It was a little over a year ago, September 28th to be exact. Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was putting the finishing touches on his sailboat. He was ready to start sailing the next day, headed for a relaxing Bahamas vacation.
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Then Hurricane Helene came knocking with a fury never seen before in western North Carolina, a devastating monster that killed over 100 people in the furthest western reaches of the Tar Heel State. People that far inland—roughly 400 miles west of the Atlantic Ocean—never worried about a hurricane in their lives.
One minute, Biffle was getting his boat ready for some R&R. The next minute, the man nicknamed “The Biff” literally changed the direction of his vacation, hopped in his helicopter, and headed out to Asheville, NC, and points beyond, doing what he could to save countless lives and to ferry badly needed supplies to those in dire need.
As his NASCAR Cup career began winding down several years ago, Biffle decided to sell his helicopter he had owned for years, the same chopper he used to pilot himself and fly to races to avoid traffic or the hassle of going through airports.
But as spring 2024 dawned and the weather started getting better in North Carolina, Biffle decided to buy yet another chopper for “fun,” little knowing that six months later his fun would quickly become a lifesaving rescue vehicle.
“It still gives me goosebumps thinking about it, how it all—what if this wouldn’t have happened and that—just how everything came together,” Biffle recalled to WFMY TV.
It all started with a text: “Wanna go flying today?”
Biffle’s odyssey began with a simple text from a friend who simply asked, “Wanna go flying today?” The friend knew of a family in rural Banner Elk, NC, which had been devastated. The family, which was without power and had a newborn, was out of baby formula, diapers, food—pretty much everything they needed to survive.
The next thing he knew, and after a stop to purchase those much-needed supplies, Biffle was heading to Banner Elk, over two hours away. “The road was washed out, and then my wife said, ‘Are you gonna go?’” Biffle recalled. “That’s all she said. And I just felt like if I don’t go, who’s going to?”
Ironically, and even though the area was completely without water, roads were washed away, and most cell phone service was gone, Biffle took to Facebook to say he was heading that way in his chopper.
What happened next amazed him. He spoke about how the weather was bad, but he was determined to bring that family the life-sustaining supplies they needed. “I got 4000, 5000 messages within an hour and a half,” Biffle recalled of his Facebook post. People wrote him saying things like, “I haven’t heard from my parents.” … “I haven’t heard from my brother or sister or neighbor or grandparents or relative.”
To say the conditions were the worst he’s ever witnessed in his life would be an understatement for Biffle, who grew up in Washington State. “I was in probably some of the roughest terrain I’d ever been in,” Biffle said. “There’s no recollection of a road, an embankment, no ledge, no bridge, no anything for miles down these canyons, and we see people walking with backpacks — trying to get out.”
Biffle didn’t quit until the job was done—nearly two weeks later
One trip for Biffle quickly turned into six to eight flights a day—plus refueling and refilling the chopper with more food, medicine, and other supplies—for two weeks. Once cell phone service was restored to many residents, Biffle knew his mission was complete.
“They literally started talking to their parents, and it’s kind of chilling to think about that no one knew whether they were still alive or not,” Biffle said. Even though he wasn’t a police officer or fireman, Biffle was among the first responders to help the helpless, spurring an effort that eventually included hundreds of pilots flying their own choppers and planes to help in any way they could, as well.
Biffle would eventually be part of an armada from NASCAR that included help from other teams such as Hendrick Motorsports, Biffle’s former team (Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing), and Joe Gibbs Racing, all of whom delivered supplies to thousands of stranded residents or helped them get to shelter.
Biffle returned to the area this past Easter to visit with many of the folks he helped and to drop off over 4,000 Easter eggs to the thankful masses. He was treated like the returning hero that he was. In fact, just a couple of months earlier, Biffle received special recognition and a standing ovation at the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in January for his efforts to help the hurricane victims.
The former NASCAR Busch and Truck series champion did so much during his flying and recovery stint that he amassed a number of heart-wrenching stories. One story stands out in particular, he told the TV station.
“I catch out of the corner of my eye, on the very bottom of this basin, I think I see a flash,” Biffle said. “So we circled back around and sure enough we see this guy at the very bottom of this ravine with a mirror that was flashing us. If he wouldn’t have had that mirror, there’s no way we would have saw him.” If Biffle were still in high school, he’d have been guaranteed an A+++ for a report on “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.”
After he had done all he could, Biffle eventually did take that cruise to the Bahamas—a trip he had definitely earned. But he’ll never forget the unscheduled detour that changed his life—and the life of all those he helped.
