For Greg Biffle, the 2024 Hurricane Helene rescue operation started with a friend request. A close friend of his asked if Biffle could fly over a devastated North Carolina to assist with a family rescue. Biffle, already known for his humanitarian efforts, took the chance and did as requested. However, the weather-beaten North Carolina was set to see more of Biffle in the coming days, especially when he joined hands with Garret Mitchell, aka Cleetus McFarland, to help out the natives in need in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Now, it has been seven months since the devastating hurricane took place, and Cleetus McFarland has a heartwarming story to tell his fans about Biffle.

Cleetus McFarland and Greg Biffle’s collective effort to address the natural calamity began on September 29. In their joint effort, food, water, insulin, generators, and Wi-Fi were delivered to families in need. However, for McFarland, a Florida native, the days in North Carolina presented more than one problem, and that’s where NASCAR’s infamous Guardian Angel came to his rescue. Recently active at Talladega Boulevard, after his 10th-place finish in just his second career ARCA Series race, Cleetus McFarland sat down for a much-appreciated discussion about his friendship with Biffle on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour.

“Yeah, you know, Biff and I met. He came around the Crown Victoria race, but then, when the Hurricane Helene thing happened, he actually gave me a place to stay. We had met, we’d probably talked for 30 minutes at the Crown Victoria race, and then when Hurricane Helene happened and we were flying my helicopter on it. He gave me a place to sleep, and then we went to dinner, and like, that was really the beginning of our friendship.”

Greg Biffle lives with his family in Leicester, and for the Floridian McFarland, it provided a refuge during the days they worked on airlifting donations. But their friendship, formed in such grave times, was to see more developments in the coming months. Before his superspeedway debut at Daytona and Talladega, McFarland sought advice from NASCAR Cup Series champion Greg Biffle. As a Daytona 500 winner, Biffle played a key role in mentoring McFarland, providing hands-on coaching during preseason practice that helped him obtain his superspeedway license. That, in turn, helped him adjust to the challenges of the 2.5-mile oval. But Greg Biffle’s effort to bring smiles to faces didn’t end with Cleetus McFarland.

Greg Biffle is in the driver’s seat in more ways than one for North Carolina

When Greg Biffle jumped into his helicopter this month, he did so for a less serious situation than the last time. Once again, he sent aid to the community that is still recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, which struck in the fall of 2024. Greg Biffle’s latest effort to bring smiles to faces came thanks to the support of the Valley Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization working to rebuild both lives and hope in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene.

In his effort to bring relief, the 55-year-old has delivered thousands of Easter eggs via helicopter to children in North Carolina. In the video update shared on his YouTube channel on April 21, Biffle said, “I haven’t been up here flying since the hurricane. It’s nice to get back and fly for a different reason.” Using his helicopter, Biffle, along with a friend dressed as an Easter rabbit, dropped over 1,000 eggs onto a field for children to find.

However, the efforts of this nominee for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2026 during Hurricane Helene did not go unnoticed. In 2024, Greg Biffle was honored with the Myers Brothers Award from the National Motorsports Press Association for his hurricane relief efforts. Following that, Darlington Raceway President Josh Harris named him the Honorary Pace Car Driver for the Cup Series Goodyear 400. Admittedly, this close friend of Cleetus McFarland has left marks in more than one heart.