NASCAR and charity have gone hand-in-hand since the sport’s inception and this year, former racer Kyle Petty marks his 28th year of doing his part for the community. The annual Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America sees hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts and a few big-name racing personalities traveling across 9 states (from South Dakota to North Carolina) to raise funds for several children’s charities. The ride ends at Victory Junction, a camp for children with serious illnesses created by Petty in honor of his late son.
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“This ride is the 28th Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America and it goes to the 20th anniversary of Victory Junction. It’s hard for me to believe that Victory Junction has been around 20 years. Adam (Petty) this year will be…have been gone 24 years which just still hurts my heart and amazes but 20 years of camp, 125,000 kids, we’ve touched through the camp and through the reach program there and we’re so excited, so honored to be able to see so many kids,” the former Cup Series driver said in a recent interview.
This year’s ride has already begun from South Dakota on Saturday and the riders will reach their destination in North Carolina on May 10 after crossing a whopping 2100 miles. It’s celebrities galore at the charity event as the likes of Richard Petty, Kenny Wallace, and Ken Schrader are all riding along with everyone else. They were last seen stopping at Bevington, Iowa where Kyle Petty spoke to the media about the event.
It’s a heartwarming initiative by the former Cup Series star but that’s not all. The destination camp, Victory Junction, was built in honor of his son Adam Petty and it’s safe to say that he would have been proud of his father’s endeavors.
A trip to Phoenix gave Kyle Petty all the inspiration he needed
The idea of doing a whole motorcycle ride along from one part of the country to another came to Kyle Petty back in 1994 and of course, it had something to do with racing. According to the charity’s official website, Petty and a few of his friends went from North Carolina to Phoenix that year on bikes. Other riders joined in along the way and by the time they reached their destination, the whole group had extended to 30 people.
Before Victory Junction came into existence, the funds from the ride were donated to several children’s charities. That still might be the case but a bigger chunk of the funds today goes to the one created to honor Adam Petty. He was only 19 when he lost his life during a practice session and it was always Kyle’s dream to help children who had been dealt a curveball by life right at the get-go.
Kyle Petty has done well by combining three of the things he loves into one, riding bikes, helping others, and his late son. No matter what one might feel about him as a racer or an analyst, you can’t help but respect the man.
