NASCAR gained the followers’ belief once they introduced among the greatest modifications for this season, together with the brand new championship format. However these feelings amongst followers hit a jarring cease this week when the Corridor of Fame Voting Panel introduced its Class of 2027, and Greg Biffle’s identify was not among the many inductees. Why, you ask? As a result of the followers, who had voted individually within the official fan poll that ran from April 14 to Could 17, had truly chosen Biffle as one among their two Trendy Period picks.
Greg Biffle not inducted into the Corridor of Fame
The announcement got here Tuesday on the Charlotte Conference Middle, with NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell presenting the outcomes. The Trendy Period poll, together with 2014 Cup Collection champion and 60-race winner Kevin Harvick and veteran Jeff Burton, produced two inductees, because it does yearly.
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NASCAR’s Voting Panel, which determined the Class of 2027, contains representatives from the game, the Corridor of Fame, monitor homeowners, media members, opponents, and extra. However whereas Harvick’s choice was by no means really unsure, Burton’s was the one which caught the group off guard.
Greg Biffle was on his non-public jet along with his complete household on the 18 of December, 2025, when some points emerged, and the jet crashed whereas making an attempt to land again on the Statesville Regional Airport. There have been no survivors, and Biffle, along with his spouse and children, handed away within the crash.
And his on-track résumé stands by itself, so it made solely sense to attempt to give the best tribute.
Biffle was the primary driver in NASCAR historical past to win championships in each the Craftsman Truck Collection and the Xfinity Collection, claiming the Truck title in 2000 and the Busch Collection crown in 2002, each underneath Corridor of Fame proprietor Jack Roush.
His Cup Collection profession throughout 515 begins produced 19 race wins and 6 top-10 factors finishes, together with a heartbreaking runner-up in 2005, when he gained six races, led a career-best 1,322 laps on the season, and misplaced the title to Tony Stewart by simply 35 factors after a unfastened wheel at Texas derailed his Chase.
Throughout all three nationwide sequence, his whole win rely sits at 56.
He was named one among NASCAR’s 75 Best Drivers in 2023.
Now, whereas Biffle was not a Cup champion like Harvick, neither was Jeff Burton. Burton’s greatest championship end within the Cup Collection was third, achieved in 2000, and he by no means gained a sequence title of any variety. He holds 21 Cup wins to Biffle’s 19, however these got here throughout 695 begins, which is 180 extra races than Biffle’s. So, Biffle’s case is the stronger one.
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Notably, Harvick had the best share of Trendy Period votes, with 92% voting in his favor, and Burton acquired 32%. Behind them have been Neil Bonnett at third, Randy Dorton at fourth, and Greg Biffle at fifth. However the fan vote, which counts as one official poll towards the ultimate end result, had truly returned Biffle and Harvick because the Trendy Period picks. Which is to say that the broader public and the Voting Panel arrived at meaningfully completely different conclusions.
Positive, there are components round Burton’s legacy that carry weight. For instance, his virtually decade-long tenure as an analyst for NBC Sports activities’ NASCAR protection since 2015, and his long-standing popularity as a considerate voice on driver security and sport governance, have earned him the nickname “The Mayor” within the storage.
Nonetheless, Biffle had additionally hung out on that very same broadcast aspect. After retiring from full-time competitors on the finish of the 2016 season, he moved into analyst roles, together with NBC Sports activities’ recurring present NASCAR America. He additionally continued to race part-time, making 5 Cup begins in 2022 and competing within the ARCA Menards Collection West as not too long ago as 2025.
November 30, 2025, Statesville, Nc, USA: Statesville, NC, July 26, 2007: NASCAR Dash Cup driver Greg Biffle pilots his Bell Ranger helicopter at Statesville Airport, showcasing his ardour for aviation past the racetrack. Statesville USA – ZUMAa161 20251130_aaa_a161_001 Copyright: xWalterxG.xArcexSr.x
After which there’s what Biffle turned past the automobile, for his philanthropic efforts. In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene carved by means of Western North Carolina with catastrophic flooding. And Biffle, who was a licensed pilot with 3,500 flight hours and had bought a helicopter simply months earlier than the storm, responded to assist these in misery with out hesitation.
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He was formally acknowledged for these efforts with the 2024 NMPA Myers Brothers Award for excellent contributions to the game. Biffle put it in his personal phrases: “The sensation you get while you win a race — that’s the sensation you get while you’re capable of assist folks in want.”
Regardless of all of it, the vote went to Burton. NASCAR’s Voting Panel has provided no public touch upon the end result, and it’s unlikely to. What’s value noting is that Corridor of Fame nominees carry as much as ten years of eligibility, and Biffle’s identify will return to the poll.
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