Plane Carrying NASCAR Driver Kenny Wallace Makes Emergency Landing
on Feb 09, 2026
The last few months have been especially heavy for the entire NASCAR community.
On December 18, former driver Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, kids Emma and Ryder, Craig Wadsworth, Dennis Duttin, and Jack Dutton died in a tragic plane crash. It was reported that a Cessna C550 business jet crashed at the Statesville Regional Airport north of Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to FlightAware data, the plane had turned around and was attempting to land back at the airport shortly after takeoff.
55-year-old Biffle was one of the few drivers to win championships across the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2000), the NASCAR Xfinity Series (2002), and the NASCAR Cup Series (2nd overall in 2005). His last full-time Cup Series season was 2016, and he stepped away from NASCAR competition without a formal retirement announcement.
Just 10 days later, on December 28, a fire broke out at a home located in Gaston County, North Carolina. Firefighters worked for nearly two hours to extinguish the fire, facing challenges due to a lack of water in the area.
Lucia-Riverbend Fire Department Chief David Toomey later confirmed the residence belonged to NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin’s parents.
The fire department said the home has been deemed a “complete loss,” although firefighters managed to recover some collectibles and racing memorabilia from the house.
Hamlin’s father, however, was tragically killed as a result of the blaze.
NASCAR’s Kenny Wallace Aboard Plane Making Emergency Landing
This past weekend, thankfully, a former NASCAR driver was spared from another tragedy. And it’s no surprise fans are extremely grateful everyone is okay during this highly sensitive time.
Kenny Wallace, a 17-time winner in the Xfinity Series, posted on social media that he was on a plane that was forced into an emergency landing near Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Better safe than sorry,” Wallace wrote.
The former NASCAR driver explained that when his plane began smelling like electrical smoke, the “pilot started getting dizzy and had to put oxygen on.” Wallace said the aircraft immediately returned to the airport and made a safe landing.
“Fire crews and emt chasing us down the runway. Right out of the movies,” he continued.
Fans flooded Wallace’s comment section to share their gratitude that he was okay.
“Glad you & others on the plane are OK, Kenny!!,” one user said.
“WOW!!! that is scary. Thank the good Lord, all worked out well,” another commented.
