Since its genesis in 2004, Victory Junction – a Randleman, North Carolina-based year-round camp for children with serious illnesses and chronic medical conditions – has delivered more than 136,000 camp experiences while serving kids from all 50 states and several countries.
Synonymous with the Petty name, especially that of legendary co-founders Richard and Kyle Petty, Victory Junction – or a place like it – is the culmination of a vision cast by Richard’s grandson and Kyle’s son, Adam, before he died tragically at the age of 19 in a racing accident at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Before Adam’s passing in May 2000, he had drawn inspiration from a visit he made to a Florida-based camp that was enriching the lives of sick children. Wanting to make a similar type of impact back home in North Carolina, Adam shared his idea with family members and close friends.
So, not long after Adam’s death, Richard and Kyle Petty, along with other members of the Petty family, set out to build Victory Junction – a camp established in Adam’s memory, with the goal of reaching and helping as many children as possible.
“When I see the joy and the smiles this camp brings to kids and their families, I can still feel Adam’s giving spirit and see his smile,” said Kyle Petty, a former NASCAR Cup Series driver turned NASCAR broadcaster.
Chad Coltrane, Victory Junction’s CEO since 2015, is motivated daily by a desire to carry out Adam Petty’s wishes in everything that goes on at Victory Junction.
“I didn’t know Adam, and I had never met Adam, but I heard the story about how this idea of camp came about and this idea of all the kids coming to Randleman and being served in one location,” he said. “I hope he would be shocked at how many kids we actually see here on-site now through all the different programs, and that he would be inspired by the numbers of kids that we serve.”
This year alone, Victory Junction has received more than 850 applications for its summer camp experiences, which begin in June and run through early August. Each week of camp is tailored to children with a different medical condition, providing not only a welcome distraction from the daily challenges they face but also making a difference that extends far beyond the four or five days they spend at camp.
“We know through data and research, with Yale University as an example, that the work we’re doing is life-changing,” Coltrane said. “We know the kids leave camp with more self-confidence and more self-esteem and a willingness to try new things. We’ve done a study with kids that now are in their 30s, so now adults, and we know there is a longer-lasting impact of camp than that summer camp experience.
“It’s longer than the summer when they return home or the school year after. We know that it stays with them until at least their 20s and 30s. It’s a strong, strong mission.”
A nonprofit organization that relies on generous donors, Victory Junction is the sole beneficiary of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America – an annual cross-country motorcycle event that’s welcomed more than 9,000 riders and raised more than $22 million since its 1995 inception.
“Our camp footprint is larger than most camps, and it’s because of NASCAR and the Petty name and celebrity but mainly because of the advocacy that the Kyle Petty Charity Ride provides for us across the country at various locations year over year,” Coltrane said.
Kyle and Richard Petty both sit on the Board of Directors for Victory Junction, but their involvement runs much deeper. Not only are they regulars at camp during the summer, often mixing and mingling with the children at a fun-filled camp event dubbed NASCARnival, but Richard Petty recently donated 403 acres to Victory Junction.
The gift includes eight parcels of land next door to what had been the camp’s 140 acres, 84 of which Richard and his late wife, Lynda, donated to help launch Victory Junction. “My family and I are dedicated to leaving a legacy,” said Richard Petty, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the Cup Series’ all-time wins leader with 200
victories. “By donating an additional 403 acres, we hope to ensure the camp can continue serving even more children for generations to come.”
Coltrane called the additional land “a huge deal.”
“To be given that land at this point is a game-changer, and we’re being very meticulous and methodical in our planning and preparation of what we’re going to do with it,” he said. “Much like a university would, we want to create kind of a master plan and really just go about this in a slow and methodical and thoughtful way.”
