Garrett Mitchell, a popular YouTuber more commonly referred to as Cleetus McFarland, had only known Greg Biffle for about 1.5 years, but they had quickly become close friends, and they were planning to spend the day together when the fatal plane crash occurred.
Biffle, his wife Cristinia, their son Ryder, and his son Emma were among seven killed in a tragic plane crash last week. The accident took place while trying to return to the airport Statesville, North Carolina, but their destination was in Florida, and they were going there to visit with Mitchell. He was also one of the first to confirm that the plane crash had claimed the lives of Greg and his family.
Biffle and Mitchell had known each other for less than two years, and they first got to know one another through Biffle’s daring relief missions into Western North Carolina following the devastating floods that decimated the region due to Hurricane Helene. Since then, they’ve appeared in numerous videos together and Mitchell relied heavily on Biffle as he embarked on his own stock stock car racing career.
Greg Biffle (left) and Garrett Mitchell (right) at Talladega
Photo by: Getty Images
In a newly released 41-minute video on the Cleetus McFarland YouTube channel titled ‘The One and Only Greg Biffle’, Mitchell memorializes his friend, noting how they spent every month of the past year together. The video opens with a touching tribute to the late NASCAR star, but the bulk of it is made up of various clips from Biffle’s many humorous adventures with the well-known YouTuber.
“Our number one favorite thing was our families, but our other two favorite things were helicopters and Crown Vics, and I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody that has those two things in common with me,” recalled Mitchell, who said he and Biffle felt like the ‘same person.’
It also showcased Biffle’s role as a mentor to Mitchell, coaching him through his ARCA debut at Daytona, starts at Talladega and Charlotte, and his final appearance of the 2025 season at Bristol.
“He has learned so much this year, I can’t wait for next year,” said Biffle, as the montage ends and the video transitions to present-day Mitchell speaking directly to the camera for over ten minutes, offering his thoughts on Greg, as well as the other victims of this tragic plane crash. He also shared more information about what Biffle was coming down to Florida for, but I’ll leave that for him to explain in the actual clip.
Greg Biffle
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
In a pinned comment beneath the video tribute, which has amassed over one million views in less than a day, Cleetus McFarland (Mitchell) posted the following pinned message: “Our tribute to Greg Biffle and his family. The last year and a half with him has been some of the greatest moments of my life. I am lucky to have had him as a mentor, and a close friend. I’ve never met someone I had so much in common with. His wife Cristina was an absolute pleasure to be around and an amazing mother. There’s so much more to say, but here’s some of our best moments. We love you guys so much and it’s an absolute tragedy we had to lose the Biffles like this.”
You can watch the full video HERE, but fair warning, it’ll be difficult to get through with dry eyes.
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