Former NASCAR driver brings charity motorcycle ride to Bedford and West Virginia

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) -For the last 25 years, former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty has used his love for riding motorcycles as a way to bring people together for a cause that is near and dear to his heart.

“What it’s all about is raising funds for Victory Junction, a camp in North Carolina for kids with medical conditions and chronic medical needs,” Petty said.

Every year, Petty has brought friends, family and fellow motorcycle enthusiasts together for the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America.

“Rode motorcycles from west to east, north to south, a little bit of everywhere across the country,” he said.

This year, the ride is called a charity ride revival because it’s smaller in size due to COVID-19. Riders will go back and forth between the Omni Homestead Resort and the D-Day Memorial, Seneca Rocks and the New River Gorge National Park.

“The fans that come out, the riders that are a part of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride, it’s just fascinating,” Petty said. “It has been amazing to see the giving spirit, the giving heart that so many people in the communities we visit have, to be able to send kids to camp.”

Over the last quarter of a century, they’ve raised more than $19 million for Victory Junction which was founded by Petty in honor of his son Adam.

“We get to ride motorcycles; kids get to go to camp so it’s a win-win,” Petty laughed.

Thousands of kids and their families have been able to attend Victory Junction camp which Kyle said goes beyond his wildest dreams for this place.

“Through the tragedy of losing one child, our son, we’ve gained ninety-thousand kids that are part of our family now,” he said. “And I say it all the time, when I see these kids leave camp and they have that Adam Petty smile on their faces then I know Adam is still here with us.”

The riders left Omni Homestead at 9 a.m. Tuesday and will arrive at the D-Day memorial around noon where Petty and the riders will meet and greet fans.

Fans will also be able to meet Petty at Seneca Rocks at 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday and at Burnwood Campground at the New River Gorge National Park at 11:45 a.m. Thursday.

Click here more the turn-by-turn route and schedule of events.

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