EXCLUSIVE: NASCAR President Steve Phelps Emphasized Importance of His Drivers' 'Safety' Just Before Legendary Pro Greg Biffle and Family Were Killed in Fiery Plane Crash
Greg Biffle and his family were killed when their private plane crashed.
Dec. 19 2025, Published 2:40 p.m. ET
NASCAR President Steve Phelps stressed to RadarOnline.com the importance of his drivers' safety, just days before former racing legend Greg Biffle and his family were killed in a fiery plane crash.
Family, friends, and fans are still coming to terms with the tragedy, which happened when Biffle's Cessna C550 private jet crashed on the runway at Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte, early Thursday morning.
What Happened to Greg Biffle?
Biffle and wife Cristina with their 2 kids in February 2022.
Seven people died in the crash, including Biffle, 55, wife Cristina, 35, son Ryder, 5, and daughter Emma, 14. Also killed were pilot Dennis Dutton and his son, Jack, and Motorhome driver Craig Wadsworth.
FAA records show Biffle had just received his pilot's license to fly a multi-engine plane earlier this year, but it's not clear if he or Dutton was at the controls at the time of the crash.
Aviation experts speculate the plane may have experienced an engine failure, and whoever the pilot was may have lost control of the craft.
'The Safety of Our Drivers Is Incredible'
Biffle won 19 races during his NASCAR career.
Biffle won 19 races in a 15-year Cup Series career that spanned 515 starts, nearly all for car owner Jack Roush. During that span, he became champion in both the Xfinity Series (2002) and the Craftsman Truck Series (2000).
Driving for NASCAR always comes with its risks, but Phelps told Radar at a charity event earlier this month that safety is always the sport's key concern.
"For us, the safety of our drivers is incredible. And yes, they are incredible athletes. They're pulling tremendous G's, and inside that car it's 140 degrees," Phelps said. "So they're athletes for sure."
He added: "And so, you know, the wellness of our drivers and the safety of our drivers is really paramount to me."
Three Big Question for Investigators
The family were on their way to Florida when their plane crashed.
The NTSB and FAA responded to the crash, and the airport remains closed until further notice, as investigators look for clues to the cause of the crash. Former NTSB senior air safety investigator Greg Feith told NBC News in Charlotte he has three main questions.
"One, who was in the front of the airplane? Who was actually manipulating the flight controls at the time of the event, and what transpired?" Feith asked.
"Two, what was going on in the aircraft, with at least following through with trying to get the airplane back to the airport in an expeditious manner?
"And three, what kind of recent maintenance history is there with not only the aircraft itself, but the two engines?"
Examining the Aircraft's Mechanical History
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NASCAR's president stressed the safety of its drivers.
Feith said the investigation will also focus on the aircraft's mechanical history.
"If we were required to maintain our automobiles like we're required to maintain an aircraft, your car would last 30 or 40 years," Feith said.
"It'll come down to what kind of maintenance has been done in the recent past, not only on the airframe, but also on those engines. Was there a chronic problem? Was there a symptomatic issue that had developed in the recent past? Was it maintained properly?
"These are the kinds of questions that the NTSB will put together with regard to maintenance records."
