Greg Biffle shares new details about rescue efforts in Western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene

During the race at Darlington on Sunday afternoon in NASCAR, the broadcasters took a moment to turn their attention to the northwest by a few hundred miles. Hurricane Helene was the topic.

NASCAR was heavily involved in the relief efforts last year and remains engaged with the communities impacted to provide support. Broadcaster Mike Joy led into a segment about the topic with the rest of his peers on the mic.

“When the hurricanes hit western North Carolina, the government, FEMA, everybody seemed all kind of handcuffed in red tape, and you hopped in your helicopter and became the hero of hurricane relief,” Joy said to Greg Biffle in the booth. “I know you’re not a glory chaser, you weren’t doing it for the publicity. You were doing it out there because people needed help and you found a way to help them.”

Biffle explained why he was compelled to take action. He did so in remarkable fashion.

“Yeah, absolutely. It was a weird deal the way it came together,” Biffle explained. “I got a message that somebody needed help, somebody needed to be airlifted out and I just thought, ‘If I don’t go, who’s going to?’ We had no idea at that point what we were going to see. And once I got in the air and got up there and saw this, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’

“No communication, no power, roads are blocked. And this is in a city setting here, but when you get up in the mountains there’s no access anywhere. So it was… just jumped into action and off we went. And then the helicopters that came after that, the people, the messages I got…”

As his voice trailed off, Joy’s picked back up. He eased the transition into further talk about the Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

“Well that’s it, it wasn’t just what you did, it was all the social media that was generated by your efforts attracted people and equipment and supplies and a bunch of us chipping in for helicopter fuel,” Joy said. “And it became just a huge groundswell effort, and you folks did what I don’t know why the government couldn’t do to help these people.”

As for why the relief efforts from the government were so inadequate, Biffle mostly sidestepped. He was focused on the positive work done.

In some ways, the sheer unpredictability of the storm had a huge impact. Not many are ready for a hurricane like Helene in the Appalachians.

“I think it’s something that people just weren’t ready for. How’s a hurricane hit the mountains?” Biffle said. “I think it caught everybody off guard that how do you get in there? There’s a tree down every 30 feet for miles and miles and then when you get there the road’s washed out, the bridge is washed out. The water’s 60 feet deep over the roadway. The water just took everything in its path. All the race teams came and brought supplies and helped out. It was a tremendous thing to see the humanitarian effort of just people in general.”

The rest of the broadcasters in the booth praised Biffle for his help in the Hurricane Helene relief. He wasn’t the only one, but his efforts were at the forefront.

“I think when you look at NASCAR racing there isn’t a sport that does it better from an event like that or charity or supporting each other,” Kevin Harvick said. “This sport is such a tight-knit group of people and when those things happen you won’t find a more giving group of people than this NASCAR community.”

Harvick wasn’t the only one to praise the sport. Added Clint Bowyer on the Hurricane Helene relief:

“And the last thing to that is the network of NASCAR,” Bowyer said. “Your lifelong efforts being in this sport and the people that you meet. ‘Oh I know a guy, let me call this guy, I remember this guy.’ Right? Just through that connection of life living in NASCAR and all these people, all these companies that you’ve not only represented but worked with and that network sure helps out when you’re in a situation like that.”

In any case, the people impacted by Hurricane Helene are certainly grateful. And it’s encouraging to hear those that helped feeling so rewarded by their efforts.