HBCU’s Lost an Ally in Greg Biffle’s Death

The Chevy Camaro NASCAR driver Greg Biflle drove at the Daytona 500 in 2022 featured a Grambling State University paint scheme.

In 2022, NASCAR driver Greg Biffle participated in the Daytona 500, the sport's biggest event, and chose to drive his #44 car in a Grambling State University color scheme. Biffle wanted to bring awareness to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. It was the first time a NASCAR racing team had featured an HBCU during a race. On Thursday, Dec. 18, shocking footage emerged from a North Carolina regional airport of a plane crashing and bursting into flames. The crash killed seven people. Among them was Biffle, his wife Christina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder. Family friend Craig Wadsworth, along with Dennis Dutton and his son Jack, also perished after the plane went down shortly after takeoff.

Grambling is deeply grieving the tragic loss of Biffle and others in the crash. Biffle’s decision to use the Grambling color scheme during the race gave the HBCU international attention. Promoting HBCUs has become important for not just marketing what the university does but also recruiting new students. Biffle partnered with GSU alum John Cohen, a former football player, to come up with the idea.

Greg Biffle and his family in 2022. Credit Cristina Grossu Biffle/Instagram

“It’s all about representing HBCUs and especially Grambling along with a sport I love,” Cohen said back in 2022. “I’ve been trying to bring racing to a wider audience since 2009. I hope that having the car look like it does with all the Grambling branding on it will help make that happen.”

The relationship also benefited NASCAR, which recently has been doing more to market the sport in the Black American community. Current driver Bubba Wallace has hosted pre-race block club parties in Chicago during NASCAR’s three-year run in the city over the July 4th holiday weekend.

Biffle was 52 when he drove the Grambling car. He had semi-retired from the sport but was interested in doing something unique for the racing community when he agreed to drive the car led by Cohen’s team. The sanctioning body of the sport released the following statement after Biffle’s death:

"Greg was more than a champion driver; he was a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to so many. His passion for racing, his integrity, and his commitment to fans and fellow competitors alike made a lasting impact on the sport.”