OFFICIAL REPORT: NASCAR CHAMPION GREG BIFFLE IDENTIFIED IN FATAL THURSDAY MORNING PLANE ACCIDENT
NASCAR champion Greg Biffle and his family tragically passed away in a North Carolina plane crash. Read about his incredible legacy.
Before Greg Biffle became famous in NASCAR, he was making a name for himself at Tri-City Raceway.
Biffle had come back to the track to race in the ARCA Menards Series West event over the last several years.
Biffle, 55, passed away Thursday when his plane crashed at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina, which is about 45 minutes from Charlotte. He, his wife, and their two kids were among the seven who died.
His last race in the Tri-Cities was in August. He got third place for the Sigma Performance Services Chevrolet team. He said he liked the West Richland track so much that he thought about buying it once.
Tri-City Raceway posted something on social media Thursday to honor Biffle’s family.
“Legacy isn’t about wins or championships,” the post said. “It’s about love, changing lives, and how someone treats other people. That’s how Greg—and his family—will always be remembered.”
Tri-Cities ties
Tri-City Raceway Project Manager Laci Tolar said her family is shocked. Tolar is Wayne Walden’s granddaughter. Wayne ran the track in the 90s.
Back then, Tri-City Raceway was like a second home to Biffle. He would come from Vancouver to race.
Tolar’s father, Greg, also raced with Biffle in the 90s.
In 1995, Biffle was praised by Jeff Morrow.
Morrow wrote, “Greg Biffle is getting better than the United States Postal Service.”
“It doesn’t matter what the weather is like. The Vancouver, Wash., driver seems to win every time,” the story said about Biffle’s eighth straight NASCAR Late Model main event victory in the Tri-Cities.
Morrow said that Biffle worked hard back then.
“He would race at Portland Speedway on Friday nights. He was really good there,” he said. “Then he’d pack up everything and go to TC Raceway and be awesome there on Saturday nights.”
After being the best in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-90s, Biffle raced in his first Winston West Series in 1996 and NASCAR Northwest Series in 1997. People voted him “Most Popular Driver” that year.
Moving to the Craftsman Truck Series helped Biffle get to the big time. He won the NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year Award in 2001.
Biffle, who fans called “The Biff,” was also up for the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
After being in the sport’s top division for almost 20 years, he went back to truck racing and NASCAR’s Northwest circuit.
Tolar said her family became close with Biffle’s family. Their children played while he was racing this year.
“He was a humble, amazing person,” Tolar said. “He was just like everyone else, but he really cared about racing, and it was part of who he was.”
Tolar said that Biffle didn’t let fame change him. He helped people, like the time he used his helicopter to get resources and supplies to families after Hurricane Helene.
“It’s a big loss for the Tri-Cities and the nation. He loved motorsports,” she said. “It’s everyone’s loss. It’s hard to even say how much this hurts.”
She said that Biffle was a nice man who really cared about racing.
“He never let fame change him. He was down to earth and always wanted to help racing grow,” she said. ”We’re lucky to have known him.”
Tri-Cities Raceway facilities director Jesse Brown said he raced with Biffle.
“He was so good,” Brown said. “He made everyone else better in the Northwest. He was ahead of everyone else back then.”
Brown said Biffle was a good guy, but when he came back to the track, he was a family man who cared about the community and loved racing.
Brown said he saw a side of Biffle that many people didn’t. When he wasn’t racing, Biffle was funny and loved to make people laugh.
He said that Greg Biffle was important to the whole racing community in the area.
“If you look at racing in the Northwest today, Greg started it all,” he said. “You don’t win a bunch of races if you’re not good. He made people better, and they remember that.”
He remembers Biffle’s first time back at the track in years. There were tons of fans who wanted to see the local hero.
“The racetrack will miss Greg and his family,” Brown said. “He was a great family man. He was a great dad and husband.”
RAIDERS PLACE RECEIVER JUSTIN SHORTER ON IR; SIGN HOOSIERS STAR BRADY
With Justin Shorter on IR, discover how new signing Jonathan Brady fits into the Raiders' wide receiver youth movement for 2026.
The Raiders aren’t sitting still; rookie minicamp just started, and they're already shuffling the roster. Right now, some veteran players are basically on borrowed time as the team leans hard into getting younger.
Take Justin Shorter. He’s been in Vegas since 2024 but hasn’t caught a pass in an actual NFL game. Well, his spot just got even more shaky. The Raiders put him on the Reserve/Injured list, which, let’s be real, is never a good sign this early in the offseason. Usually, that sort of move means a buyout could be next so he can test free agency.
There’s a steady influx of young receivers competing for spots, so it’s tough to see Shorter making his way back, even if he heals up. To fill his spot, the team signed Jonathan Brady, a receiver out of Indiana.
Nobody’s really sure what kind of injury Shorter has. If it’s serious, maybe he sticks around and rehabs with the team. If not, we might see him try his luck somewhere else.
As for the Raiders’ wide receiver group, the youth movement is real. Wide receiver was a big need heading into the offseason, but they didn’t do much outside of signing Jalen Nailor and drafting Malik Benson in the sixth round.
Vincent Bonsignore from the California Post pointed out that the Raiders might still look to add more receivers if the current group doesn’t step up. He basically said that the early rounds of the draft went to bigger needs, and now guys like Bech and Thornton Jr. have a chance to prove the team doesn’t have to keep looking elsewhere. But don’t expect the Raiders to hesitate if things look shaky.
Now, about that passing game, it was rough last season. The Raiders finished in the bottom five. But with Klint Kubiak calling plays and Fernando Mendoza hopefully taking over for Geno Smith, things honestly should get better. If Kirk Cousins ends up starting, he’s probably an upgrade, too. And bringing in Tyler Linderbaum at centre will only help.
Chances are, the Raiders will use an early pick on a receiver in next year’s draft. Even though they have a rookie quarterback waiting in the wings, they didn’t spend big at receiver this offseason. Maybe that’s because they don’t expect him to start right away. Who knows. For now, the wide receiver group looks decent enough to get by.
NFL EXECUTIVE NAMES COLE PAYTON HIS "NO. 2 QUARTERBACK" IN THE 2026 CLASS
From 94.6 PFF grades to 4.56 speed, Cole Payton is the Eagles' latest QB project. Analysing his path to the NFL depth chart.
Cole Payton, who played quarterback at North Dakota State, might end up making a bigger splash as a fifth-round pick than people expect.
He’s not just another late-round flyer, either. An NFL executive recently told insider J.L. Canfora that Payton has real upside. The Eagles have done something similar before, so this isn't coming out of nowhere.
Remember Carson Wentz? Philly grabbed him with the second overall pick back in 2016, but Jalen Hurts ended up taking over. Now, some people around the league think history might repeat itself with Payton possibly replacing Hurts down the road.
The executive went all in on Payton: “You know, I believe in that kid. That was my No. 2 quarterback in the draft. And Howie [Roseman] takes him? Come on. He sees it too. Cole Payton, if you bring him along the right way, can start in this league.”
Roseman, the guy in Philly’s front office, was a big part of the Wentz pick. He’s seen his fair share of quarterback changes over the years, and honestly, that might matter this time, too.
The executive didn’t hold back: “All the stuff you hear about Hurts, all the drama and where he is in his contract." You can call me crazy, but I think this kid could take over from him in a few years. They did this with [Kevin] Kolb, even when [Donovan] McNabb was still there. I know how Howie thinks. This kid has a chance.”
Payton had to wait for his turn at NDSU.
Payton rolled into North Dakota State in 2021, known as a strong recruit for an FCS quarterback, straight out of Omaha.
He was supposed to be the next big thing, just like the string of successful Bison quarterbacks before him. But things didn’t break that way at first. Cam Miller, the QB ahead of him, kept stacking up wins and making a name for himself in Fargo.
Miller even beat out Quincy Patterson II, a gifted dual-threat quarterback who transferred in from Virginia Tech. After Patterson got banged up in 2021, Miller took over, steered the team to a national championship, and then hung on to the starting job through 2024.
Patterson left for Temple, so Payton slid into the Bison’s running packages in a spot that Patterson had filled before. And Payton did more than just fill that role. In 2022, he ran for 284 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. By the next year, he really took off: 615 yards and 13 touchdowns on 84 carries.
Setback, then a breakout
Payton started 2024 looking like the same kind of threat on the ground, but a shoulder injury cut his season short. He only managed 164 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries before he went down.
Finally, in 2025, his shot as the full-time starter arrived after Miller left for the NFL draft, drafted by the Raiders in the sixth round. Payton made the most of it. He led NDSU to an unbeaten 12-0 regular season, completing 70% of his passes for 2,719 yards, with 16 touchdowns and just four picks. And he still ran wild, with 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 136 carries.
Now, he’s got a fresh chance in Philadelphia. If you ask people around the league, he’s not just there to hold a clipboard. They're watching to see what happens next.
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