NASCAR is closing out the year with one of its most tragic Decembers ever. <\/p>\n
The latest heartbreaking incident came on Dec. 18 when legendary driver Greg Biffle, his family and some friends were killed when their plane crashed at the Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina. <\/p>\n
Biffle\u2019s Cessna 550 was reportedly attempting to land at around 10:15 a.m. at the airport just outside of Charlotte when the crash occurred. <\/p>\n
Fans flocked to social media to remember Biffle, 55, who made headlines in 2024 when he flew his helicopter into hard to reach areas in North Carolina to provide relief to those trapped following Hurricane Helene.<\/p>\n
Biffle had a 16-year career behind the wheel in the NASCAR Cup Series, starting 515 races and winning 19. He had 175 top ten finishes. <\/p>\n
His last race with the series came in the 2022 Geico 500 in Talladega. <\/p>\n
Biffle also drove 244 races on the NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series. He won 20 of those and logged 149 more top 10 finishes. He also was behind the wheel for 83 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, winning 17 of those with 55 top 10 finishes. <\/p>\n
His death followed the passing of Nick Joanides on Dec. 5 and Michael Annett on Dec. 2.<\/p>\n
Joanides, 55, was a star on the West Coast scene most recently making three starts in the ARCA West Series. He also drove in the NASCAR Xfinity Series when it was called the Nationwide Series. <\/p>\n
Annett, 39, drove for JR Motorsports from 2017 through 2021 and the team shared the news of his death on social media.<\/p>\n
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Annett was behind the wheel for 106 NASCAR Cup Series races, but never managed to finish in the top 10. While his results at that level were not eye-popping, Yahoo Sports noted he drove for a pair of \u201cunderfunded teams\u201d in Tommy Baldwin Racing and HScott Racing.<\/p>\n
Annett had more success on the Xfinity Series where he drove in 321 races with 95 top-10 finishes. His lone win came in the 2019 NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona International Speedway.<\/p>\n
He also drove in nine NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races with two top-10 finishes.<\/p>\n