- - How did Greg Biffle die? NASCAR honors fan favorite driver at Daytona

Mitchell Northam, USA TODAYFebruary 15, 2026 at 5:00 AM

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How did Greg Biffle die? NASCAR honors fan favorite driver at Daytona

NASCAR’s offseason was eventful and even calamitous in a few ways. The Cup Series changed its playoff format, a lawsuit and trial consumed the sport for weeks, and NASCAR lost one of its fan favorites in a tragic airplane crash.

Greg Biffle — winner of 19 Cup races and a champion in the Craftsman Trucks and Busch series — was one of seven people killed in a plane crash in Statesville, North Carolina on Dec. 18.

This weekend at the Daytona 500, drivers for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing — the team Biffle drove for from 2002 to 2016 — will honor him by having each of their numbers stylized in the iconic jagged font that he used.

"It's just a small way we can show appreciation or remembrance,” RFK driver Chris Buescher said earlier this week. “It's a really neat thing that our organization put together and is able to do."

RFK co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski added: “Greg Biffle was more than a championship driver, he was family… He helped shape who we are as an organization, and his legacy is woven into this team’s history.”

Kaulig Racing will also honor Biffle by stylizing its No. 16 car — driven by AJ Allmendinger — the same way. Biffle drove the No. 16 for much of his career.

The Greg Biffle stylized 16 on the Allmendinger car: pic.twitter.com/bUaBpPZpr4

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 11, 2026

How did Greg Biffle die?

According to a report from investigators, Biffle was not operating his jet when it crashed in December. The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board concluded that while an experienced pilot was at the controls, the person sitting in the right seat wasn’t qualified to be the copilot.

When the flight crashed while trying to return to the Statesville Regional Airport, it killed Biffle, his wife Cristina, and Biffle’s children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14. Others killed in the accident were Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.

The plane, a Cessna C550 bound for Florida, erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground less than a mile from the airport’s runway.

Biffle was an experienced pilot and famously used his own helicopter to help people in need in western North Carolina in the fall of 2024 in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Three weeks after Biffle’s death, his home was burglarized.

1 / 25See highlights from Greg Biffle's NASCAR careerGreg Biffle, driver of the #44 Grambling State University Chevrolet, waits in the garage area during practice for NASCAR Cup Series 64th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb 19, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Fla.Greg Biffle NASCAR career highlights

Biffle grew up in Washington and got his start in racing by competing at short tracks in the Pacific Northwest. After excelling in NASCAR’s regional series, Jack Roush signed Biffle to his team and put him in a Craftsman Truck Series machine. Biffle won 17 truck races between 1998 and 2020, capturing a championship in the series in 2000.

In 2001, Biffle moved up to the second-tier Busch Series (now the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) and won Rookie of the Year. The next season, he won the championship. In 244 races in the second-tier series, Biffle notched 149 top-10 finishes and won 20 races.

Biffle then moved up to the big show and competed in the Cup Series. He won his first race at NASCAR’s top level at Daytona in 2003, taking the checkered flag at the Pepsi 400. In 2005, he finished in second place for the championship to Tony Stewart.

In 515 Cup Series races, Biffle secured 175 top-10 finishes and 19 wins. He twice won the Southern 500 at Darlington, South Carolina, and also twice won NASCAR’s All-Star race. Biffle also won four times at Michigan and three consecutive races at Homestead in Miami. He had six top 10 finishes at the Daytona 500.

After stepping away from NASCAR following the 2016 season, Biffle returned in 2022 to compete in five races in the NY Racing No. 44 car. His last NASCAR race was the 2022 Geico 500 at Talladega.

He drove in an ARCA Menards Series race last year in Portland, Oregon, finishing fourth.

Biffle was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How did Greg Biffle die? NASCAR honors fan favorite driver at Daytona

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