A video about Adam Petty’s dream: The Victory Junction Gang Camp, a free summer camp for children with serious illnesses.
The Greensboro News-Record discusses the impact of Adam Petty’s life and death in today’s article. My dad is a big Nascar fan (and Nascar evolved from bootleggers in the Southern Appalachian mountains where I’m from), so he’d watch Nascar every weekend whenever we had cable. I remember ten years ago when three racers were killed in close succession: Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, Jr., and then Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Dad and I were watching the Daytona 500 race that killed Dale Earnhardt, Sr. I remember looking away from the TV’s coverage of the slow moving ambulance to look at Dad and ask, “Something is wrong, isn’t it?”
Anyways, this is kind of a weird entry, but the News-Record article reminded me of it. Plus there has been a rash of deaths happening in the two weeks since my birthday that I wanted to share a story about what good came from this boy’s dream and then what became his legacy:
Checks for $45 still arrive in honor of Adam Petty’s car number. The posted speed limit along the camp driveway is 4.5 mph. Children born after Adam’s death know who he is.
Kyle’s [Adam's father] charity motorcycle ride across the country ended Sunday at the camp. A 6-year-old quadriplegic was among those who greeted the riders.
Having heard so much about Adam but not understanding Adam had died, the child told Pattie: “When you see Adam, tell him thank you.”
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