Petty Ride coming to Whitehall

The 23rd annual Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across the America is coming to Whitehall.

Around 200 bikers taking part in one of the biggest charity rides in the country will be making a stop in town the morning of Monday, May 15.

The 2017 ride will include tour founder and former NASCAR driver and analyst Kyle Petty, NASCAR legend Richard Petty, and former Heisman Trophy winners Herschel Walker and George Rogers.

The annual event raises money for Victory Junction, a camp in North Carolina dedicated to providing a life changing camping experience for children with chronic or life threatening illnesses. In an interview with the Ledger, Kyle Petty said the camp was founded after his oldest son Adam was killed in a racing accident in 2000. He said it has been up and running for 14 years, and has hosted around 24,000 kids and their families free of charge.

“That’s what this ride is all about,” Petty said.

Looking back at the growth of the ride that has raised for than $17.5 million for Victory Junction and other children’s charities, Petty said it has been unexpected, humbling, and amazing all at the same time.

He said after the first year they didn’t think they would do another, but more and more people wanted to join because they heard stories about the ride.

“Here we are at 23 and people are already looking forward to the 25th,” he said. “It’s one of those things that took on a life of it’s own and has been truly gratifying in a lot of ways.”

The ride is also personal to Petty because it keeps his sons memory alive. He added at the same time, it is also meaningful because you get to see how the money raised affects kids and their family’s lives.

Another special part of the ride for Petty is stopping in smaller towns like Whitehall.

“I grew up in a town of about 1,800 to 2,000 people in North Carolina. When I go to small towns I’m most comfortable. Everybody knows everybody. Everybody has a connection to somebody. That’s life in a small town,” he said.

With several big names on the trip like Walker and Richard Petty, Kyle said they get to hear stories about how long people have followed them and been fans, and now here they are standing with them and able to connect.

Kyle said they don’t want to just ride by towns; they want to stop, make a connection and to let people know they can be part of what they are doing.

“We have a good time doing it and hopefully they have a good time coming out to talk to us,” he said. “It’s not the places you go or the things you see, it’s the people you meet and the fans that come out.”

During the local stop, residents will be able to purchase memorabilia, and to contribute to the ride’s “Small Change. Big Impact” program.

The time and location of the May 15 Whitehall stop will be published in an upcoming edition of the Whitehall Ledger.

For more information about the ride and camp, visit http://www.kylepettycharityride.com and http://www.victoryjunction.org.