The Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America serves as the main fundraiser for the Victory Junction Gang Camp. The 2024 version included 150 motorcycles and 250 people who traveled 2,100 miles over seven days from South Dakota to North Carolina. They raised $1.
8 million dollars on the 28th annual ride as thousands of fans came out to show their support. One of the days, the group rode from Bowling Green, Kentucky to the Delta Hotel in Bristol, Virginia. It’s for a good cause as it supports the camp for children with serious medical issues.
The ride featured plenty of celebrities like Petty’s father Richard, NASCAR’s all-time winningest driver, former Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, and other NASCAR and sports figures. The camp was the vision of Kyle’s son, Adam, who was tragically killed in a practice accident at New Hampshire in 2000. Kyle talked about the beauty seen across the country, but also that one must always remember who the camp is for.
We have thoughts of three of this year’s riders about the journey and what it means. Kenny Wallace, a driver with nearly 800 NASCAR national series starts, is one of racing’s most popular racing figures. During the stop in Bristol, he talked about the overall experience.
“It was the time of my life. It’s so hard to believe. My nephew Steven Wallace said ‘I can’t believe you rode that motorcycle from Mount Rushmore to Bristol, Tennessee.
’ It feels really good. I see “The King” Richard Petty every day. It is hard to believe Richard Petty is still riding that bike like he is.
I watch him and he inspires me. “I am learning so much and Kyle Petty said it right, that he used to think this was about motorcycles, but it is about friends. Kyle says we are a family and I agree with him.
” One member of Wallace’s immediate family, his brother Mike, another NASCAR veteran, was on the ride. This came months after losing his wife to cancer. Kenny said the ride was therapeutic for his older brother and talked about the time they got to spend together.
“Mike was a last-minute edition. It’s all good. This is more than riding motorcycles, these are times together,” Wallace said.
“There are a lot of hard working people on this ride who took off work. They have spent a lot of money on this ride and the proceeds go to Victory Junction Gang Camp.” Wallace was reminded of why they were doing the ride in the first place.
Over the years, so many NASCAR drivers have either supported or participated in the ride. They’ve included Tony Stewart, Ken Schrader and Harry Gant. Jeff Gordon met the riders for a surprise dinner when they stopped at the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green.
Wallace said so many of his friends in the NASCAR community see the great work Petty and his family have done with the camp. “It’s for children who are not doing good. It’s for seven days where there is happiness for them,” Wallace said.
“Camp is expensive, but these children either get to enjoy the last days of their lives or it helps with the healing process. This is all good as 100 percent of the proceeds go to the camp.” Herschel Walker, the former Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Georgia, was later a standout in the USFL and NFL.
This was his 18th year on the ride, but a big reason for his return are the words of his former Dallas Cowboys coach, Tom Landry. “When I first started I thought it was crazy riding across America, but this is a great cause,” Walker said. “Coach (Tom) Landry said one time if you get something out of society, you can put something back in.
If we can ride motorcycles to give back, I think it is a great deal. “I didn’t know what to expect when they first mentioned this to me, but I had the opportunity to go to Victory Junction and everyone needs to go. These kids get to go for free and when you see the smile on the kids’ faces, it means a big deal.
” Kyle Petty, the namesake of the ride, said there’s a special bond that occurs once someone participates on the trip. His father was one of the riders, while his wife Morgan and sister Sharon were among those who rode in the support vehicles. “I tell people all the time once you come on this ride you are a part of our family,” he said.
“The kids that go to Victory Junction are part of the family. It has been a good trip. It is good to have my dad riding.
It’s always good to be back at Bristol. “To go back we are going to go across the mountain (Shady Valley) on 321. That is the only way I have ever come to BMS.
I have been coming up here for 40 or 50 years it seems like. Most of the time when I leave Bristol, I stop in Boone at the Daniel Boone Inn and get me something to eat.” Traveling the different routes across America has given Petty an appreciation of how spectacular the scenery can be in different parts of the country.
“Anytime you get here in this part of the state, it is beautiful. It was cloudy today and the sun was peeking through,” he said. “I know people don’t believe Nebraska can be beautiful, but it is a different kind of beautiful.
It’s rolling hills, grain, corn and thousands of freaking cows. It is not something you see every day. “It’s funny driving in Bristol and there are trees beside your head, in Nebraska there is one tree way over there.
The sky goes all the way across. We went to the Mississippi River, Indianapolis, Churchill Downs and then we went to our last icon, the greatest short track in the world in Bristol.” As beautiful as the scenery is, it’s the camaraderie of all involved and the reason for the ride that makes it most special.
“The two things you always remember about the ride are the campers and the kids,” Petty said. “It’s the people no matter where you are at. Mom always said you could put me in a cardboard box and I could make my own fun.
It’s just to be able to meet people and talk to people wearing Kyle Petty Mello Yello stuff, all of that is what I love so much.”.
