a “Triple Threat,” having won races in all three of NASCAR’s national series. Even after retiring from full-time competition, he remained active, making sporadic starts in various series and working as a broadcast analyst.

Beyond the racetrack, Biffle was a dedicated philanthropist and entrepreneur. He founded the Greg Biffle Foundation to support animal welfare and owned several businesses, including Pace Offroad and GB Aviation. In 2024, he received widespread national acclaim for his heroism following Hurricane Helene. An experienced pilot, Biffle used his private helicopter to fly unauthorized but vital relief missions into western North Carolina, delivering Starlink terminals and supplies to communities stranded by floodwaters when government resources were unable to reach them.

Tragically, Biffle’s life was cut short on December 18, 2025, in a fatal aviation accident. The Cessna C550 Citation II business jet he owned crashed at the Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina shortly after takeoff. Authorities confirmed that Biffle (55) was on board along with his wife, Cristina Grossu Biffle, his 14-year-old daughter Emma, and his 5-year-old son Ryder. There were no survivors.

Profile Summary

Feature	Detail
Full Name	Gregory Jack Biffle
Nickname	The Biff
Date of Birth	December 23, 1969
Place of Birth	Vancouver, Washington, U.S.
Date of Death	December 18, 2025 (Aged 55)
Place of Death	Statesville, North Carolina, U.S.
Net Worth	Est. $30 Million (2025)
Spouse	Cristina Grossu (m. 2023–2025); Nicole Lunders (m. 2007–2016)
Children	Emma Biffle (b. 2011), Ryder Biffle (b. 2020)
Key Achievements	2000 Truck Series Champion, 2002 Busch Series Champion, 19 Cup Series Wins
Honors	NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers (2023), West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2022)

Early Life and Background

Parents and Upbringing in Washington

Greg Biffle was born and raised in Vancouver, Washington, a region not typically associated with the southern-dominated sport of stock car racing. He was the son of Garland “Jack” Biffle and Eileen Woodward Biffle. His father, a U.S. Army veteran who served in France and Germany, later owned a steel construction company.

Education and Mechanics

Biffle attended Camas High School in the nearby town of Camas, graduating in 1988. Unlike many modern drivers who enter the sport with significant financial backing, Biffle was a “blue-collar” racer. He did not attend a formal racing school; instead, he learned by doing. He built his own cars, fabricated parts, and funded his early career through hard work in local automotive and construction businesses.

The Road to Racing: Early Career

Short Track Roots

Biffle began his racing career on the gritty short tracks of the Pacific Northwest, competing in the NASCAR Northwest Series and local Super Late Model events. He quickly gained a reputation for his aggressive driving style and car control, dominating tracks like Portland Speedway and Tri-City Raceway. Despite his local success, breaking into the national NASCAR scene from Washington state was a daunting challenge.

The “Winter Heat” Discovery

Biffle’s big break is now the stuff of NASCAR legend. In the winter of 1995–1996, he took a gamble to compete in the Winter Heat Series at Tucson Raceway Park in Arizona. The series was broadcast nationally on ESPN, providing a rare spotlight for regional talent.

Biffle didn’t just compete; he dominated. His performance caught the eye of Benny Parsons, a former NASCAR champion and ESPN broadcaster. Impressed by Biffle’s raw talent, Parsons called Jack Roush, the owner of one of NASCAR’s top teams, and famously told him, “You need to hire this guy.” Roush heeded the advice, signing Biffle to a development contract that would launch one of the most successful partnerships in the sport’s history.

NASCAR Career: The Rise of “The Biff”

Truck Series Dominance and Rookie of the Year

Biffle made his full-time national debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1998 driving the No. 50 Ford for Roush Racing. He made an immediate impact, winning the Rookie of the Year award.

1999 Record: In his second season, Biffle set a then-record with nine wins in a single season, though he narrowly finished second in the championship standings.
First National Championship (2000): Biffle returned with a vengeance in 2000, securing five wins and winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship. This victory validated Roush’s faith in him and marked him as a future star.

Conquering the Busch Series (2002 Championship)

Promoted to the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) in 2001, Biffle continued his winning ways, earning another Rookie of the Year title.

2002 Championship: The following year, he won four races and captured the Busch Series Championship. With this title, Biffle became the first driver in NASCAR history to win championships in both the Truck and Busch Series, a feat that showcased his incredible adaptability.

NASCAR Cup Series Career

Rookie Year and First Win (2003)

Biffle moved to the premier NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2003, piloting the No. 16 Grainger Ford. His rookie season was highlighted by a stunning victory at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. This win was significant as it cemented his status as a driver who could win on NASCAR’s biggest stages.

The Breakout Season (2005)

The 2005 season was arguably the pinnacle of Biffle’s career. Driving the No. 16 National Guard Ford, he was the dominant force in the series:

Wins: He scored a series-high six victories.
Championship Battle: He finished second in the standings, narrowly missing the Cup Series title to Tony Stewart by just 35 points.
Southern 500: He won the prestigious Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, proving his skill on one of the circuit’s toughest tracks.

The “Triple Threat” Achievement

Biffle holds the rare distinction of being a “Triple Threat”—one of only a select few drivers (including Bobby Labonte and Kevin Harvick) to have won races in all three of NASCAR’s national series: Cup, Xfinity, and Truck. His ability to jump into any type of vehicle—whether a heavy stock car or a light pickup truck—and find victory lane was a hallmark of his talent.

Retirement from Full-Time Racing

Biffle stepped away from full-time Cup racing after the 2016 season. However, he never truly retired. He made sporadic returns, including:

2019 Truck Series Win: He returned to the Truck Series for a one-off race with Kyle Busch Motorsports and won at Texas Motor Speedway, proving he still had elite speed.
SRX Series: He competed in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), racing against other legends of the sport.

Career Statistics and Highlights

Stat Category	Cup Series	Xfinity Series	Truck Series
Starts	515	244	83
Wins	19	20	17
Top 10s	175	149	55
Poles	13	14	12
Best Season	2nd (2005)	Champion (2002)	Champion (2000)

Notable Records:

First driver to win championships in both the Truck and Busch Series.
Won the Southern 500 back-to-back (2005, 2006).
Named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers (2023).

Business Ventures and Entrepreneurship

Biffle was a savvy businessman who leveraged his mechanical expertise into successful ventures.

Pace Offroad

Located in Mooresville, NC, Pace Offroad was Biffle’s high-performance UTV shop. He specialized in modifying Arctic Cat Wildcats and other side-by-sides, often testing them himself in the sand dunes of Glamis, California. The shop was renowned for its custom fabrication and high-horsepower builds.

Triple B Stone / Triple B Enterprises

Biffle owned Triple B Stone, a quarry and rock supply business in Virginia. He frequently visited the site to operate heavy machinery, finding relaxation in the industrial work.

GB Aviation

An avid pilot, Biffle owned GB Aviation Leasing, a company that managed his private aircraft, including the helicopter used for relief missions and the Cessna jet involved in the 2025 crash.

Philanthropy and Humanitarian Work

The Greg Biffle Foundation

Founded in 2005, the Greg Biffle Foundation focused on animal welfare. Biffle and his family were passionate animal lovers, and the foundation awarded grants to humane societies and no-kill shelters across the United States to support spay/neuter programs and adoption initiatives.

Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts (2024)

In late 2024, Biffle became a national hero for his unauthorized relief missions following Hurricane Helene. When floodwaters isolated Western North Carolina, Biffle used his private helicopter to fly dangerous supply runs into the mountains. He delivered:

Starlink Units: Reconnecting isolated communities with the outside world.
Essential Supplies: Food, water, and medication (including insulin).
Rescues: Airlifting stranded residents when roads were impassable. For these efforts, he was awarded the 2024 NMPA Myers Brothers Award for outstanding contributions to the sport and society.

Personal Life

Marriages and Family

First Marriage: Biffle was married to Nicole Lunders from 2007 to 2016. They had one daughter, Emma Elizabeth Biffle (born July 2011).
Second Marriage: He married Cristina Grossu, a successful real estate agent, in January 2023. They had been together for several years prior and welcomed a son, Ryder Jack Biffle (born September 2020).

Tragic Death: The 2025 Plane Crash

On December 18, 2025, the racing world was shattered by news of a fatal aviation accident. A Cessna C550 Citation II business jet (Tail Number N257BW), owned by Biffle, crashed at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina around 10:15 AM ET.

The aircraft had just taken off but encountered mechanical trouble. The pilot attempted to turn back to the runway, but the plane crashed and burst into flames.

Authorities confirmed there were no survivors. The victims included Greg Biffle (55), his wife Cristina Grossu Biffle, his daughter Emma (14), and his son Ryder (5).

Net Worth and Legacy

At the time of his death in 2025, Greg Biffle had an estimated net worth of $30 million. This wealth was accumulated through his substantial race winnings (over $75 million in career purse winnings), lucrative sponsorships (notably with 3M and National Guard), and his successful private businesses.

Conclusion

Greg Biffle’s journey from the short tracks of Washington to the pinnacle of NASCAR is a story of grit, talent, and determination. He broke the mold of what a stock car driver could be, proving that a mechanic from the Pacific Northwest could beat the best in the South. While his championships and wins secured his place in the record books, his final years defined his heart. The tragedy of December 2025 took a racing legend, but more importantly, it took a devoted father and a selfless hero. “The Biff” will be remembered forever, not just for how he raced, but for how he lived.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Greg Biffle die?

Greg Biffle died on December 18, 2025, in a private plane crash at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina. The plane experienced mechanical failure shortly after takeoff.

Who else was in the plane crash with Greg Biffle?

His wife, Cristina Grossu Biffle, his 14-year-old daughter Emma, and his 5-year-old son Ryder were also on board and perished in the accident.

What championships did Greg Biffle win?

He won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship in 2000 and the NASCAR Busch (Xfinity) Series Championship in 2002.

Was Greg Biffle in the NASCAR Hall of Fame?

While not yet a Hall of Fame inductee at the time of his death, he was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023, a significant honor.

What was Greg Biffle’s nickname?

He was widely known as “The Biff.”

What businesses did Greg Biffle own?

He owned Pace Offroad (a UTV performance shop), Triple B Stone (a quarry), and GB Aviation Leasing.

Did Greg Biffle help with Hurricane Helene?

Yes, in 2024, Biffle used his private helicopter to fly relief supplies to stranded victims in Western North Carolina, earning national praise for his heroism.