CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – NASCAR was planning a January remembrance event in Charlotte for former driver Greg Biffle and his family and others who were killed in a plane crash this month, officials confirmed Tuesday.
A remembrance event was expected to happen at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte on Jan. 16, 2026, for the Biffle family and three others killed in a plane crash at Statesville Regional Airport earlier this month.
NASCAR said on Tuesday, Dec. 30 that the event will be open to the public, and more details were expected to be announced soon.
Sympathy flowers lay at Greg Biffle’s honorary plaque in downtown Mooresville, signifying his induction into the NC Auto Racing Hall of Fame.(WBTV)
On Dec. 18, seven people died when a Cessna C550 crashed shortly after takeoff at the Statesville airport in North Carolina’s Iredell County.
The fire from the crash prevented investigators from definitively identifying all of the victims right away, but it was believed that Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina Grossu, his 5-year-old son Ryder, and his 14-year-old daughter Emma were among those killed in the crash.
Biffle shared his 14-year-old daughter with his ex-wife Nicole Lunders.
Greg Biffle greets fans before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday, April 14, 2012, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Ralph Lauer)(Ralph Lauer | AP)
NASCAR later identified the other passengers killed as Craig Wadsworth, Dennis Dutton and his son Jack Dutton. The medical examiner’s office was expected to officially identify all of those killed in the crash.
Private funeral services were also being planned for the victims of the plane crash.
Officials said that there were five passengers and two crew members aboard the plane, but it was not immediately clear who was flying the plane at the time of the crash.
The cause of the crash was still under investigation, as of this writing. A preliminary report was expected within the next few weeks.
A plane crashed at Statesville Regional Airport on Dec. 18.(Provided photo)
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The group was reportedly on their way to visit famous YouTuber Garrett Mitchell, known online as “Cleetus McFarland,” when the crash happened. Flight records showed that the plane, which belonged to Greg Biffle, was headed to an airport in Sarasota, Florida.
Witnesses reportedly said that the aircraft came in “very low” on the morning of the crash. Video of part of the crash shows the plane apparently slide on the ground for a distance while covered in flames.
“We are devastated by the loss of our loved ones,” read a joint statement published on behalf of the Biffle, Grossu, Dutton and Lunders families. “This tragedy has left all of our families heartbroken beyond words.”
—> Read more: NASCAR, lawmakers offer condolences after Greg Biffle, his family killed in North Carolina plane crash
The news of the remembrance event comes days after Dennis Hamlin, father of NASCAR star Denny Hamlin, died after a massive house fire in Gaston County.
Both Dennis Hamlin and his wife Mary Lou Hamlin were found outside of the house while it was engulfed in flames on Sunday, Dec. 28. Dennis Hamlin died at the hospital, and Mary Lou Hamlin was being treated for serious injuries at a burn center in Winston-Salem.
The fire happened just as the couple was celebrating their 52nd wedding anniversary.
—> Related: NASCAR community has tough December with 2 former drivers, father of another driver killed
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