HMS' Rick Hendrick among four NC business leaders donating $2M for hurricane relief

Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, is offering a helping hand to the victims of Hurricane Helene that ripped through the southeastern United States a week and a half ago. The 75-year-old's race team announced via social media on Tuesday that they're making a $2 million relief donation.

Hendrick Motorsports, a 14-time Cup Series championship-winning team, announced on its official X account that it was partnering with three other North Carolina companies, including Hendrick Automotive Group, Sonic Automotive, and Speedway Motorsports, to donate the money to Samaritan's Purse in an effort to help the victims of the deadly natural disaster.

In a joint statement by Rick Hendrick, Sonic Automotive CEO David B. Smith, and Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith, they wrote:

"Together with @HendrickCars, @SonicAutomotive, and @CLTMotorSpdwy, we are pledging a combined $2 million to Samaritan's Purse in support of Hurricane Helene relief efforts."

The hurricance tragically claimed the lives of over 200 people and over $30 billion in damages. In the statement posted by the race team, they said they represented over 22,000 team members across the country, with many whom are based in the Southeast and were directly impacted by the hurricane. HMS said those team members faced an uphill battle in rebuilding their home and lives, and that they plan on sticking with them to help.

"Our companies share a commitment to community involvement and deep roots in western North Carolina and the Southeast region, and we feel a moral obligation to provide support and encourage others to engage in this effort through giving or volunteering," Rick Hendrick's team said.

The statement finished by saying Samaritan's Purse, a Christian humanitarian organization, has a stellar history of supporting those in need, and that they're happy to team up with them in helping the Hurricane Helene victims.

Rick Hendrick still has all four Cup Series cars in the NASCAR playoffs

While Rick Hendrick is making great contributions to those in need off the track, on the track, his Hendrick Motorsports four-car stable is looking as sharp as ever. William Byron, a two-time race winner so far this season, which includes the Daytona 500, locked himself into the next round of the playoffs with a third-place finish at the Talladega Superspeedway.

Kyle Larson, meanwhile, is a five-time winner this season which includes the Brickyard 400. The driver of the #5 is 52 points above the cut-line to advance to the next round.

Alex Bowman has put together an impressive playoff run up to this point. The winner of this year's Chicago Street Race is 26 points above the cutoff heading into the final race of the Round of 12 this Sunday at the Charlotte Roval.

Chase Elliott, too, is a winner this year after being victorious at Texas. However, after crashing out in Sunday's race at Talladega, the 2020 Cup Series champion is the last driver above the cut-line by 13 points.