Another NASCAR Air Disaster Rips Open Old Wounds For Many Racing Fans

As far as NASCAR offseasons go, this one can go ahead and end now. It's been miserable. Just a miserable experience from start to finish. 

The court battle – and ensuing face-plant by NASCAR – was bad enough. 

But what happened Thursday in North Carolina to Greg Biffle and his family? An absolute gut-punch. I'm not sure if I've still processed what happened. I'm quite sure many NASCAR fans haven't, either. Drivers, past and present, are still in shock. 

Biffle, his wife, Cristina, and their two kids died in a fiery plane crash at the end of a runway at the Statesville Regional Airport. The plane was owned by Biffle. It took off a little after 10:05 a.m. and crashed less than 10 minutes later as it attempted to return to the airport. 

Something, clearly, went wrong. We don't know what yet, but I'm not sure if it matters. The damage is done. The Biffle family – one of the best in all of North Carolina – is gone. 

For NASCAR fans and drivers, old wounds have, once again, been ripped open. 

NASCAR has a history of plane crashes 

"I can’t help feeling angry," said Hall of Famer Mark Martin. "Aviation is a very safe way to travel but has been savage to our racing community and families throughout history."

He's right. It was my first thought, too. Frankly, as someone who writes about NASCAR every single week of the year, it's something that's always at the back of my mind. 

Deep enough back there that I never say anything out loud, but not deep enough that I'm not always at the ready. 

NASCAR has an awful history with aviation disasters. Awful. Let's just call a spade a spade here. You thought it. I thought it. Everyone thought it the second we saw what remained of the Biffles' plane on Thursday. 

It reminded me of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family narrowly escaping death back in 2019 when their plane crash-landed in Tennessee. And I mean narrowly. 

It reminded me of Alan Kulwicki dying in a plane crash mere months after winning the 1992 NASCAR Cup Series championship. A few months later, Davey Allison died in a helicopter crash. 

Perhaps the most well-known NASCAR air disaster was the Hendrick Motorsports crash over two decades ago. 

In Oct. 2004, a plane owned by Hendrick crashed in Virginia. All 10 people on board were killed, including team president John Hendrick, his daughters, general manager Jeff Turner, chief engine builder Randy Dorton, Ricky Hendrick (Rick Hendrick’s son), and the flight crew.

Obviously, there are two ways to look at all of this – and I reckon how you choose sort of depends on the type of person you are. 

I agree with Mark Martin. This seems to happen a lot in NASCAR. I'm a skeptic by nature, though. In reality, when you account for just how many times a day/week/month/year these guys fly … it's actually an excellent record. 

NASCAR drivers fly all the time, all year long. A lot of them on their own private planes. The others will fly on a plane chartered by the team. NASCAR has the longest season, and shortest offseason, in all of sports. 

You have guys flying to different places every week, sometimes multiple in one day, for sponsor obligations, race meetings, various interviews. You name it. Chase Elliott, as far as I know, lives in Dawsonville and has to fly to Charlotte for team meetings and debriefs. He's an avid flyer. 

A lot of drivers are, which is natural given what they do for a living. 

Greg Biffle was, too. He became a household name in 2024 when he was rescuing stranded North Carolinians in the mountains after Hurricane Helene destroyed the area. Last April, he dropped Easter eggs out of his helicopter for kids to hunt. 

He loved to fly. He did it for good. That's why this one hurts that much more. 

getty

What about other sports?

But does this happen in NASCAR more than other sports, as Mark rightfully asked? Eh. I don't think so. Maybe slightly, but when you consider how many people in the garage fly each and every week, I'd imagine the percentage of successful flights is on par with every other sport. 

And yes, other sports have seen aviation disasters:

• Marshall’s football team in 1970
• Wichita State football that same year
• Evansville basketball in 1977
• Yankees captain Thurman Munson in 1979
• Roberto Clemente in 1972
• Roy Halladay in 2017
• Kobe Bryant and his daughter in 2020

So, no – this isn't just a NASCAR problem. Of course, it's not. 

Most of these incidents involve private planes. That's certainly the case in NASCAR and MLB. Perhaps that's the issue? I don't know. I don't have that answer. 

I think Mark Martin probably hit the nail on the head. 

Flying is safe. That's what the stats and percentages and the odds say. On paper, it's the way to go.

But boy, it sure doesn't feel that way in NASCAR. Not today. What a punch to the gut … again. 

A tragic loss.