Although the playoffs are in full motion, Hurricane Helen has affected many families across several states. This is what led to many teams keeping their rivalries aside to help out the victims of the storm, including figures like Rick Hendrick, Joe Gibbs, and former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. With such a disaster hitting states like Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina, NASCAR personalities are coming together to help, and going all in for it.

Several helicopters owned by the NASCAR giants were deployed with supplies to save as many people as possible. So far the death toll has crossed 100 people, and Joe Gibbs took over Ashville while Hendrick Motorsports helicopters traveled to Fairview to make sure that the victims are safe. Greg Biffle joined forces with the YouTuber Lawrence Garret Mitchell, AKA Cleetus McFarland, to pilot his helicopter to rescue as many people as possible. So, that brings up the question: Why did Biffle do it?

Greg Biffle flew out to rescue the Hurricane Helen victims

After the rescue missions were conducted and many victims managed to get out of the trouble they were in, Greg Biffle made an appearance on NASCAR Daily. That’s where the host, Shannon Sparke spoke to the former driver to understand how he got involved in the rescue mission. The two discussed the damages that the hurricane caused, with Biffle replying to Sparke on the NASCAR official YouTube channel, saying, “Well, really, what prompted it is, I got a Facebook message that there was a family stranded up in the mountains in an Airbnb with young kids.” He explained how people in an Airbnb were often not packed with supplies for days, and they were the ones who needed help.

Biffle also noted how many people couldn’t use their generators due to a lack of fuel to keep them going, causing many victims to lose power; and, with that, their chance to operate medical machinery. Highlighting how bad the situation really was, Greg Biffle described: “The scale of the situation, to be honest with you, I don’t even know how to put it into words. You think about it, from Georgia to North Carolina to Tennessee, all the way to Virginia—my rock mine in Speedwell, Virginia, just outside of Wytheville, got devastated, wiped out. The bridge is gone.” Without any basic needs, many families were on the brink of giving up hope before Biffle decided to get into his million-dollar helicopter, the Bell 206, and help them out.

Upon hearing the story about the family from Facebook, Sparke asked Biffle, “Were you able to get to that family?” However, Biffle replied, “We actually got within about eight miles of being able to reach the family, and the weather just came down on me. I got down right on top of the mountain, and we tried three ways in, but I wasn’t able to reach them.” But it was not an unfortunate situation, as another helicopter made its way from the other side and got the family out.

How bad was the situation from Greg Biffle’s perspective?

Biffle explained how everyone came together to help out the situation; he told Sparke, “When we started, I think there were two helicopters in the air. After we saw the Facebook post, the next morning, there were probably 20 helicopters that showed up. By the end of the day, there were around 30 to 35 helicopters, including NASCAR teams.” Greg further added how Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing helicopters were in the air trying to help people out along with fixed-wing pilots from Statesville Airport. The donations and supplies that came from people were more than enough, as they filled an entire hangar at Statesville Airport.

When Biffle first got to the sight, he saw that none of the roads were accessible and there were cars that had been thrown onto the train tracks by the hurricane. Many families lost their loved ones and more lost their houses because of the storm. However, one thing could be noticed after the hurricane cleared out: Despite the rivalries on the tracks, when push comes to shove, NASCAR stands united for the people of America.

With that said, have you contributed to helping the affected families of Hurricane Helen? Share your story in the comments below.