Greg Biffle was praised by former NASCAR race team owner Gary Baker for his generous spirit, even more than his outstanding skills as a racecar driver.
Biffle, 55, who drove for Nashville-based Baker Curb Racing in the Nationwide Series (now O’Reilly Auto Parts) in the mid 2000s, died on Dec. 18 in an airplane crash aboard a Cessna C550 at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.
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Baker had reached out to Biffle earlier in December to catch up and missed him.
“I said, ‘Aw shucks, I’ll call him back in a day or so,’ and I never did call him back,” Baker said. “Now I’m really regretting that I didn’t call him back. I missed my last conversation with him and I’m sick about it.”
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Greg Biffle was a humanitarian
Baker said Biffle was worthy of being labeled a humanitarian for the disaster relief effort Biffle initiated after Hurricane Helene in 2024 devastated the western North Carolina. Biffle used his helicopter and boat to deliver critical supplies to individuals located in otherwise inaccessible areas.
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Baker was not surprised when he heard about the selfless acts Biffle committed, which earned Biffle the 2024 Myers Brothers Award, presented annually by the National Motorsports Press Association to recognize his efforts.
“Greg was a great driver; I don’t say that about very many, but he was a great driver for Baker Curb,” Baker said. “But he was equally just a great, giving man. Usually, that’s what it takes to make a good man: to be a giving man. Too many, when you get to that level in sports, are takers. They just want to take, but not Greg. He was perfectly happy to give far more than he ever took.”
Greg Biffle’s early success impressed Baker Curb Racing
Biffle made a name for himself early in his career driving for Roush Fenway Racing, now RFK Racing, in 1998 in the Craftsman Truck Series, winning the 1998 rookie of the year award and the 2000 series championship.
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In 2001, Biffle was the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series rookie of the year and won that championship in 2002, becoming the first driver to win championships in those two series.
Biffle signed in 2010 with Baker Curb Racing to drive in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
“We had a new sponsor coming on board in Red Man (chewing tobacco) and I think we had one of the best looking race cars in the history of NASCAR and we wanted to put a driver that we knew was capable right off the drop,” Baker said. “We were going to be running a Ford so we knew Greg would be available. Ford Motor Company would not object in the least. One quick phone call and Greg was our driver and I’m extremely thankful that he was.”
Biffle made 10 starts for Baker Curb in 2010 with second-place finishes at Fontana and Richmond.
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Greg Biffle praised for selflessness by former NASCAR race owner Gary Baker
