Greg Biffle’s Friend Speaks Out After the NASCAR Champion and His Family Died While Trying to Fly to Him in Florida
Greg Biffle’s friend Cleetus McFarland is remembering the late NASCAR champion.
In an emotional tribute on Sunday, Dec. 21, the YouTuber and rookie stock car driver shared his memories about Biffle, who died along with his wife, his two children and three others in a plane crash last week in North Carolina.
“Our No. 1 favorite thing was our families, but our other two favorite things were helicopters and Crown Vics, and I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody that has those two things in common with me,” McFarland — whose real name is Garrett Mitchell — said in the 41-minute-long video posted to his YouTube channel titled, “The One and Only Greg Biffle.”
In a montage of the semi-retired stock car racer’s career set to Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open,” Biffle’s many racing wins are interspersed with his accomplishments off the track, including delivering food and necessities to Hurricane Helene victims and helping to inspire others.
“He has learned so much this year, I can’t wait for next year,” Biffle, 55, said at one point in the video, referring to his mentorship of McFarland in his first year on the track.
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The video segued into McFarland then reflecting on the events of last week, and revealed that Biffle and his family were flying to Sarasota, Fla. to meet him when their Cessna Citation 550 went down at Statesville Regional Airport in inclement weather on Dec. 18.
According to McFarland, Biffle had agreed to a Christmas gift exchange in which they each spent $10,000. The YouTuber purchased a large remote control plane for the racing legend, while he found out after the plane crash that Biffle was bringing racing pigeons as his gift.
The two, who became friends after connecting during the Hurricane Helene relief efforts, became inseparable, spending time together each month over the last year, as McFarland’s profile grew in racing circles.
McFarland also remembered Biffle’s wife Cristina Grossu Biffle and his children, five-year-old Ryder and 14-year-old Emma, Biffle’s daughter from a previous relationship.
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Of Ryder: “One of the first things he told me was, ‘Do you know my dad’s the Craftsman Series truck champion?’ ” McFarland, 30, recalled. “Ryder was such a cool little dude.”
The rising race car driver smiled when he spoke of Cristina, 35, and noted her proficiency on social media while laughing about Greg’s “Boomer” limitations in that arena.
“The last year and a half with him has been some of the greatest moments of my life. I am lucky to have had him as a mentor, and a close friend,” McFarland wrote in a caption to the video. “We love you guys so much and it’s an absolute tragedy we had to lose the Biffles like this.”
