Kyle Petty definitely did not expect that out of his first motorcycle run alongside his then peers and now NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees. For someone who had strictly made his name in the NASCAR Cup Series, motorcycles were a new domain for him. However, one particular incident with his friends has been etched into his mind for a long time. Fast forward to today, and Kyle Petty didn’t hold back on sharing the story of how it all went wrong.

Petty didn’t hesitate to post the clip on his social media account, a clip of him speaking to NASCAR Hall of Famer Harry Gant.

“Oh my gosh, listen. One time, I have to tell you, Harry and I rode out with Don Tilley… so, um, we head out across there and I said, ‘What are y’all wearing?’ Harry said, ‘I got this old pair of coveralls I use up there on the farm. It keeps me warm.’ So, we head on out there, and it’s cold,” Petty recalled.

Harry Gant and Kyle Petty developed a friendship that goes back decades, long before many of today’s NASCAR fans were familiar with them. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a group of racing friends, including Petty, Gant, and NASCAR motorcycle enthusiast Don Tilley, began riding together from North Carolina to Phoenix just for fun and adventure before race weekends.

However, the story of the first time the duo introduced the concept of the extensive motorcycle ride isn’t lost on Kyle Petty. What started as a lighthearted prank began to take a different route, as Petty was left grappling with the cold.

“I got on underwear, long johns, a pair of jeans, stopped at a Walmart, bought a pair of sweatpants to go over that, bought another pair of, like, 45-waist jeans to go over that. Put on a rain suit. I had to bend a piece of cardboard into a triangle and pee off of it, um, because I couldn’t get out of my clothes. I ain’t got no electric suit. Y’all wore me out on that first ride, man. I’d stop and smoke cigarettes, and y’all would take off,” Petty said.

Kyle Petty’s now-legendary tale about the brutal ride from North Carolina to Phoenix isn’t just a funny memory rooted in the early days of what would become one of NASCAR’s most meaningful traditions.

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Years before the Kyle Petty charity ride across America was formalized, Petty and a handful of friends, including Harry Gant and Don Tilley, the longtime Harley-Davidson dealer who literally mapped the routes, began riding motorcycles to races in the Southwest.

What started as a spontaneous track to Phoenix International Raceway eventually grew into the annual charity event that has raised millions for Victory Junction and brought together racers and fans alike.

In Petty’s recounting of that first punishing night, the humor comes through in the chaos of preparation: layers of clothes jammed on against the cold, sweatpants and oversized jeans stacked over longjohns and even a makeshift cardboard tool just to deal with nature’s call on the side of the road.

That gritty, glamorous experience captures the spirit of the early rides long before they became organized charity tracks with support crews and well-planned stops. It speaks to the camaraderie of racing friends and how shared hardship quickly turned into legendary storytelling.

Harry Gant’s presence on those early rides isn’t surprising. A beloved figure in NASCAR with a career that included 18 Cup wins and a reputation as one of the sport’s toughest competitors, Gant has been riding motorcycles for Kyle Petty’s Charity Ride.

From that first impromptu road trip to what became a celebrated annual ride that has drawn NASCAR stars and raised millions for children’s charities, the experience helped foster the spirit of giving and friendship that underpins the Kyle Petty Charity Ride.

However, as the charity started because of Kyle Petty’s son, Adam Petty’s tragic death, what followed at the NASCAR Hall of Fame event won Petty’s heart for sure.

Kyle Petty reflects on Kurt Busch’s tribute to Adam Petty

During Kurt Busch’s Hall of Fame induction, Kyle Petty delivered a moving tribute that highlighted a powerful moment of respect between two racing families.

Petty recounted how Busch honored Adam Petty’s memory by connecting his own success to the legacy of the No. 45 car, the number Adam drove before his tragic death. The story underscores how deeply that number still resonates within the Petty family and across NASCAR.

Busch’s connection to the Petty legacy came through his time at 23XI Racing, where he helped bring the No. 45 onto the Cup stage. The number has been retired for years after Adam’s fatal crash during a practice session, and the return carried emotional weight.

When Busch won the 2022 AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, driving the revived No.45, he made a point of reaching out to the Petty family afterward.

Petty recalled that Busch not only called the family but also gave them the trophy and the victory flag, which shows it meant more than just memorabilia.

“I always envisioned that No. 45 car going to victory lane with Adam…that obviously didn’t happen… “I didn’t win a lot of races, but when @KurtBusch won that race in the 45, he called our family afterwards and gave us the trophy and flag from that race,” he said at the event.

That act of kindness served as a powerful reminder of the sport’s enduring impact, and NASCAR continues to honor its history.