It was very rare to go through a NASCAR Cup Series race in the 2000s through the early 2010s without hearing the name Greg Biffle, a flamboyant star who consistently found himself in the upper echelon of the sport for a chunk of his 14-year Cup career.
Tragically, the NASCAR family was rocked to its core on Dec. 18 when Biffle, who was days away from his 56th birthday, perished in a plane crash along with his wife, two children and three other passengers while the plane was attempting to land at Statesville Regional Airport.
The incident was a painful reminder of the fragility of life, claiming the lives of a beautiful family, including a driver in Biffle who seemed fearless in the prime of his career, always driving on a razor-thin edge only to dazzle spectators with his distinctive car control.
While we still mourn for his loss, we can celebrate the joy he brought to so many who watched him compete. With that in mind, let’s take a look back at the top moments of Biffle’s storied career.
10. A Record Hidden in the Shadows
As mentioned above, Biffle had an incredible knack for controlling his car, allowing him to find speed while avoiding the calamity that sometimes comes with it. That ability may have never been more evident than a span from the 2012 Daytona 500 through the 2014 event at the now-defunct Kentucky Speedway, where Biffle finished 89 consecutive races without a DNF, which still stands as the most in Cup Series history.
While there were some cars that looked anything but a car that could still race, Biffle also had some races where finishing looked nothing short of a miracle.
Take the 2012 Good Sam 500 at Talladega Superspeedway for example, where Biffle was nearly turned with 15 laps to go while running second, yet saved his car to remain in contention. On the final lap, Biffle was running outside of the top 20 when The Big One struck at the front of the field, claiming virtually every car in its path.
That is, except for Biffle.
Somehow, the Vancouver, Wash. native wheeled his pink and white No. 16 through the calamity to scurry to a sixth-place finish.
9. The Biff Snaps a Winless Streak at Pocono
With the exception of a winless stretch over the final three-and-a-half years of Biffle’s career, the former Roush Fenway Racing driver’s second-longest drought spanned 64 races from the end of 2008 to mid-2010.
That came to a halt when the Cup Series invaded The Tricky Triangle of Pocono Raceway.
In a bizarre race that featured multiple weather delays, as well as a horrific crash involving Kurt Busch and Elliott Sadler, Biffle fought his way back from nose damage sustained earlier in the race to put himself in contention. A two-tire call late in the race from crew chief Greg Erwin allowed Biffle to storm away from the field, leading a total of 28 laps en route to a sizable victory margin.
The win was sentimental in more ways than one. Days earlier, Biffle’s team owner Jack Roush was hospitalized after being involved in a plane crash. Roush called Biffle after the race to express his congratulations for one of the more emotional victories in Biffle’s career.
8. Making a Statement in the 2008 Chase
There were plenty of stars who had the unfortunate privilege of rising to prominence concurrent with the dominance of Jimmie Johnson during his five consecutive Cup titles.
While Biffle could be considered one of those deprived of a title by Johnson’s explosion, he made Johnson and every other title competitor sweat immediately out of the gate in the 2008 Chase for the Cup.
Despite going winless in the regular season, Biffle drove to victory in the opening race of the Chase at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, passing Johnson with 12 laps to go to score the victory.
A week later, Biffle out-dueled his Roush teammates Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards to score a second consecutive victory, becoming the first driver to win the first two races of the Chase era.
The victories vaulted Biffle to second in points, taking him from dark horse status to a serious title contender. Ultimately, he would finish third in points, 217 behind Johnson, though he never dropped out of the top three in the standings throughout the final 10 races.
7. Biffle Scores First NASCAR Championship
The late Benny Parsons played an instrumental role in getting Biffle to the NASCAR national series ranks, referring him to Roush after watching his success at the Winter Heat late model event. Roush heeded the advice, placing Biffle in his truck for the 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
After taking Rookie of the Year honors that season, then following it up with a nine-win 1999 campaign, Biffle finally lifted the championship trophy above his head at the end of a 2000 season that saw him win five races and earn 18 top fives in 24 races.
It was the first NASCAR championship for the Roush organization, and a flag-planting moment for Biffle’s future in the sport.
6. A Homstead-Miami Three-Peat
There were a few tracks that played to the tune of Biffle’s prowess more than others, and perhaps none more than Homestead-Miami Speedway in the first few years of his career.
Biffle capped off the 2004 season in dominant fashion, leading 117 of the 271 laps, including taking the lead on a green-white-checkered restart to score his third career victory and first at Homestead-Miami.
The next season, The Biff put a bow on a breakout season by securing his second consecutive win at the Florida track in the most exhilarating finish of his Homestead dominance.
Making a daring pass for the lead in the middle of three-wide with eight laps to go, Biffle went toe-to-toe with his outgoing teammate, Mark Martin. The two battled side-by-side on the final lap, and in one last push from the outside, Biffle edged Martin to score the victory.
Biffle won three races in a row at the intermediate oval. Leading 47 laps in the 2006 Ford 400, Biffle once again had to seal the deal on a green-white-checkered finish, besting rookies Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin for the three-peat. No other driver has won three races in a row at Homestead-Miami.
5. Biffle’s Final Career Cup Win
At 43 years old, Biffle would give his fans one more hurrah at Michigan International Speedway in what proved to be the final win of his Cup career.
A strong fleet of Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets were Biffle’s closest competition throughout the day, but one by one, each of them dropped out of the race. Meanwhile, Biffle’s Ford held rock solid at the front of the field, leading 48 circuits and earning the 19th victory of his career.
With the win coming in Ford’s backyard, it was the second consecutive victory at MIS for Biffle, as well as his fourth at the track, tied for sixth all time.
The victory was another emotional one for Biffle, coming just a few days after former NASCAR driver Jason Leffler was killed in a sprint car crash.
4. From Truck Series Champion to Busch Series Champion
With a Truck Series title added to his resume, Roush called upon Biffle to pilot the No. 60 in what was then known as the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series (now named the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series).
His trajectory there mirrored much of his Truck success, as Biffle earned rookie honors in 2001 on the strength of five wins, 21 top 10s and a fourth-place points ranking.
Returning in 2002, Biffle’s ability to quickly progress was displayed, as he scored four more victories to go with 20 top fives and 25 top 10s. He took the points lead in the 18th race of the season at Daytona International Speedway, never relinquishing it en route to wrapping up the series title in the penultimate race of the season at Phoenix Raceway.
By winning the championship, Biffle became the first driver to win both the Truck Series and Busch Series titles.
3. Welcome to the Cup Series
Biffle’s accolades in the lower levels of NASCAR prompted Roush to call him up to pilot the team’s No. 16 Ford full-time at the Cup level.
A late bloomer to the Cup Series at 33 years old, the learning curve was evident in Biffle’s freshman campaign — yet it was not devoid of high moments.
When the series visited Daytona Beach for the illustrious Pepsi 400, virtually no one could have expected the star that would be born that night.
Following a crash midway through the race, Biffle’s team opted to stop for fuel one lap before the restart, paving the way for Biffle to make it on one more pit stop. While the primary leaders had to make two more stops, the extra fuel allowed the rookie Biffle to assume the lead with 21 laps to go.
Despite a fierce challenge from 2000 Cup champion Bobby Labonte, Biffle held him off long enough before Labonte ran out of fuel on the last lap, allowing Biffle to cruise to a spectacular upset victory. The win came in just his 23rd career start and would be a staple moment in his rise to stardom.
2. Biffle’s Breakout Season
A noticeable trend continued to manifest itself in the fact that Biffle could quickly adapt to new surroundings. By his third full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Biffle had developed into a championship contender, putting the garage on notice during the 2005 season.
The No. 16 had its season kick-started with a win in the second race of the year at California Speedway, earning Biffle his fourth career win.
From there, things kept heating up for the Roush Racing driver. After 16 races, Biffle was the points leader with five wins under his belt, including statement wins at Texas Motor Speedway (219 laps led), Darlington Raceway (176 laps led) and Dover Motor Speedway (150 laps led).
A couple of results outside the top 15 in the Chase foiled Biffle’s pursuit of a title, but his season-ending victory at Homestead-Miami catapulted him to a runner-up finish in the standings, only 35 points back of champion Tony Stewart.
Overall, Biffle earned career-highs with six wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s and 1,322 laps led.
1. When Biffle Proved He Still Had It
A disappointing stretch to end Biffle’s career saw him and Roush Fenway Racing part ways after 2016, ultimately bringing an end to Biffle’s full-time career.
But as longtime NASCAR media personality John Roberts once said, fans just had to “stick with the Biff” to see him compete once again.
Fans got their wish in 2019 when Biffle, who was 49 at the time, returned to the driver’s seat behind the wheel of Kyle Busch Motorsports’s No. 51 Toyota in the Truck Series at Texas Motor Speedway.
Biffle started from sixth and kept his nose clean throughout the night, avoiding a flurry of crashes to keep himself in contention. A late caution allowed Biffle to use some strategy and stay out, assuming the lead with 10 laps remaining once the race went green.
Three-time Truck champion Matt Crafton threw one haymaker after another at Biffle, yet the KBM driver held on, scoring the win in his first NASCAR start in three years and first Truck start since 2004.
“I’m just so excited to be here,” an elated Biffle said after the victory. “It is hard to figure out how to pass. It is the first time for me with this new package, but I figured out how to [pass] at the end.”
Biffle would return to the Cup Series for five races with NY Racing in 2022, marking the final starts of a storybook career.
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a news writer before elevating to a columnist, where he served as the longtime writer for The Underdog House. Currently, he is an editor for the site and conducts feature interviews. Glover has covered several forms of racing for the site including NASCAR, CARS Tour, and SRX events.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a promotional writer, elementary athletic director, and basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.