MOUNT WASHINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The NTSB is still investigating a plane crash in Statesville, North Carolina, that killed seven people on Dec. 18, including former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. The racer drove the No. 16 car to 19 NASCAR Cup Series wins.
While many knew Biffle as a driver, Gary Ostberg knew him as a friend.
“If you needed something, Greg would give you the sleeves off his shirt,” Ostberg said. “If you ever saw him, the latest thing was ripping the sleeves off his shirt.”
Ostberg, a former helicopter pilot, gave Biffle emergency procedure training at the Bell Helicopter Training Academy in Fort Worth, Texas. Biffle flew a helicopter of his own.
“When you get them in the cockpit of a helicopter, and you start turning the motors off and doing all these fun things with the hydraulics, you learn who they are,” Ostberg said of training a handful of NASCAR personalities. “One of the pictures that I have, a matter of fact, this picture right here, that's the helicopter [Greg] and I did emergency procedure training in, and that's his jet behind there.”
Biffle used his helicopter skills to help with relief efforts in western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene in 2024.
“They started bringing supplies to areas that could not be reached except by helicopter,” Ostberg shared. “They just went and did it. There's lots of testimonies out there now on the internet of how they really helped save a lot of people.”
Their connection is why Ostberg was shocked to hear about the deadly plane crash on Dec. 18.
“When it was confirmed that it was Greg and his family, that's just a heartbreaker,” he said.
Biffle will be remembered as a racer, but Ostberg believes his late philanthropic work will leave behind a legacy as well.
“I'm pretty sure his legacy is going to be carried forward as a real intense guy, but still a huge contributor to the community and to his family and friends,” he said.
