Hall of Fame NASCAR team owner Richard Childress says he is leading an effort to donate one million rounds of ammunition to the people of Ukraine as they battle a Russian invasion.
During an appearance on Fox News Thursday, Childress — a board member for ammunition manufacturer Ammo Inc. — said he was inspired to help out after seeing the pleas of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on television.
"I was listening the other day to President Zelenskyy say he didn't want out, he needed ammunition," Childress told Fox News. "I called my good friend Fred Wagenhals, who is the Chairman of Ammo, Inc. ... and I said, 'Fred, we have to help these people. They need ammunition,' and he stepped right up."
"To see the people in Ukraine fighting, it's terrible to see the lives that are being lost over there," Childress added. "We have to do all we can, and I felt with Ammo Inc. and myself, we were doing the right thing."
In a statement released Monday, Ammo Inc. confirmed that it was offering to donate 1 million rounds of ammunition to the "Armed Forces of Ukraine in support of their fight for independence and freedom."
"While we fervently hope for a quick and peaceful resolution to the crisis and that diplomacy will win the day, we condemn the Russian aggression and its threat to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and freedom," Wagenhals said in a statement. "We recognize that events are unfolding rapidly on the ground in Ukraine, and we are prepared to move quickly as possible to support Ukraine as it continues to defend itself and its freedom.”
After a stint as a NASCAR driver in the 1970s and '80s, Childress went on to build one of the most successful teams in racing. His drivers have won several world champions since the team was established in the 1980s.
Childress was selected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017.
