Greg Biffle’s passing away in a plane crash earlier this month has left the entire NASCAR community deeply saddened. The 55-year-old former driver was traveling to Florida with his family to celebrate Christmas when the tragedy struck.
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Biffle’s plane had taken off from the Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina, and for reasons not yet revealed, it was making a return to the airport when it crashed. What’s even sadder is that it’s not the first aviation-related demise in the NASCAR World.
Former driver Mark Martin couldn’t hold in his feelings about it. He wrote on X, “I can’t help feeling angry. Aviation is a very safe way to travel, BUT has been savage to our racing community and families throughout history.”
Airplane and helicopter crashes have taken the lives of many notable NASCAR drivers throughout history.
I can’t help feeling angry.
Aviation is a very safe way to travel, BUT has been savage to our racing community and families throughout history.
— Mark Martin (@markmartin) December 19, 2025
- Hendrick Motorsports (2004) – On October 24, 2004, a plane carrying some notable figures from the Hendrick Motorsports fraternity was en route to the Martinsville Speedway. Due to foggy conditions, the plane crashed into a mountain in the Virginia region and killed all ten people aboard. Among them were four members of the Hendrick family.
- Alan Kulwicki (1993) – The 1992 Cup Series champion and racing legend died when his plane lost power in Tennessee while it was heading for the Bristol Motor Speedway. Kulwicki was on the plane along with a couple of Hooters executives and his pilot. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.
- Davey Allison (1993) – Just a few months after Kulwicki’s unfortunate death shocked the entire racing world, another disaster hit. Davey Allison died in a helicopter crash near the Talladega Superspeedway on July 12. Allison had been attempting to land the craft when it went out of his control and crashed. He was one of the most promising youngsters at the time.
- Curtis Turner (1970) – Turner was one of NASCAR’s foundational stars. He was killed in a crash that went down in Pennsylvania. He was commanding a small plane that failed shortly after taking off. Notably, golfer Clarence King was also aboard the plane and was killed as well. Turner was a participant in the first NASCAR Cup Series race in 1949.
Several other drivers, including Cliff Allison (Davey’s father), Carlos Pardo, and John Nemechek Sr., have also lost their lives in aviation crashes. In hindsight, it is easy to understand the anger Martin is feeling, especially considering that millions of fans feel the same way.
