NASCAR Team Donates $302,000 to Samaritan’s Purse Ukraine Relief: ‘We Have a Moral Obligation’

BY : Michael Foust | ChristianHeadlines.com

A dominating race Sunday by one of the most prominent teams in NASCAR will result in more than $300,000 benefiting Ukrainian victims of the war.

Hendrick Motorsports and team owner Rick Hendrick had pledged to donate $200,000 and then an additional $2,000 for each lap led by the team.

Team member Alex Bowman won the race and led 16 laps, while teammate Kyle Larson finished second after leading 27 laps. Another Hendrick member, William Byron, finished fifth and led eight laps.

Samaritan’s Purse, a nondenominational Christian ministry, is providing relief to Ukrainian refugees who have fled to neighboring countries. Franklin Graham is its president. The organization also opened a field hospital in the region.

Larson’s car included the Samaritan’s Purse website (SamaritansPurse.org) along with a message: “Support Ukraine.”

“Like the rest of the world, our family has watched the worsening crisis in Ukraine with shock and sadness,” Rick Hendrick said. “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.”

Hendrick Motorsports also urged other NASCAR fans to donate to support Ukrainian victims.

“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.”

“Ukrainian families are hurting and in desperate need of physical aid and prayer during this difficult time,” Graham said last week. “… We want to meet the needs of these families in their darkest moments while pointing them to the light and hope of Jesus Christ.”