Gregory Jack Biffle (born December 23, 1969) is an American semi-retired professional
stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the
NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 44
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for
NY Racing Team and full-time in the
Superstar Racing Experience, driving the No. 69 car.
After racing in the NASCAR
Winter Heat Series ''Winter Heat Series'' (or NASCAR Winter Heat) is a television program on TNN and later ESPN2 that featured stock car racing.
History
The program aired during the winter months between November and January (during NASCAR's offseason). The program ...
in the mid-1990s, he was recommended to
Jack Roush
Jack Roush (born Jackson Earnest Roush on April 19, 1942) is the founder, CEO, and co-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is chairman of Roush Enterprises.
Roush Enterprises is the ...
by former announcer
Benny Parsons. With
Roush Racing Roush is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Politics
*Glenn Roush (1934–2020), American politician in Montana
* J. Edward Roush (1920–2004), United States Representative for Indiana, namesake of:
** J. Edward Roush Lake, a re ...
, he was the
1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year. He won the
2000 Craftsman Truck championship. He reprised this progression in the
NASCAR Busch Series, winning the
2001 Rookie of the Year, immediately followed by winning the
2002 championship. Biffle drove in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Roush from
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...
until
2016, winning 19 races in the No. 16 Ford.
Biffle, who began his NASCAR career in 1995, is the first of only three drivers that have won a championship in both the
Busch Series and the
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...
, and the sixth of only thirty-six drivers to win a race in each of NASCAR's three national series. Biffle returned to NASCAR in 2019 when he ran the
2019 SpeedyCash.com 400 for
Kyle Busch Motorsports, which he won.
Racing career
Biffle was born and raised in
Camas, Washington
Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington, with a population of 26,065 at the 2020 census. The east side of town borders the city of Washougal, Washington, and the west side of town borders Vancouver, Washington. Camas lies along the Washin ...
. He began his racing career driving on
short tracks around the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Thou ...
. He first gained attention as a driver when he raced in the nationally televised
Winter Heat Series ''Winter Heat Series'' (or NASCAR Winter Heat) is a television program on TNN and later ESPN2 that featured stock car racing.
History
The program aired during the winter months between November and January (during NASCAR's offseason). The program ...
in the winter of 1995–1996. Biffle dominated the series championship that winter, leading former ESPN announcer and NASCAR champion,
Benny Parsons, to recommend the driver to
Jack Roush
Jack Roush (born Jackson Earnest Roush on April 19, 1942) is the founder, CEO, and co-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is chairman of Roush Enterprises.
Roush Enterprises is the ...
.
Biffle entered the first two races of the 1996
Winston West Series, finishing 30th at
Tucson and 4th at
Altamont. His debut in one of NASCAR's national divisions came later that year when he ran the final two
Busch Series races of the season. Driving a
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...
for Dick Bown, he finished 23rd at
Rockingham but lost an engine the following race at
Homestead and finished 36th. In 1997, Biffle competed in the now-defunct
NASCAR Northwest Series and won the Most Popular Driver Award.
Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
Roush Racing promoted Biffle to a full-time driver in the
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck based stock cars. The series is one of th ...
in 1998. Despite not winning a race that season, Biffle's four pole positions are the most by a Truck Series rookie to date and they helped him earn an 8th-place finish in the final standings and the
Rookie of the Year Award. He followed it up with a stellar 1999 season in which he recorded nine wins, a single-season Truck Series record that still stands . He finished second in the final standings, just eight points behind champion
Jack Sprague
Jack Sprague (born August 8, 1964) is an American former stock car racing driver who has competed in all of NASCAR's three top divisions, most notably in the Craftsman Truck Series, where he won series championships in 1997, 1999 and 2001.
Raci ...
.
In 2000, Biffle won the Truck Series title with another five-win season, beating his Roush teammate
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and th ...
by 230 points. It was Biffle's first championship in one of NASCAR's three major series. It was announced that Biffle would move up to the Busch Series for 2001, however, he ran four more Truck races for Roush that season and won at Phoenix. Biffle made a Truck Series start in 2004 for another long-time Ford team,
Circle Bar Racing, at Homestead.
On March 28, 2019, Biffle announced he would be testing with
Kyle Busch Motorsports the next day at
Texas Motor Speedway in the No. 51 truck. He was eventually tabbed to drive the truck for the
SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas. Biffle started sixth and won in his series return, leading 18 laps and holding off
Matt Crafton while winning $50,000 in a promotion with
Gander Outdoors; it was his first Truck victory since 2001.
On August 27, 2020, it was announced that Biffle would make another one-off start in the Truck Series, this time in the No. 24 for
GMS Racing at
Darlington. He would go on to finish 19th.
Nationwide Series
Biffle joined the Busch Series full-time in 2001 and won the Rookie of the Year Award with five wins a fourth-place finish in the final standings. The following season, he won another four races and earned 20 top-five finishes out of 34 races en route to his first Busch Series title and the second NASCAR national championship of his career.
He ran only part-time in 2003 as Roush moved him up to a full-time ride in the
Winston Cup Series for that season, but he returned to contend for the Busch Series championship again in 2004. He placed third in the standings behind
Martin Truex Jr. and
Kyle Busch
Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing and part-tim ...
. From 2005 to 2009, Biffle raced part-time for Roush Fenway Racing in the Busch (now Xfinity Series) every year. He won twice in 2009, at
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
and
Phoenix, after going winless the previous two seasons. Biffle returned to the Nationwide Series in 2010, driving the No. 27 Ford for
Baker Curb Racing.
Cup Series
Biffle began his Cup Series career in the 2002 season. He attempted to qualify in a Roush Ford for the
2002 Daytona 500 but failed to make the race. He would make his first Cup debut nine races later at
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, a race in which he finished 13th. That was his best finish in seven races that year as he also drove four in a Chevrolet for
Andy Petree Racing and two in a Dodge for
Petty Enterprises.
Biffle began competing full-time in NASCAR's top division in 2003, with sponsorship from
W. W. Grainger, who had previously sponsored him in the Busch and Truck Series. He earned his first win in the
Pepsi 400 at
Daytona that season and finished second to
Jamie McMurray (who would later join him as a teammate at Roush) for Raybestos Rookie of the Year. Biffle placed 20th in the final points standings.
Biffle made an immediate impact in his sophomore season in 2004, earning the pole in the Daytona 500. However, Biffle was forced to start at the rear due to an engine change. Despite missing NASCAR's first-ever
Chase for the NEXTEL Cup
The NASCAR playoffs is a championship playoff system used in NASCAR's three national series. The system was founded as 'The Chase for the Championship' on January 21, 2004, and was used exclusively in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2004 to 2015. S ...
, Biffle won twice that season, at
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...
and Homestead en route to a 17th-place finish in the final points standings.
2005 was Biffle's breakout season. He won six races (at California Speedway, Texas, Darlington, Dover, and Michigan along with the season finale at Homestead), the most of any driver that year, and qualified for the Chase for the first time in his career, bringing home a second-place finish in the standings, 35 points behind champion
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971), nicknamed Smoke, is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, current NASCAR team co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and current co-owner of the Superstar Racing Experience. He is ...
; Biffle tied with his teammate
Carl Edwards in points but won the tie-breaker based on race wins.
Biffle regressed in 2006, missing the Chase for the Cup despite winning twice at
Darlington Raceway and
Homestead-Miami Speedway (both of which were tracks at which he had also won in the previous season). He finished 13th in the standings, third-best of the drivers not to qualify for the Chase. He also missed the Chase the following year, in a season marred by the No. 16 team's new primary sponsor
Ameriquest Mortgage
Ameriquest was one of the largest United States sub-prime mortgage lenders until its dissolution in September 2007. Among the first mortgage companies employing computers to solicit prospective borrowers and hasten the loan application process, ...
suffering financial difficulty and having to sell off a number of its race sponsorships. Biffle won only one race in 2007, at
Kansas Speedway. As Biffle was doing burnouts on the track, third place
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, t ...
and second place
Clint Bowyer accused Biffle of not maintaining speed under a final lap caution but this was denied by NASCAR who said Biffle had pace car speed.
In 2007, Biffle finished 14th in the standings, second-best of the non-Chase drivers as the Chase expanded to a 12-driver format that year. He Won At Kansas During The Chase In 2007
In June 2008, Biffle signed a year-long contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing. Despite going winless during the 26-race regular season, Biffle made for the Chase for the Sprint Cup that year and won the first two Chase races, at
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
and
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maids ...
. In doing so, he became the first driver to win the first two Chase races in a season.
Biffle qualified for the Chase for the second year in a row in 2009 but for the first time since 2002 (when he ran a limited schedule), failed to record a win. During a test in January 2009 at Texas World Speedway, Biffle managed to reach in a test for
Roush Fenway Racing as part of evading NASCAR's testing ban. This became the fastest time ever achieved on this track by any competitor (amateur or professional).
In 2010, Biffle qualified for the third year in a row for the Chase despite spotty performance in the regular season. He won twice at Pocono and Kansas.
In 2011, Biffle's season improved, thanks in part to the implementation of Ford's new FR9 engine. However, crew chief
Greg Erwin
Gregory A. Erwin (born April 19, 1970) is an American stock car racing crew chief. He has worked as the crew chief for Robby Gordon Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Team Penske, and Wood Brothers Racing at the NASCAR Cup Series, and for Penske i ...
was replaced after Kentucky by Matt Puccia. The addition of Puccia helped Biffle's performance late in the season, despite the team missing the Chase and finishing 16th in points. Biffle missed the Chase in 2011 for the first time since 2007.
In 2012, Biffle and Puccia remained at RFR and gained the points lead after Las Vegas after three consecutive third-place finishes. At the
2012 Daytona 500, Biffle found himself second coming to the white flag for the third time in two years and again finished third. Eerily, the third place at Vegas came in Biffle's 333rd Cup start. Biffle's first win of the 2012 season came at
Texas Motor Speedway in the
Samsung Mobile 500 after passing
Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, he competes part-time in the series driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Johnson's seven Cup championships, t ...
with 30 laps left in the race.
Biffle won at Michigan holding off Brad Keselowski after Jimmie Johnson blew an engine.
Biffle started off 2013 by being in the same position for the third time in four years; in second place coming to the white flag in the
2013 Daytona 500 but this time ended up sixth. In the
2013 Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan, Biffle won his fourth race at the track and the 1,000th victory for Ford.
At the
2014 Coca-Cola 600, Biffle surpassed
Clint Bowyer's record for most consecutive races without failing to finish with 84, tying
Herman Beam's record, dating back to the
2011 Ford 400
The 2011 Ford 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series motor race that was held on November 20, 2011, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. It was the thirty-sixth and final race of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup S ...
. The following week at the
FedEx 400, he broke Beam's record by finishing the race 108 laps down in 38th. Later in the season, he finished with a DNF for the first time in 89 races after a wreck in the
Coke Zero 400, finishing 29th.
Biffle began the pre-season with an announcement that he would stay at
Roush Fenway Racing to help the team with a new sponsor
Ortho. Biffle began 2015 with a 10th-place finish in the
Daytona 500. Unfortunately, that was as good as it could get for Biffle as he faded outside the top twenty in points. He struggled mightily before picking up a second-place finish in the
2015 Coca-Cola 600, after starting fourth. He went on to pick up a fifth-place finish at Pocono in the
2015 Windows 10 400 and a fourth-place at New Hampshire in the
2015 Sylvania 300, finishing twentieth in points.
Ortho announced they would depart Roush following the 2015 season, leaving Biffle without a primary sponsor for the
2016 season. KFC then announced they would sponsor Biffle throughout speedweeks and in the Daytona 500. He earned his first pole position in four seasons during qualifying for the
Coke Zero 400 at Daytona and went on to finish eighth in the race.
After finishing 23rd in points in
2016, Biffle and Roush Fenway mutually parted ways, making Biffle a free agent for the upcoming 2017 season. He did not sign on with a ride for the 2017 season.
Biffle returned to the series in
2022, driving the No. 44 for
NY Racing Team at the
Daytona 500 and the remainder of the teams races as well.
Stadium Super Trucks
On August 21, 2018, Biffle tested a
Stadium Super Truck that was driven by fellow ex-NASCAR driver
Casey Mears. A day later, he announced he would make his series debut at
Road America. He finished seventh and second in the weekend's two races, though he did not receive points in the standings as he drove the No. 57 truck in place of
Bill Hynes
William Hynes (born January 31, 1972) is an American professional auto racing driver and entrepreneur. He races full-time in the Stadium Super Trucks and has also competed in sports car racing, sports car and touring car racing. He is the founder ...
, who received the points earned by Biffle under series rules.
Biffle returned to SST for the 2019 season, sharing a
Continental AG
Continental AG, commonly known as Continental or colloquially as Conti, is a German multinational automotive parts manufacturing company specializing in tires, brake systems, interior electronics, automotive safety, powertrain and chassis ...
-sponsored truck with
Sheldon Creed and
Ryan Beat. He ran his first races of the year in late July at
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. In the weekend's first round, he battled with
Gavin Harlien
Gavin Harlien (born August 20, 1999) is an American professional off-road racing driver. He has raced in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Global RallyCross Championship, and Stadium Super Trucks. Harlien has also competed in stock car racing ...
for the lead until Harlien began suffering mechanical trouble; on the final restart,
Cole Potts passed Biffle to take the race win. The second round saw Biffle pit under caution for damage, but was able to finish fourth. In October, he ran his first SST race in Australia at
Surfers Paradise Street Circuit. In practice, he was the fastest in the ten-driver field but did not set a qualifying time after flipping his truck when he hit a tire barrier. He ran in second for much of the first race before falling to fourth after an erratic landing; the second race saw a late spin drop him to eighth.
After not racing in 2020, Biffle rejoined the series at the 2021 Mid-Ohio NASCAR weekend. He finished second in Race 2.
Superstar Racing Experience
In 2021, it was announced that Biffle would pilot the No. 69 car in select
2021 Camping World SRX Series races. He started his season off at the inaugural SRX race at
Stafford Motor Speedway, winning the first heat but getting caught up in a wreck in the second heat. For the main event, he switched to a backup car and drove to second by the end of the race, behind only
Doug Coby.
Other racing
In 2003, Biffle competed in the
International Race of Champions
International Race of Champions (IROC) was a North American auto racing competition, created by Les Richter, Roger Penske and Mike Phelps, promoted as an equivalent of an American motorsports All-Star Game. Despite its name, the IROC was primar ...
. He recorded a best finish of third at Talladega and finished seventh in points.
Biffle, along with Roush teammates
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and th ...
and
Matt Kenseth, raced at the
2005 24 Hours of Daytona for
Multimatic Motorsports. The team lost a halfshaft during the race and finished 27th.
In 2018, Biffle started the Sand Outlaw Series for racing
UTVs. The series has since grown into a popular multi-class drag racing championship featuring hill climbs and flat track events. He competes out of his own UTV shop, Pace Offroad.
Personal life
Greg is the son of Garland Jack Biffle II (1941–2016) and Sally Frye. He has a brother, Jeffrey. He is of German and English descent as his ancestor, Johannes Büffel (1728–1804) came from
Contwig in Western
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
and settled in North Carolina.
Biffle married Nicole (née Lunders) on October 17, 2007. Their daughter, Emma Elizabeth, was born on July 6, 2011. At birth, she weighed 7 lbs and 6 oz. The couple separated in early 2015 and have been divorced since early 2016.
Biffle's second child, Ryder Jack, was born on September 9, 2020. Ryder Jack is the first child between Biffle and his fiancée, Cristina Grosseu.
Biffle is a fan of fishing and enjoys deep sea fishing in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
, where he keeps a factory-sponsored Luhrs fishing boat. He formerly owned a pub in his hometown of Vancouver called "Biffle's Pub and Grill" located at 11500 NE 76th St. In 2010 Biffle announced that he had become part-owner of Willamette Speedway in
Lebanon, Oregon along with Sunset Speedway in
Banks, Oregon
Banks is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States which is located in the Tualatin Valley. It is the southern anchor to the Banks–Vernonia State Trail, which is a long linear trail popular with bicyclists, hikers, and equestrians. Th ...
. He is also a
private pilot
A private pilot licence (PPL) or, in the United States, a private pilot certificate, is a type of Pilot licensing and certification, pilot licence that allows the holder to act as pilot in command of an aircraft privately (not for remuneration) ...
and owns a
Cessna 210, along with a
Dassault Falcon 50 with the tail number N116GB, a
Dassault Falcon 10 with the tail number N316GB, and a
Bell 206 with tail number N216GB. Biffle owns a 2007
Ford GT and a 2007
Shelby Mustang GT500. The Shelby Mustang engine was rebuilt in 2013 and has 983 horsepower and 799 lb-ft of torque.
A civil suit for Invasion of privacy against Biffle was filed by his ex-wife and mother-in-law alleging Biffle placed secret cameras in his bedroom and bathroom recording nude images of them. The jury awarded Biffle's ex-wife $1 in damages and found him responsible for these cameras and invasion of privacy.
On February 17, 2017, Biffle announced that instead of racing full-time in 2017, he would join
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its ...
' ''
NASCAR America
''NASCAR America'' is Peacock's biweekly NASCAR news program, broadcast Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. ET. The show made its debut on February 24, 2014, the day after the 2014 Daytona 500.
History
Starting in 2015, the show was host ...
'' as an analyst beginning March 1, 2017.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(
key) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Cup Series
– Biffle did not receive points for the 2022 Daytona 500.
=Daytona 500
=
Nationwide Series
Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
Season still in progress
International Race of Champions
(
key) (
Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)
24 Hours of Daytona
(
key)
Stadium Super Trucks
(
key) (
Bold – Pole position. ''Italics'' – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.)
Superstar Racing Experience
(
key)
* – Most laps led. 1 – Heat 1 winner. 2 – Heat 2 winner.
Season still in progress
See also
*
List of all-time NASCAR Cup Series winners
The following is a list compiling the total number of career victories in NASCAR Cup Series competition. The list recognizes "Cup" victories under the following auspices:
* Strictly Stock (1949)
*Grand National Series (1950–1970)
*Winston Cup ...
*
List of animal rights advocates
*
List of Daytona 500 pole position winners
Daytona 500 pole position winners for the NASCAR Cup Series's Daytona 500 are rewarded with being the driver to lead the field across the start line at the beginning of the 200-lap race. Pole qualifying for the Daytona 500 is held one weekend b ...
*
List of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champions
*
List of NASCAR Nationwide Series champions
*
List of NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race drivers
*
List of people from Washington (state)
References
External links
*
*
Greg Biffleat Roush Fenway Racing
The Greg Biffle Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biffle, Greg
Living people
1969 births
Sportspeople from Vancouver, Washington
Racing drivers from Washington (state)
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
NASCAR drivers
NASCAR Xfinity Series champions
NASCAR Truck Series champions
International Race of Champions drivers
Stadium Super Trucks drivers
3M people
People from Camas, Washington
Motorsport announcers
RFK Racing drivers
Multimatic Motorsports drivers
Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers