Family friend: Fmr NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family among 7 fatalities in N.C. private jet crash0%
By OAN Staff0% Brooke Mallory0%
12/18/2025, 11:50:53 AM
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(L) Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Price Chopper 400.
(Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR) / (R-Top) Greg Biffle, driver of the #27 Redman Moist Snuff Ford, on April 16, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas.
(Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR) / (R-Bottom) Photo screenshot taken via video obtained by UK Press.
OAN Staff
Brooke Mallory
11:48 AM – Thursday, December 18, 2025
A private jet registered to a company linked to former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle crashed and erupted into flames on Thursday morning at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina, authorities confirmed, resulting in seven fatalities, according to a reputable source who spoke with CNN.
According to a statement from Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) driver Garrett Mitchell, who was a close friend of Biffle — Biffle, his wife Cristina, their son Ryder Jack, and Biffle’s daughter, Emma, were all on the plane.
“Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us.
We are devastated.
I’m so sorry to share this,” Mitchell wrote.
Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace also posted that Craig Wadsworth, a friend within the NASCAR community, was on the plane as well.
The aircraft, a Cessna C550 Citation II with tail number N257BW, took off from the airport at around 10:06 a.m. local time before quickly turning back for an emergency return.
It crashed while attempting to land shortly after 10:15 a.m., coming to rest off the end of the runway and bursting into a massive fireball with thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
Eyewitness videos and photos from the scene captured the intense blaze as emergency responders rushed to the site.
Initially, the Iredell County Sheriff's Office vaguely confirmed "several" deaths, though another source with viable credentials has since reached out to CNN, maintaining that seven people died on board.
However, local authorities have not yet confirmed these claims.
Public records show the plane is owned by GB Aviation Leasing LLC, a North Carolina-based company directly linked to Biffle, the 55-year-old former NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Biffle, a NASCAR veteran with 19 Cup Series wins, championships in the Truck Series (2000) and Xfinity Series (2002), and a runner-up finish in the 2005 Cup standings, had largely stepped away from full-time racing but remained active in aviation.
He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2016.
Nonetheless, Biffle has made occasional part-time appearances in racing, such as part-time ARCA starts, despite no longer being a full-time competitor on the NASCAR circuit.
Biffle gained attention last year for using his helicopter to deliver supplies during Hurricane Helene relief efforts in western North Carolina.
In late September 2024, shortly after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina with catastrophic flooding and landslides, Biffle stepped up in a big way.
As a licensed pilot with a passion for aviation, Biffle used his personal helicopter to deliver critical supplies to isolated mountain communities cut off by destroyed roads and bridges.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the cause of the crash, with the NTSB leading the probe.
Officials noted fog in the area at the time, but no other contributing factors have been confirmed.
The Statesville Regional Airport, a facility serving corporate aviation and several NASCAR teams, was closed indefinitely following the incident.
Update: Six fatalities has been updated to seven.
This is a developing story.
Check back for updates.
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