Jeff Burton Drops Emotional Greg Biffle Admission After Painful NASCAR Hall of Fame Snub

Jeff Burton waited all of an hour after learning he would finally enter NASCAR’s Hall of Fame before turning the spotlight on the man many believed should have joined them. And in doing so, Burton delivered one of the most emotional moments of Tuesday’s voting ceremony in Charlotte. Alongside the likes of Kevin Harvick and Larry Phillips, the ‘Mayor’ was officially voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s class of 2027 after years of hovering around the ballot.

But while Harvick’s induction was viewed as a lock from the beginning, the biggest debate entering Tuesday revolved around Greg Biffle and whether the emotional weight surrounding his tragic death last year would finally push them across the line. Instead, Biffle narrowly missed out again, and Burton couldn’t let that slide.

“Look, Greg Biffle was also a Roush driver and a teammate. And we had a lot of good times together. He won a lot of races, rallies, and truck championships. And he definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame at some point. When that is, that’s not for me to decide,” the 58-year-old driver said, reflecting on his long-time friendship with his former teammate.

“And, but horrible, we lost Greg and everybody was on that airplane. What a devastating moment. And for those that are left behind, seeing him in the Hall will mean a lot. And I think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame at some point. And I think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame at some point.”

The comments carried extra weight considering how close the two drivers remained even after Burton exited Roush Racing. He even spoke at Biffle’s public memorial earlier this year after the former Roush Fenway Racing star was killed in a plane crash near Statesville in December, a tragedy that continues to linger heavily over the NASCAR garage and the Charlotte Racing community alike. Ironically, Tuesday’s vote placed the two friends directly against each other once again.

According to NASCAR’s official voting release, Kevin Harvick dominated the modern era ballot with 46 of 50 votes. Burton secured the second available spot with 32% of the ballots cast. Behind him came Neil Bonnett, Randy Dorton, and Biffle, who ultimately finished fifth despite also winning the NASCAR.com Fan Vote.

What made the result especially difficult for many fans was how similar Burton and Biffle’s resumes appear on paper.

Burton retired with 21 Cup Series wins and 27 Xfinity Series victories, becoming one of the only 10 drivers in NASCAR history with at least 20 wins in both divisions. Biffle, meanwhile, collected 19 wins while becoming the first Driver ever to win championships in both the truck and Xfinity series.

And for many votes, the separation may ultimately have come down to what happened outside the race car.

Burton’s influence across NASCAR extended far beyond statistics. Nicknamed “The Mayor,” he became a respected intermediary between drivers and NASCAR officials through the Drivers’ Advisory Council and later emerged as one of the sport’s most recognisable broadcast voices with NBC.

Biffle’s post-racing legacy, however, built a different kind of admiration. Following Hurricane Helene in 2024, the Mooresville resident famously used a helicopter to deliver supplies into isolated parts of Western or North Carolina, earning widespread praise across the racing world.

He was later awarded the Myers Brothers Award by the National Motorsports Press Association. But it has been a tough year for the Biffle family.

Understandably there’s been some emotional responses to Greg Biffle not getting voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame this go-round. Jeff Burton (who was teammates with Biffle at Roush) was actually asked about Biffle’s HoF chances moving forward and said Biffle “definitely deserves… pic.twitter.com/dsyQ4zEVRj

— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) May 20, 2026

Recently, the late Biffle family got dragged into a $15 M lawsuit as two representatives of Dennis and Jack Dutton sued the Biffles’ estate, as the duo was also killed in the plane crash. Hence, a Hall of Fame induction would have softened the blow for the Biffles.

Even veteran NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck admitted he expected emotion to play a larger role in the room during Tuesday’s vote.

“I was surprised there wasn’t more of an emotional push for Biffle following his tragic death in a plane crash late last year. But ultimately, it wasn’t his year to get in. The problem is there’s a bit of a logjam right now with drivers like Burton, Bonnett and Biffle, all of whom won a relatively similar amount of Cup races, in addition to deserving crew chiefs and engine builders,” Gluck noted.

Still, Biffle’s strong finish all but guarantees his name will remain firmly in the conversation moving forward.

And with Burton now eligible to eventually join the Hall’s voting panel himself, Tuesday may not have been the last time the two former teammates are tied together in NASCAR history. Yet, Burton is definitely not passing up this opportunity.

An ode to Burton’s career

Had there been a role for someone to immediately resolve every NASCAR disagreement over the last three decades, Jeff Burton would probably have been the first call.

Long before he became one of the sport’s most recognisable TV voices, Burton had already earned the nickname The Mayor inside the garage for the way he represented drivers during conversations around safety, competition, and NASCAR policy.

But the 58-year-old’s Hall of Fame resume was built on far more than respect alone. Across 22 full-time cup series seasons, the Virginia native captured 21 wins at NASCAR’s highest level, including crown jewel triumphs in the Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500. On Tuesday, that body of work finally earned a place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s class of 2027.

“It’s amazing to have gone through my career and to be in this position,” he admitted. “I’m sitting here looking at Richard Petty’s car, and Jody Ridley’s car, and Fred Lorenzen’s car, and I’m like, ‘What the hell? I don’t belong with these people.’ It’s pretty cool.”

Burton’s rise began during NASCAR’s late 90s boom period with Roush Racing, where he emerged as one of the sport’s most consistent contenders.

His first Victory came in the inaugural race at Texas Motor Speedway in 1997, kicking off an impressive four-year stretch in which he finished inside the top five points every single season from 1997 to 2000. During that span, Burton piled up 15 wins, including a career-best six-win season in 1999.

A midseason move to Richard Childress Racing in 2004 reshaped the latter half of his career. Driving alongside Harvick, Burton added four more victories and qualified for NASCAR’s postseason four times before stepping away from full-time racing after the 2013 season.

“I have so much respect for the sport and appreciation for it,” Burton said about his induction. “This is my community.”

Now, the same community will officially celebrate his career when he is inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on January 22, 2027.

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