$20 Million is Huge: Lewis Hamilton Gave Out 20million USD Makes Fans Go Gaga

Away from the world of F1, Lewis Hamilton is a man dedicated to driving social change. He set up a charitable foundation called Mission 44, to empower young people and help them overcome social injustice. Contrary to a belief that Hamilton just writes a $20 million cheque to his foundation, CEO Jason Arthur reveals that the Briton is actually more hands-on with his approach.

As revealed on the ‘Track Limits’ podcast, Hamilton continues to be a part of the ground operations of Mission 44. He regularly calls the team discuss their strategy and helps with communications, designing inspiring content and bringing new people in.

Furthermore, the 39-year-old often visits Mission 44’s partners to hear what they are doing. He assists in organizing fundraisers for them, so that they can continue to grow and help more young people in need.

To be able to do so much is a massive feat, given how busy Hamilton is. With 24 races on the calendar this season, traveling alone can be exhausting. Then comes the PR duties for his team’s sponsors, and the races themselves.

Plus, Mission 44 is not Hamilton’s only off-track venture. He has his own clothing brand called +44, and is working on producing a Hollywood movie with star Brad Pitt.

Why Lewis Hamilton set up Mission 44
Mission 44 exists to serve just one purpose- allow every young person with the means to succeed, regardless of their background.

Young people from across the globe face a lot of discrimination through no fault of their own, and Mission 44 exists to battle the same. Hailing from humble beginnings himself, Lewis Hamilton had to overcome a lot of barriers to reach the pinnacle of motorsports.

Having won seven World Championships, the Stevenage-born driver driver doesn’t want his legacy to just be about racing. He wants to leave a mark on young people, providing them with means to achieve their dreams.

Jason Arthur reveals how Hamilton always wanted to see change, especially in the F1 paddock. But growing frustrated at the lack of progress until 2021-2022, he launched The Hamilton Commission.

Since its inception, The Hamilton Commission has inspired a lot of change within the F1 community. Teams such as Mercedes and McLaren have adopted new initiatives to develop younger, more diverse talent in the sport.

Even the governing body of F1 is doing a lot more to increase diversity in the paddock, drawing inspiration from Hamilton’s initiative.

Chase Elliott tells the world what his crew chief Alan Gustafson did to him

Alan Gustafson has been Chase Elliott’s crew chief for his entire full-time NASCAR career. So probably no one person has had a greater impact on the star driver than Gustafson has.

On the latest edition of “Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour,” Elliott detailed his relationship with his crew chief.

“He is just head down and focused on doing his job and making sure that he’s elevating the entire team to be better, making sure the right people are in place, making sure I’m doing my part, pushing me to be better, and we can just have these open and honest conversations with one another that are hard to have some days if I don’t feel like I’m doing my part, or if he didn’t do his part right, or vice versa,” Elliott told host Kevin Harvick. “We can just have these conversations, and there’s never any ill feelings afterwards. It’s just like ‘yeah, you know what, you’re right. We gotta go to work and make that better.’ And that’s just how our working relationship has always been, and it’s super simple in that sense.

“I’ve always tried to let him do his job, and let him hold himself accountable first, and he has always allowed me to be me and do the same and just let me do my part and push each other when we need to.”

Elliott, 28, has 19 career NASCAR wins and was the 2020 Cup Series champion. He’s in the midst of his ninth season on the NASCAR circuit, which has been spent solely at Hendrick Motorsports and with Gustafson as his crew chief.

Meanwhile, Gustafson is in his 20th season with Hendrick Motorsports. Prior to working with Elliott, Gustafson worked with and/or served as crew chief for NASCAR champions Terry Labonte, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon, among other drivers.

Elliott won the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway last month in what was his first win in 42 races. He’s now third in points (377) this season, with four top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes.

He isn’t happy What NASCAR Did: Dale Earnhardt Jr Sparks Rumors And Exposed NASCAR Next Move

Short-track racing really hits the spot for fans and drivers alike. Ideally, NASCAR should be throwing more short tracks into the mix, like they did with North Wilkesboro, Iowa, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, instead of cutting them out. However, NASCAR’s got a bigger puzzle to solve when it comes to nailing down the right rules for these tracks. Richmond has been a particular concern, with races turning out kind of dull.

To shake things up, NASCAR is thinking about heading down to Mexico. This buzz first started floating around in early April, but it picked up steam again recently when Dale Earnhardt Jr chimed in, voicing his letdown over the move.

Dale Earnhardt Jr isn’t happy with how NASCAR seems to be drifting away from short tracks

During the offseason, NASCAR President Steve Phelps hinted that Richmond might lose one of its two annual race dates. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard such whispers about Richmond. Phelps mentioned that tracks typically hold onto their double dates if they sell out or deliver “extraordinary” racing. In recent years, NASCAR has pulled second dates from tracks like New Hampshire, Texas, Dover, Pocono, and Michigan due to underwhelming sales or performances.

Richmond hasn’t sold out a Cup Series race since 2008, and the quality of the racing there has been pretty hit-or-miss for the last decade. Combine so-so races with sparse crowds, and you’ve got a recipe for NASCAR looking elsewhere—Mexico. Dale Earnhardt Jr, a staunch supporter of short tracks, finds this shift particularly frustrating.

Junior laid out his frustration pretty straight, saying, “There’s nothing wrong with Richmond you know and we’re going to go we’re going to leave Richmond to go race in Mexico. We’re going to leave all these traditional ovals to go race a road course. […] What’s whittling away one of my favorite things short track seems to be because […] the package is not good right now. It’s uh easy for the industry to say let’s not go there. If our package isn’t good or our short track package isn’t exciting our fans are not enjoying it you know it’s the one that’s going to sacrifice.”

He agreed that NASCAR is pumped about showcasing their races to a global audience, and it’s pretty awesome for the sport to hit up a new country and strut their stuff—just like the NFL and F1 do. NASCAR is aiming big, hoping to be successful enough to take their show on the road internationally and host some killer events. But as someone who loves the old-school ways, Dale Jr admits, “That’s tough for me.”

However, whether NASCAR’s move to Mexico is actually a win for the sport is still up in the air. What if fans abroad don’t get into it as much as the home crowd, who cheer on drivers from their own backyards who’ve made it big in NASCAR?

Well, this year’s race at Richmond was pretty standard fare by their standards, but honestly, the broadcast was a snoozer. NASCAR tried to spice things up a bit—rainy weather had the cars starting on wet-weather tires, making the first 30 laps pretty lively. But then, they called all the cars in for a switch to slicks during a dull, non-competitive pit stop, which really took the wind out of the sails.

After that, the talks about NASCAR moving to a new venue became even stronger. Their options aren’t endless, though. That’s why they’re eyeing an international race for 2025, with Mexico looking like the top pick. Adding a new spot means another one might get the axe.

Additionally, the buzz is building. Thanks to that Netflix docuseries, folks from all over are tuning into NASCAR, not just the traditional fan base. Like, Formula 1 wasn’t a big deal in the U.S. until Netflix dropped its ‘Drive to Survive‘ series in 2019, and look at it now.

The NFL has been growing its fan base and raking in more dough by playing games in London since 2007, and more recently, in Mexico and Canada. NASCAR might just be on a similar track. Think about it—lots of us grew up on movies like “Cars,” and those kids are all grown up now, keeping the fandom alive. And, at every race, you see loads of kids and young adults in the stands. Maybe those “Cars” movies did leave a mark.

Or it could be those who watched NASCAR with their dads and carried that passion abroad. They’ve kept their love for the sport alive, even miles away from home. That’s why, NASCAR going international could be a dream come true for several drivers and audiences.