NASCAR Hall of Fame voter explains Greg Biffle omission from 2027 class

NASCAR journalist and Hall of Fame voter Jeff Gluck has explained why Jeff Burton made it in on this year's ballot over Greg Biffle.

There was a groundswell of emotional support for Biffle to make the Hall this year, after he lingered on the ballot for the previous two votes before his tragic death in December of last year.

Ultimately, the long-time Roush (and Roush Fenway) Racing star only garnered enough votes to finish fifth on the Modern Era ballot, although voting seemed significantly split past no-doubter Kevin Harvick (46 out of 50 ballots).

Burton ultimately made it in after appearing on just 32 per cent of ballots (16 of 50), followed by Neil Bonnett, Randy Dorton, and Biffle.

Burton: Biffle should be a Hall of Famer

Gluck admitted in a column for The Athletic after the vote that he was surprised not to see an emotional argument carry more sway in the room with voters on Tuesday afternoon, theorizing that it was Burton's off-track work in the sport – forming the Drivers Advisory Council, being a constant conduit between officials and drivers, and a long spell on the mic for NBC and USA – that moved the needle and finally got him over the line.

"I was surprised there wasn’t more of an emotional push for Biffle following his tragic death in a plane crash late last year," Gluck wrote. "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. So it really comes down to the extras on the resume, and Burton had those with his off-track contributions."

Burton himself said after the results were revealed that his old friend 'deserves to be' enshrined in the Hall on a future ballot, telling reporters: “Look, Greg Biffle was also a Roush driver and teammate.

“We had a lot of good times together. And we won a lot of races: O’Reilly and Truck championships. He definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame at some point. When that is, that’s not for me to decide.”