![\"NASCAR:](\"https:\/\/images.deadspin.com\/tr:w-900\/17958746.jpg\")
Mar 20, 2022; Hampton, Georgia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Greg Biffle during the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\nA small plane owned by retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle crashed and exploded into flames while attempting to land at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina on Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n There reportedly were multiple fatalities. There was no immediate confirmation that Biffle was among the passengers.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The Statesville Regional Airport said the crash occurred at 10:15 a.m. local time, adding officials from the Federal Aviation Administration were en route to the crash site. The National Transportation Safety Board will be in charge of the investigation.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n <\/p>\n The plane, a Cessna C550, had just taken off from the airport but the pilot attempted to turn the aircraft around and land it.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Biffle, whose 56th birthday is next week, won 19 Cup Series races over 20 years. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n His final race on the circuit was the 2022 Geico 500 at Talladega. He was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Biffle also owns a helicopter and used it as part of the rescue effort to help people in Western North Carolina stranded by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n