The racing community is reflecting on the champion’s legacy as investigators probe why a business jet heading to Sarasota turned back before it crashed.
BRADENTON, Fla. — The NASCAR community and fans across the country are mourning the death of retired racing legend Greg Biffle, his wife and two children, along with three others who were killed Thursday when a business jet crashed while en route to Sarasota.
Biffle was traveling with his wife, Cristina, their 14-year-old daughter, Emma, and 5-year-old son, Ryder, when the plane went down shortly after takeoff. Federal investigators said the jet attempted to return to the airport before striking light poles and trees about a third of a mile from the runway.
A close friend, Garrett Mitchell, known online as Cleetus McFarland, said on social media that the Biffle family had been traveling from North Carolina to visit him. Mitchell was preparing to host the sixth annual Christmas Tree Drags at Bradenton Motorsports Park, which he owns.
“Tragic doesn’t even begin to touch the surface,” racing fan from Naples Ben Anderson said, reflecting on the shock felt by hundreds who watched Biffle drive for decades.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said investigators have recovered the cockpit voice recorder as they work to determine what caused the crash.
News of Biffle’s death spread quickly through motorsports circles, particularly in Florida and North Carolina, where he built much of his career and personal life.
“My coworker’s phone was blowing up. She grew up across the street from [Greg] in North Carolina,” Audrey St. Louis, who was in Bradenton on Saturday watching the Christmas Tree Drags, said.
“It feels a little bit somber, yet also a celebration, because like Cleet said, I think Biff would want this show to go,” Anderson said beside his wife Jenna Anderson.
“People lost a legend. A lot of people looked up to him. It’s going to hurt for a long time,” Tony St. Louis said, also in attendance at the drag races with his wife, Audrey.
Biffle’s impact on the sport spanned decades. He was named NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year in 1998 and went on to win the series championship two years later.
Beyond the racetrack, fans and fellow drivers remembered Biffle for his generosity and willingness to act in times of crisis.
“Everybody started watching what he did after the hurricane hit North Carolina,” Ben said. “He used his own resources, his own helicopter, him and Cleet both with ‘Consuela,’ Cleetus’s helicopter. They both got together and did air drops to people on the sides of mountains in North Carolina. He put his money where his mouth is. That’s really what separates people who talk the talk. Greg Biffle walked the walk.”
Attendees on Saturday said Biffle also left behind lessons that extended beyond racing.
“You don’t know if you’ve got decades or hours in this world,” Ben said. “So come to events like this or things that you enjoy, be with the ones you love and live.”
Flight records show the plane was registered to a company run by Biffle. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into the cause of the crash and why the plane returned to the airport in drizzle and cloudy conditions on Dec.18.