In the wake of Greg Biffle’s recent death, stories of his character away from the race track have resurfaced, and none of them are more striking than his selfless actions during the disastrous impact of Hurricane Helene last year. While preparing for a vacation to the Bahamas, he made a decision that would showcase and define his personality more than any stat or trophy ever could.
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Biffle had been working on his 20-foot skiff boat when he received messages about a family stranded in an Airbnb in the Boone-Banner Elk region of North Carolina. Caught off guard by the storm, the family had run out of even basic supplies for the infants they carried. They simply had no way out.
Biffle recalled in an interview with Kenny Wallace earlier this year, “They were supposed to be leaving right when that storm hit. Now the power’s out. Roads are washed away. Trees are down every 30 feet for miles. The bridge is gone. Infrastructure is gone.”
Most would have turned a blind eye and continued their day without concern. But not Biffle. He decided to delay his trip and headed to the airport.
Once Biffle reached, he found that the power was out in the airport as well. He manually lifted the hangar, pulled his helicopter out, and flew towards the mountains undeterred. He could see the scale of devastation from up in the sky, and he was completely shocked. “All communication was lost. There was no reporting because people literally had no way of reporting it.”
Once Biffle posted videos and pictures from the helicopter and announced that he was going to rescue the family, he was met with thousands of messages requesting aid. What he originally thought would be a day’s work extended into 11 days of flying, from morning to night. He logged nearly 60 hours of flying time in this stretch, which is remarkable considering how he only had 13 or 14 flight hours prior.
Biffle never viewed his actions as something heroic. His question was, “If I don’t go, who’s going to go? I was blessed to be in a position where I had the means and the opportunity.”
Beyond all the wins, rivalries, trophies, and accolades, he has left behind a bigger legacy. One defined by kindness and responsibility.
