NASCAR won the fans’ trust when they announced some of the biggest changes for this season, including the new championship format. But those emotions amongst fans hit a jarring stop this week when the Hall of Fame Voting Panel announced its Class of 2027, and Greg Biffle’s name was not among the inductees. Why, you ask? Because the fans, who had voted separately in the official fan ballot that ran from April 14 to May 17, had actually chosen Biffle as one of their two Modern Era picks.

Greg Biffle not inducted into the Hall of Fame

The announcement came Tuesday at the Charlotte Convention Center, with NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell presenting the results. The Modern Era ballot, including 2014 Cup Series champion and 60-race winner Kevin Harvick and veteran Jeff Burton, produced two inductees, as it does every year. 

NASCAR’s Voting Panel, which decided the Class of 2027, includes representatives from the sport, the Hall of Fame, track owners, media members, competitors, and more. But while Harvick’s selection was never truly in doubt, Burton’s was the one that caught the community off guard. 

Greg Biffle was on his private jet with his whole family on the 18 of December, 2025, when some issues emerged, and the jet crashed while attempting to land back at the Statesville Regional Airport. There were no survivors, and Biffle, with his wife and kids, passed away in the crash.

And his on-track résumé stands on its own, so it made only sense to try to give the greatest tribute.

• Biffle was the first driver in NASCAR history to win championships in both the Craftsman Truck Series and the Xfinity Series, claiming the Truck title in 2000 and the Busch Series crown in 2002, both under Hall of Fame owner Jack Roush.
• His Cup Series career across 515 starts produced 19 race wins and six top-10 points finishes, including a heartbreaking runner-up in 2005, when he won six races, led a career-best 1,322 laps on the season, and lost the title to Tony Stewart by just 35 points after a loose wheel at Texas derailed his Chase.
• Across all three national series, his total win count sits at 56.
• He was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.

Now, while Biffle was not a Cup champion like Harvick, neither was Jeff Burton. Burton’s best championship finish in the Cup Series was third, achieved in 2000, and he never won a series title of any kind. He holds 21 Cup wins to Biffle’s 19, but those came across 695 starts, which is 180 more races than Biffle’s. So, Biffle’s case is the stronger one.

Notably, Harvick had the highest share of Modern Era votes, with 92% voting in his favor, and Burton received 32%. Behind them were Neil Bonnett at third, Randy Dorton at fourth, and Greg Biffle at fifth. But the fan vote, which counts as one official ballot toward the final result, had actually returned Biffle and Harvick as the Modern Era picks. Which is to say that the broader public and the Voting Panel arrived at meaningfully different conclusions.

Sure, there are factors around Burton’s legacy that carry weight. For example, his almost decade-long tenure as an analyst for NBC Sports’ NASCAR coverage since 2015, and his long-standing reputation as a thoughtful voice on driver safety and sport governance, have earned him the nickname “The Mayor” in the garage. 

Still, Biffle had also spent time on that same broadcast side. After retiring from full-time competition at the end of the 2016 season, he moved into analyst roles, including NBC Sports’ recurring show NASCAR America. He also continued to race part-time, making five Cup starts in 2022 and competing in the ARCA Menards Series West as recently as 2025.

And then there is what Biffle became beyond the car, for his philanthropic efforts. In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene carved through Western North Carolina with catastrophic flooding. And Biffle, who was a licensed pilot with 3,500 flight hours and had purchased a helicopter just months before the storm, responded to help those in distress without hesitation.

He was formally recognized for these efforts with the 2024 NMPA Myers Brothers Award for outstanding contributions to the sport.  Biffle put it in his own words: “The feeling you get when you win a race — that’s the feeling you get when you’re able to help people in need.” 

Despite it all, the vote went to Burton. NASCAR’s Voting Panel has offered no public comment on the result, and it is unlikely to. What is worth noting is that Hall of Fame nominees carry up to ten years of eligibility, and Biffle’s name will return to the ballot.