{"id":244362,"date":"2026-05-20T17:33:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/20\/jeff-burton-makes-emotional-nascar-hall-of-fame-case-after-greg-biffle-fell-just-short-he-definitely-deserves-to-be-in\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T17:33:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:33:16","slug":"jeff-burton-makes-emotional-nascar-hall-of-fame-case-after-greg-biffle-fell-just-short-he-definitely-deserves-to-be-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/20\/jeff-burton-makes-emotional-nascar-hall-of-fame-case-after-greg-biffle-fell-just-short-he-definitely-deserves-to-be-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Burton makes emotional NASCAR Hall of Fame case after Greg Biffle fell just short: &#8220;He definitely deserves to be in&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"5169653\" data-slug-id=\"2784541\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img data-lazy=\"\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The NASCAR Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2027 on Tuesday, with Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Larry Phillips earning induction. While Harvick and Burton were selected from the Modern Era ballot, Phillips advanced from the Pioneer ballot, with Lesa France Kennedy receiving the Landmark Award.<\/p>\n<p>The Modern Era ballot featured a competitive list of candidates, including Greg Biffle, Neil Bonnett, Tim Brewer, Burton, Randy Dorton, Ray Elder, Randy LaJoie, Jack Sprague, and Ernie Elliott. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/nascar\/news-kevin-harvick-reacts-joining-elite-nascar-hall-fame-club-becomes-5th-driver-ever-clear-90-vote\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Harvick dominated the voting with 92%,<\/a> while Burton secured his place with 32%. Bonnett finished third, with Biffle ending up fourth, just outside induction.<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"template__newsletter-inline-banner-form-combo-widget\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<p><img id=\"subscribe-img\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\nThanks for the submission!\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>Speaking after the announcement, Jeff Burton addressed Biffle\u2019s omission and made a direct case for his former teammate.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cGreg Biffle was also a Roush driver and a teammate, and we had a lot of good times together. He won a lot of races in the O&#8217;Reillys and Truck championships. He definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame at some point. When that is, that\u2019s not for me to decide. But, horrible, horrible. We lost Greg and everybody who was on that airplane. What a devastating moment. And for those that are left behind, seeing him in the Hall will mean a lot,\u201d Jeff Burton said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>Greg Biffle\u2019s absence from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/nascar\/news-disgraceful-fans-react-greg-biffle-missing-nascar-hall-fame-class-2027\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">the Class of 2027 has drawn a strong reaction<\/a>, particularly given the circumstances surrounding his passing in a plane crash near Statesville late last year. Fans have questioned how a driver with his r\u00e9sum\u00e9, with multiple titles across NASCAR\u2019s national divisions, remains outside the Hall, especially in a year when his legacy has been at the forefront of discussion.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>Kevin Harvick backs Jeff Burton\u2019s Hall of Fame credentials<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"image\"><noscript><\/noscript><img class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/c55e7-17792930411459-1920.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/c55e7-17792930411459-1920.jpg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/c55e7-17792930411459-1920.jpg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/c55e7-17792930411459-1920.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/c55e7-17792930411459-1920.jpg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/c55e7-17792930411459-1920.jpg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/c55e7-17792930411459-1920.jpg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/c55e7-17792930411459-1920.jpg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/c55e7-17792930411459-1920.jpg 1920w\" alt=\"Kevin Harvick - NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day - Source: Getty\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2026\/05\/c55e7-17792930411459-1920.jpg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201920%201280%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>Kevin Harvick &#8211; NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day &#8211; Source: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/nascar\/why-jeff-burton-nicknamed-the-mayor-nascar-all-need-know\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Jeff Burton<\/a>\u2019s own induction reflects a long and steady career at NASCAR\u2019s top level. The Virginia native recorded 21 Cup wins and remained a consistent presence across more than two decades, later transitioning into a respected broadcaster and industry voice.<\/p>\n<p>Harvick, who spent nearly a decade as Burton\u2019s teammate at Richard Childress Racing, said via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nascar.com\/news-media\/2026\/05\/19\/hall-of-fame-voting-day-2027-class-landmark-award-announced\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">NASCAR<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWell, you don\u2019t get the nickname \u2018The Mayor\u2019 for no reason. Jeff has been an ambassador of the sport, been a part of the sport, his family\u2019s been a part of the sport, and he\u2019s been a good friend of mine for a long, long time. He helped through those middle years at RCR to keep it all together, and we learned a lot about each other. It\u2019s kind of going back to the respect part, right? You have a reputation, and you hope that your reputation is respected from your credentials and the results that you have, not only in the race car but out of the race car. Jeff\u2019s 100% that guy. In and out of the race car, he had the respect of the whole sport.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Jeff Burton and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/Kevin-Harvick\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Kevin Harvick<\/a> will now be inducted together in January 2027, alongside Larry Phillips, at the highest level of NASCAR.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img style=\"background: none;\" data-lazy=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Anurup Chakraborty<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/nascar\/news-jeff-burton-makes-emotional-nascar-hall-fame-case-greg-biffle-fell-just-short-he-definitely-deserves-in\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NASCAR Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2027 on Tuesday, with Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, and Larry Phillips earning induction. While Harvick and Burton were selected from the Modern Era ballot, Phillips advanced from the Pioneer ballot, with Lesa France Kennedy receiving the Landmark Award. The Modern Era ballot featured a competitive list [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":244363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6806],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-244362","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gossip"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}