2002 Busch Series Champ Adds More Star Power To A Field Steeped In Talent
Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) announced today that 2002 NASCAR Busch Series Champion Greg Biffle has signed on to compete in the “American Racing Legends Charity Pro-Am Presented By RACER Magazine.” The race will take place at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) on September 22.
Biffle will face an impressive field that includes NASCAR Cup Champions Bill Elliott and Bobby Labonte as well as Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton and his son Jeb. The depth of talent in the entry list is IROC-worthy with Truck series champions Ron Hornaday Jr. and Mike Skinner, road course “ringers” Boris Said, Dorsey Schroeder, and Ron Fellows along with Wally Dallenbach, Jr., all ready to rumble. Even more star power will come from two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser, Jr. and two other Indy 500 veterans, Willy T. Ribbs and Max Papis. Those three open-wheel stars all have NASCAR credentials and are master road racers.
“We weren’t kidding when we said we were pulling together an amazing field of champions,” said SVRA CEO Tony Parella. “Greg told us early on he was interested in the competition and the charity aspect, and we thank him for arranging his schedule to be with us.”
Greg Biffle enjoyed tremendous success in the top three tiers of NASCAR – Cup, the Xfinity Series, and Trucks. He won a total of 55 races – 19 in Cup, 20 in Xfinity, and 16 with Trucks. Biffle was an exceptional qualifier with 39 poles across the three series. He entered NASCAR racing full time with Jack Roush Racing in the 1998 Truck series championship where he was crowned Rookie of the Year. He won that series championship in 2000. In 2001 he was full time still with Roush in what was then the Busch Series. He won five races that year to earn him the Rookie of the Year trophy. Biffle brought home the Busch championship in 2002 with four additional race wins. In 2003 he stepped up to Cup competition while continuing to be active in the Busch series. He delivered another strong year with a Cup victory in the July race at Daytona and two additional race wins in Busch. Biffle’s impressive resume earned him entry to that year’s elite IROC championship.
In addition to the new Pro-Am, the professional Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli Series will join SVRA at VIR. Trans Am and SVRA continue to leverage growth for both series by sharing the track at eight event weekends in 2018. This approach delivers a motorsports festival atmosphere. Fans can expect more of the Hagerty Insurance “show and shine” car corrals and a marketplace of accessory, memorabilia, art, and apparel vendors. The event includes an entire weekend of racing with hundreds of vintage cars competing in a variety of classifications.
The VIR event will benefit IGNITE – the Autism Society of North Carolina’s community center for young adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome. IGNITE was founded by The Evernham Family Racing for a Reason Foundation – a nonprofit established by legendary NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham and his family. Evernham will compete in the race as an amateur.