Greg Biffle opens up on Hurricane Helene rescue as he takes on NASCAR Darlington role

Greg Biffle was named a recipient of the National Motorsports Press Association's Myers Brothers Award for his rescue efforts during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene last year.

Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle took the role of Honorary Pace Car Driver for the Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.

This came after the 55-year-old was named a recipient of the National Motorsports Press Association's Myers Brothers Award for his rescue efforts during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene last year. Biffle worked to deliver essentials to those in affected areas using his helicopter, which was able to land where other vehicles simply couldn't reach.

Josh Harris, Darlington Raceway President confirmed that this led to the decision to give Biffle a role in the Goodyear 400.

“Greg is one of the fiercest drivers in NASCAR history and, as shown by his tremendous generosity in giving back to the communities in the Carolinas last year, a winner off the track,” said Harris.

“We’re glad to have an admired and respected former competitor like Greg lead the Cup Series drivers to green in the Goodyear 400.”

During his time at Darlington, he joined the broadcast booth with Mike Joy and Kevin Harvick. Joy took the moment to acknowledge Biffle's selfless actions, stating:

“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.

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

“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.”

This led Biffle to open up on why it was important for him to help. He explained:

“Yeah, absolutely. It was a weird deal the way it came together. 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…”

The former driver continued:

“I think it’s something that people just weren’t ready for. How’s a hurricane hit the mountains?

"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’s 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.”