The heartbreaking deaths of former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family only a week before Christmas in a horrific plane crash in North Carolina was a true tragedy — one that reached all the way back here to the piney, red-dirt hills of Lincoln Parish.
That’s because in 2022, Biffle helped put Grambling State University on the NASCAR map as he drove a GSU-branded Chevrolet Camaro for the NY Racing Team at that year’s Daytona 500.
It all came about thanks to NY Racing Team NY Racing owner John Cohen, a GSU alum who played football under legendary coach Eddie Robinson, tabbed Biffle to drive the No. 44 car, painted in Grambling’s iconic black and gold colors, the big “G,” and “We are Grambling” on the trunk. It marked the first time a HBCU’s colors and logo were featured in the Daytona 500, highlighting a new era for HBCUs in the world of automobile racing.
Biffle usually drove cars emblazoned with a No. 16 car number. That was his signature number although he also used No. 51 in truck racing and No. 60 in Xfinity races.
But the Grambling State University car was emblazoned with No. 44 under Cohen’s direction.
For Cohen, “44” represented a legacy of firsts – after previously being worn by Ernie Davis, the first African American Heisman Trophy winner, renowned running back Jim Brown (who wore the number in college at Syracuse), home run leader Hank Aaron, Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson when he played for the Yankees, and Lewis Hamilton, one of the youngest drivers to ever win a World Championship and the only Black racer to ever compete in Formula One racing.
At the time, Cohen also noted that President Barack Obama was the 44th commander in chief and the first African American elected to the position.
“I want that 44 to be in the winner’s circle to be among all of those other prestigious numbers for me,” Cohen said.
“It’s all about representing HBCUs and especially Grambling along with a sport I love. 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 day after Biffle’s death, GSU President Dr. Martin Lemelle, Jr., honored the driver for his representing “The G” during the Daytona 500.
“Greg Biffle was more than a champion on the racetrack; he was a devoted family man, an admired competitor, and a humanitarian whose impact extended well beyond the finish line,” Lemelle said in a prepared statement. “His courage, competitive spirit, and generosity of heart endeared him to many, and his legacy will endure in the memories of those he inspired.
“We also remember and honor the special partnership he forged with our Grambling State University family. In 2022, Greg made history when he drove the Grambling State-branded car for the NY Racing Team in the Daytona 500 — a moment of great pride for our community and a testament to the meaningful collaboration between our institution and alumnus John Cohen. That landmark partnership showcased our shared commitment to excellence and brought our ‘G’ to the forefront of one of the most iconic stages in motorsports.”
Being represented at Daytona was truly a shining moment for Cohen and Grambling State University as a whole. And it’s for that reason I remember and honor Greg Biffle.
Cohen once said that Cohen the biggest stigma around racing is that it is dominated by white males and that people won’t like you people who aren’t. And that makes Biffle a true trailblazer, just as Cohen is. Acting to bring about positive change is about trying to better the world as a whole.
And Greg Biffle did just that when he represented Grambling State during that 2022 Daytona 500.
