CONCORD, N.C. – In addition to competing for a win in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports will race in support of Ukraine.
To help bring awareness to the growing humanitarian crisis and to encourage relief donations, team owner Rick Hendrick and sponsor Hendrick Automotive Group have committed $200,000 to Samaritan’s Purse to support disaster assistance.
The Hendrick organization will also contribute $2,000 toward Ukraine relief for each lap led by the four-car Hendrick Motorsports stable Sunday at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track. If the team equals its total of 150 laps led from last season’s event, the additional contribution would be $300,000.
“Like the rest of the world, our family has watched the worsening crisis in Ukraine with shock and sadness,” said Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “We’ve been especially struck by the needless suffering inflicted on innocent children.
“NASCAR provides us with an incredibly powerful platform, and I believe we have a moral obligation to use it to help people in need.”
This weekend, the Samaritan’s Purse website will appear prominently on the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 of defending race winner and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. Donations that directly support relief efforts in Ukraine can be made via the site.
“We hope to encourage others to support Ukraine, whether it be through Samaritan’s Purse or one of the other organizations providing critical humanitarian relief,” Hendrick said. “We cannot ignore the disaster that is unfolding.”
On Sunday at Auto Club Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports reached the milestone of 75,000 laps led in the Cup Series, extending its all-time record. In 2021, the team set a new all-time best for laps led on 1.5-mile tracks in a single season with a combined 1,693.
Samaritan’s Purse is a 501(c)(3) organization and donations are tax-deductible. Since 1970, it has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine. Samaritan’s Purse has a four-star “exceptional” rating from Charity Navigator, which independently evaluates non-profit organizations.
The NASCAR Cup Series race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway will air live on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. If you would like to support humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine, please visit www.SamaritansPurse.org.