Mark Martin Looks Back on Former Teammate Greg Biffle’s NASCAR Prowess Days After Tragic Death

Mark Martin (L) and Greg Biffle (R)

Mark Martin has been left rattled by the death of Greg Biffle. The two were teammates at Roush Racing for four seasons and shared a relationship filled with respect and admiration.

In a recent conversation with Charlie Marlow on Kenny Wallace Media, Martin shared his thoughts about Biffle. It was evident that he had yet to recover from the shock of the aeroplane crash that killed the former driver and his family.

“I knew Greg, you know, from the beginning of driving the truck for Jack Roush, coming right from late models and jumping right in. He’s such an incredible talent, but he was also a good dude. He was a good teammate. Always fantastic,” began Martin, reminiscing about the early days.

The NASCAR veteran then recalled a couple of incidents where Biffle left him impressed with his attitude. The first was at Homestead-Miami when Martin couldn’t get the better of Biffle at the end of a memorable 20-lap battle. The second was in Kansas when Martin did get the better of him, and Biffle had taken it in the best possible way.

“We had some great races,” Martin continued. “And you know, he won a bunch of races in that No. 16 cup car when I was his teammate. I knew everything that he had in his car, and was just amazed at the performance that he, Doug, and his team were able to squeeze out of that No. 16 car.” 

In the years that Biffle drove the No. 16 car, he secured 19 wins. No wonder Martin was in awe of his teammate.

Martin’s message on X after Biffle’s death

Biffle and Martin had shared the track from 2002 to 2009. Martin retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2009 season, while Biffle went on to race till the end of the 2016 season. And through NASCAR, they forged a friendship that has lasted well beyond their racing days.

“Every day I get sicker and sicker about this tragedy,” Martin wrote on X last week after the news of the crash came out.

“As a Citation pilot for 20 years and a product of around 75 days of @FlightSafetyInt training and over 3000 hours of flight time in the aircraft, I have deep knowledge of these aircraft and performance. The more I learn about Biffle’s crash, the more disturbing it is to me,” he added.

The crash occurred on December 18, minutes after the plane left the Statesville Regional Airport, and was returning due to an emergency. Biffle was killed along with his wife and children.

Post Edited By: Leslie Xavier
Greg Biffle Mark Martin

About the author

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Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 3000 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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