CHARLOTTE — The news of Greg Biffle’s death shook the racing world on Thursday, but many are sharing their memories of a widely respected family man also known as “The Biff.”
[ RELATED >> NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, family dead in Statesville plane crash ]
In September, Biffle was inducted into the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. Thursday night, one of the men responsible for getting him there shared his memories with us.
“I was 15, 16 years old, my dad and I built a hobby stock car and I was hooked, hook, line and sinker,” Biffle said in an interview several months ago talking about his start in racing. It was right before his induction into the Hall of Fame alongside Ryan Newman.
The man standing beside Biffle was John Dodson, a Hall of Fame board member who told Channel 9 that Biffle was beloved in the sport.
“Everybody respected him and he was a get-along guy you know? He gets along with everybody. He’d smile and take time for everybody,” Dodson said.
Biffle was among seven people killed in a plane crash on Dec. 18 in Statesville. His wife and two of his children were also on board.
Dodson told us at the Sept. 30 induction ceremony in Mooresville that it was clear how much Biffle’s family meant to him.
“When it came time to go up on the stage, he took his whole family with him. You know, typically it’s this look of here’s the inductor and inductee. He said can we put a couple of chairs behind me and put my children? Absolutely, we’ll do that,” Dodson said.
But it wasn’t just his own family Biffle cared about. After Hurricane Helene, he flew his own helicopter into flooded areas, getting people to safety.
“It costs a lot to fly a helicopter and he did it for 28 straight days. And he got so many people going in this deal and he didn’t let up. And he didn’t do it for -- I’m telling you now, he didn’t do that for a pat on Greg Biffle’s back. He did it because he cared and he saw himself how badly those people needed help,” Dodson said.
[ RELATED >> Remembering Greg Biffle: Driver’s philanthropy made impact on post-Helene North Carolina ]
Dodson called Thursday a sad day for NASCAR and says everyone connected to the sport is hurting.
“There’s a lot of shock right now, but I will tell you, he will not be forgotten. He’s going to be remembered forever, you know, easily remembered in NASCAR but now also remembered for his heart and what he’s done,” Dodson said.
Dodson told us at that induction ceremony that Biffle hinted at big plans for his son, Ryder, saying he was just starting out in go-carts. Ryder was one of the seven victims on board, along with Biffle’s wife, Cristina, and Ryder’s sister, Emma.
The cause of the crash hasn’t been determined yet. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
(VIDEO: NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, family dead in Statesville plane crash)
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