CONCORD, N.C. -- Giving Tuesday is a reminder to all to pay it forward during the holiday season, but the Hendrick Motorsports drivers have been doing that all year.
Each driver has a charitable endeavor that is near and dear to their hearts. When they aren’t preparing to race on Sundays, they are raising money and working with organizations near and dear to their hearts.
Kyle Larson kicked off his tenure with Hendrick Motorsports strong with a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, but it was his “Drive for 5” initiative that put his personal charity, the Kyle Larson Foundation, on the map.
Larson pledged a personal donation of $5 for every NASCAR Cup Series lap he completed this season and will contribute another $5,000 for every top-five finish he earned. Overall, the campaign has earned $218,384 this year after he posted 20 top-five results and raced for 9,000 laps, leading, 2,581 of them.
Larson also is offering up to five scholarships per year for students with the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia, providing daily meals for at least five families per day through The Sanneh Foundation, and supporting at least five communities per year through school grants provided by Hendrick Cares.
Chase Elliott brought his personal charity, the Chase Elliott Foundation, to the track this year when he and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates worked with Elliott’s “DESI9N TO DRIVE” program. In support of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, sketched designs by cancer patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta were depicted on Elliott’s racing suit, gloves, shoes and helmet, along with a specially designed paint scheme on his Chevrolet Camaro at Darlington Raceway for the start of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Elliott’s teammates also wore shoes designed by patients and Children’s, and the shoes, gloves and helmet were all auctioned off to benefit the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's. Overall, the effort raised more than $35,000 for Children’s.
William Byron’s work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas helps provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better. The 23-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native has worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters for several years and organized his first charity golf tournament this year to benefit the foundation.
Byron plans for the tournament to become an annual event and have some of NASCAR’s biggest names come out and support Big Brothers Big Sisters. He also was on hand in May to donate dozens of bicycles to children who are part of the organization.
Alex Bowman’s passion for animals was able to fully flourish this season when he and primary partner Ally teamed up Best Friends, an organization dedicated to end kill shelters by 2025. Bowman and Ally selected an animal shelter in each city where a Cup Series race was being held in conjunction with Best Friends and pledged $1,000 each to raise funds for that shelter. Ally upped the donation to $10,000 if Bowman won a race.
Bowman debuted a special scheme for Best Friends on March 14 at Phoenix Raceway, his hometown track, to bring awareness to the cause and announce the initiative. He took the checkered flag four times this season, meaning he and Ally alone donated more than $100,000 to end kill shelters and help pets find their forever homes. Click here to learn more about Best Friends.