The Petty clan has long been associated with NASCAR racing, ever since its inception. Everything started with Lee Petty before his son Richard took up the torch. Since then, Richard Petty has carved out a legacy for himself, with a record-setting 7 Cup Series championships. His son, Kyle Petty, followed him into what was now becoming a family tradition.

Sadly, he was not as successful as his father, though he did snatch eight Cup wins. After him, his son Adam Petty was to carry on the Petty name into the modern era of NASCAR. Tragically, the talented driver passed away in a practice accident in New Hampshire. At the time of his passing, he was 19 years old and was participating in the 2000 Busch Series season. Had he lived, he would have been 44 in 2024.

Kyle Petty paid tribute to his late son in a beautiful way

In 1995, Kyle Petty established the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, and the foundation has been going strong ever since. This event is a week-long motorcycle trek that travels through various cities. Over the years, a grand total of 7,950 riders clocked in 11.6 million collective motorcycle miles and raised $17.5 million.

All of that money is gifted to a non-profit organization called Victory Junction. This charity was started in Adam Petty’s honor after his family teamed up with the late Paul Newman. The organization helps children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses try things ‘they never imagined possible’. Victory Junction was inspired by Adam’s vision and his compassion for others. Adam was particularly fond of children and used to visit pediatric hospitals whenever he got time from his racing schedule.

Now, Kyle Petty has revealed that the 2024 edition of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America has raised nearly $1.8 million to send more kids to the camp at Victory Junction. Needless to say, he was really thrilled that his initiative has been such a roaring success and that he is giving back to the community.

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Who is Adam Petty, son of Kyle Petty and grandson of Richard Petty?

The late driver was a fourth-generation driver and was quite talented in his own right. His NASCAR career kicked off in 1998 at the age of 18 in the then ARCA RE/MAX Series. In the same year, he tasted the sweet taste of victory at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in his debut race. In the same year, Petty earned a promotion to the Xfinity Series and had some middling results with a handful of Top 5 and Top 10s.

In 2000, he got his first taste of the Cup Series, at the Texas Motor Speedway. Sadly, his life would be cut short by that practice crash at New Hampshire. His passing also led to NASCAR introducing a bunch of safety reforms, starting with a steering wheel kill switch. The concept of restrictor plates was also introduced, and the HANS device on helmets became mandatory in 2001. NASCAR even implemented SAFER barriers in 2002, and all that has made all the difference.