Thursday was a dark day for the NASCAR community, as former Cup Series driver Greg Biffle, along with his wife and two children, were killed in an aircraft accident that also took the lives of three others in Statesville, North Carolina.
Biffle was a 19-time Cup Series race winner and a champion of both the NASCAR Busch Series (now O'Reilly Auto Parts) and Craftsman Truck Series. More importantly, he was one of the sport's true good guys.
Biffle will be remembered for his heroic contributions to the relief efforts after Hurricane Helene and his work with animal rescue shelters. His racing career deserves some more respect, too.
Greg Biffle always flew under the radar, which was exactly how he wanted it
Biffle was never one of NASCAR's loudest or flashiest drivers. He was always just kind of there, but in a positive way that suited his humble personality. He didn't race for the fame or the glory; he was a regular guy who happened to have a pretty cool job.
His career, which is borderline Hall of Fame-worthy as it stands, could have been even better. He was a Cup Series rookie at the age of 33 in 2003, and for that reason, his prime was relatively short-lived. His best season came in 2005, when he won six races and finished tied for second in points. Had he been given more time at the top level in his late 20s and early 30s, he likely could have won a championship.
Off the track, Biffle was likely best known for his affection for his large family of rescue dogs, of which he kept several at a time and who frequently accompanied him at the track. He and his ex-wife Nicole ran a long-standing foundation for animal welfare, launched in 2005.
Years after his full-time career had concluded, Biffle's humanitarian efforts surfaced again with his good deeds in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, when he flew countless rescue missions across North Carolina to evacuate those who were stranded after losing their homes. In 2024, he received the Myers Brothers Award for his contributions.
Through it all, he never asked for any attention. He never demanded to be recognized for his accomplishments, whether on the track or off of it. He was a hero without a cape, letting both his career accolades and his humanitarian efforts speak for themselves.
NASCAR lost an exceptionally talented driver this week, but more than that, the sport lost a human being who was as well-respected as any figure in the garage. May Biffle and his loved ones rest in peace.