Scott Mclaughlin, Mario Andretti and more from IndyCar community pay tribute to Greg Biffle and his family after the tragic plane crash

NASCAR legend Greg Biffle and his family passed away in a tragic plane crash on December 18, 2025, at the Statesville Regional Airport. Members of the IndyCar community came out and grieved the death of the motorsports veteran and his family.

Greg Biffle and his family took off in the Cessna C500 from the Statesville Regional Airport in the morning. However, soon after the takeoff, a mechanical issue pushed the pilots to attempt a landing back at the airport they took off. Unfortunately, a successful landing could not be made, and the plane crashed at around 10:15 a.m. local time.

Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, his son Ryder, his daughter Emma, and Craig Wadsworth were the five passengers onboard the plane. Former US Army pilot Dennis Dutton and his son Jack Dutton were the two pilots of the Cessna Citation II. As per the reports, all seven people aboard the C550 passed away.

The IndyCar community took to social media platform X and mourned the death of Biffle, his family, and the others aboard the private jet.

“Terrible News. Terrible Day. Rest In Peace,” wrote Scott McLaughlin Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud tweeted, “Very saddened and shook about the passing of @gbiffle and his family. We are sending all our thoughts, prayers and courage to their families and close ones. Life is short, this is a reminder to enjoy every moments on earth with your loved ones.” “I feel lucky to have got to enjoy some beverages and talk motor racing with Greg Biffle after a couple SRX races. Extremely welcoming and generous guy. Such a sad day… #RIP,” wrote IndyCar veteran Conor Daly

Arrow McLaren’s 2026 Indy 500 driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay, was shaken and detailed how emotions took over as soon as he heard about the tragic incident. He wrote,

“My god. Just setting the bus up, plugged the TV cable in the first thing I see was the news of Greg and his family passing away. Every hair on my body stood up. Emotions hit like a ton of bricks. Posting on X doesn’t do it justice.” IndyCar and F1 champion Mario Andretti wrote, “It will forever be the #GregBiffleCrash. What a sad & shocking day. I'm praying for Greg, Cristina and little angels Emma and Ryder. Also for peace and strength to Emma's mom Nicole Lunders . Greg... a star driver and a star in his second act as a humanitarian.” CGR owner Chip Ganassi wrote, “Greg Biffle was a Racers Racer, and a Gentleman. RIP my friend.”

The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) arrived soon after the crash. As per the reports, the plane was in the air for less than 10 minutes and did not go above 1000 feet. The Cessna C550 was registered to Greg Biffle’s company with tail number N257BW and was made in 1981.

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NTSB shares update on Greg Biffle's plane crash

The airport authorities were the first ones at the crash site, followed by the FAA. An NTSB team arrived at the site on the evening of December 18. NTSB launched an investigation into the plane crash at Statesville Regional Airport. The safety board members, Michael Graham and investigator in charge Dan Baker, came out on Friday, December 19, almost 24 Hours after the crash, and gave their preliminary report.

As per the report, “The airplane subsequently impacted trees, two other runway light stanchions and the airport perimeter fence short of the runway threshold before coming to rest near the runway threshold.”

NTSB hasn't yet confirmed who was piloting the jet, and could not confirm the exact position of impact, but suggested it was in the vicinity of the airport fence area.

Edited by Pranay Bhagi