Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America crosses nine states on 2024 ride

Former NASCAR driver and racing analyst Kyle Petty is hitting the open road once again to lead the 28^th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America – one of the most popular charity rides in the country. From May 4 – 10, 2024, Petty will lead 150 motorcycles across nine states on a seven-day trek, covering more than 2,100 miles in an effort to raise funds and awareness for Victory Junction – a camp dedicated to providing life-changing camping experiences for children with serious and chronic medical conditions.

Presented by Cox Automotive, the Ride will kick-off in Deadwood, South Dakota, on Saturday, May 4 and will end in Greensboro, North Carolina on Friday, May 10 with a celebratory homecoming at Victory Junction. Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider and is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. The company’s brands include Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book and Manheim, which will host breakfast for the Ride at Manheim Indianapolis on Wednesday, May 8.

“Our team is beyond excited to host Kyle and the riders at Manheim Indianapolis for breakfast during their 28^th Anniversary route,” said Chuck Werner, general manager for the Louisville-Indianapolis Market Center. “It means so much for us to be included in this inspiring event and we look forward to helping the Ride send many deserving kids to Victory Junction.”

Petty has a jam-packed route planned for the 2024 Ride’s 250 participants, including 30 new riders. In fact, Petty has coined this adventure “The AmerICON Ride,” to pay homage to the iconic American attractions featured on this year’s Ride. Some of the highlights include visiting Mount Rushmore National Monument, stopping at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, exploring Churchill Downs – home of the Kentucky Derby, touring the legendary National Corvette Museum, visiting Bristol Motor Speedway, and so much more.

Spectators along the 2024 route are encouraged to attend one of the Ride’s seven overnight stops or daily pit stops to greet Petty and the riders, purchase memorabilia and make donations.

28^th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America Schedule:

• Day 1, Saturday, May 4 – Deadwood, South Dakota to North Platte, Nebraska
• Day 2, Sunday, May 5 – North Platte, Nebraska to Omaha, Nebraska
• Day 3, Monday, May 6 – Omaha, Nebraska to Bettendorf, Iowa
• Day 4, Tuesday, May 7 – Bettendorf, Iowa to Indianapolis, Indiana
• Day 5, Wednesday, May 8 – Indianapolis, Indiana to Bowling Green, Kentucky
• Day 6, Thursday, May 9 – Bowling Green, Kentucky to Bristol, Virginia
• Day 7, Friday, May 10 – Bristol, Virginia to Greensboro, North Carolina

“This year marks the 20^th Anniversary of Victory Junction, so I immediately knew we had to bring the Ride back to camp to celebrate this incredible milestone. After all, the Ride has been there since Victory Junction’s inception, as a founding supporter in 2004, and has remained the largest cumulative donor,” said Petty. “From riding the Black Hills of South Dakota and crossing the mighty Mississippi River to visiting iconic American landmarks, we are going to experience some truly incredible places on this year’s Ride, but none more so than ending back ‘home’ at Victory Junction – where we can see so many deserving kids light up with happiness and experience the magic that lives at camp.”

Victory Junction has served as the Ride’s primary beneficiary since its establishment by Petty and his family in 2004 in honor of his late son, Adam. Since it first began in 1995, the Ride has raised more than $21 million for Victory Junction and other children’s charities. As a result, the Ride has helped Victory Junction mobilize resources to provide over 115,000 camp experiences for children of all levels of abilities who are living with complex medical conditions at no cost to their families.

Among the celebrities participating in the 2024 Ride are NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Hershel McGriff; former NASCAR drivers Max Papis, David Ragan, Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace; former NFL great and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker; and TV personalities Rick Allen and Rutledge Wood.

The 2024 Ride is made possible by presenting sponsor Cox Automotive, as well as Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Dodge Law, Racing Electronics, WinCraft Racing, Petty Family Foundation, Headbands of Hope, Piedmont Moving Systems, Wiley X, Prevost, Blue Emu, Goody’s and Kelderman Manufacturing.

Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America raises $1.8 Million for Victory Junction

The Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America today announced it raised nearly $1.8 million after completing its 28^th Anniversary Ride, which took place May 4 – 10, 2024. Funds raised directly benefit Victory Junction – a camp in Randleman, North Carolina servicing children with chronic medical illnesses. The Ride’s donation supports summer camperships, building projects and maintenance programs – including the building and maintenance of the brand new Kyle Petty Charity Ride Water Park.

Former NASCAR driver and racing analyst Kyle Petty led 150 motorcycles across nine states on a seven-day trek, covering more than 2,100 miles and stopping at iconic American landmarks along the way. The Ride began in Deadwood, South Dakota and ended in Greensboro, North Carolina.

All along the Ride’s 2024 route, fans came from miles around to welcome the Ride, meet celebrity riders and support the cause. Highlights included seeing Mount Rushmore National Monument, stopping at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, exploring Churchill Downs – home of the Kentucky Derby, touring the legendary National Corvette Museum, visiting Bristol Motor Speedway, ending with a finale celebration at Victory Junction and so much more.

“Every year, the Ride is always a week I look forward to and never forget. This year was extra special because we celebrated the 20^th Anniversary of Victory Junction,” said Petty. “The Ride has been a part of Camp since its inception and, to date, we remain Victory Junction’s largest cumulative donor. We visited spectacular places and enjoyed several once-in-a-lifetime experiences on this year’s Ride, but my favorite part was ending at Camp. It was truly an emotional moment for me to celebrate 20 years of Victory Junction – which all began as Adam’s dream. To know we have kept his dream alive and to see Adam’s smile on the faces of so many campers who were there to welcome us home, meant the absolute world to me.”

Victory Junction has served as the Ride’s primary beneficiary since its establishment by Petty and his family in 2004 in honor of his late son, Adam. Since it first began in 1995, the Ride has raised more than $22 million for Victory Junction and other children’s charities. As a result, the Ride has helped Victory Junction mobilize resources to provide over 125,000 camp experiences for children of all levels of abilities who are living with complex medical conditions at no cost to their families.

Funds were gathered from fans along the route, as part of the Ride’s “Small Change. Big Impact.” program, as well as donations made by generous sponsors, organizations, and the riders themselves.

“The generosity of our sponsors is a huge reason why we’re able to do the things that we do, and this year we were fortunate enough to visit our friends at Manheim Indianapolis and be greeted by Blue-Emu in Bristol,” said Petty. “In addition to making contributions to our cause, these companies work so hard to provide our riders with memorable visits that include great food, fellowship, activities and more.”

The 2024 Ride is made possible by presenting sponsor Cox Automotive, as well as Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Dodge Law, Racing Electronics, WinCraft Racing, Petty Family Foundation, Piedmont Moving Systems, Wiley X, Prevost, Blue-Emu, Goody’s and Kelderman Manufacturing.

This year’s Ride also featured several celebrity riders, including NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Hershel McGriff; NASCAR Cup Champion Joey Logano; former NASCAR drivers Max Papis, David Ragan, Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Mike Wallace; former NFL great and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker; and TV personalities Rick Allen and Rutledge Wood.

— Victory Junction —

Hurricane Relief Drive extended to each Wednesday in October at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Due to the overwhelming need for continued support of the N.C. mountain areas devastated by Hurricane Helene, Charlotte Motor Speedway will continue to take relief donations each Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through the month of October. Collections will take place in the Silver Parking Lot directly across from the speedway’s main entrance (6558 Bruton Smith Blvd, Concord, N.C.).

In a powerful display of community and compassion, NASCAR and area race teams joined Charlotte Motor Speedway this week for a two-day Hurricane Relief Drive on Oct. 2-3, collecting essential items to support North Carolina mountain communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.

“The true heroes have been all the people and organizations that brought truckload after truckload of items to donate,” said Charlotte Motor Speedway President and General Manager Greg Walter. “Our Charlotte Motor Speedway staff was joined by teammates from our sister companies, NASCAR, area race teams and members of the community to help people who have literally lost everything. This has been an overwhelmingly positive response from fans and people in the community, and it’s a powerful reminder of what can happen when we all work together. We’re taking six more tractor-trailer loads of donations to North Wilkesboro Speedway today for distribution to people who really need it, to people who need hope.”

The two-day initiative at CMS mobilized more than 200 volunteers from Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR Productions, Hendrick Motorsports, Hendrick Automotive, Speedway Children’s Charities, Performance Racing Network and other companies to unload and sort donations. People from across North Carolina and states as far away as Maryland and Ohio arrived at the speedway Wednesday and Thursday with donations of bottled water, canned foods, dry goods, adult and baby hygiene items, first-aid and camping gear, pet supplies and much more. More than 400 pallets of donated items have been transported to North Wilkesboro Speedway for further distribution to North Carolina mountain areas in need. Tractor-trailers and cargo vans provided by SMI Properties, Hendrick Motorsports, Hendrick Automotive, Toyota Racing, NASCAR, ARCA Menard Series and Racing Electronics transported the donations.

“We are a sport that comes together to help and serve our racing communities, and Charlotte Motor Speedway and Speedway Motorsports have been great partners in offering up their facilities to make something like this possible,” said NASCAR Managing Director of Impact Strategy and Development Pete Stuart. “It has been an unbelievable effort by the industry and people in the Charlotte community – the turnout far exceeded our expectations, and it’s wonderful to see so many people rally around initiatives like this to help those affected by the devastation of Hurricane Helene.”

NWS is hosting a relief drive through this Sunday, Oct. 6, and so far, people as far away as Georgia and Florida have arrived with donated items. Wilkes County EMS officials are working with speedway staff to coordinate distribution to people in need across multiple mountain counties.

The relief efforts this week have been fueled by the unwavering support of the regional community and various organizations that have donated volunteers, equipment, relief items and supplies:

• NASCAR
• NASCAR Productions
• Performance Racing News (PRN)
• SMI Properties
• S. Legend Cars International
• Hendrick Motorsports
• Hendrick Automotive
• JTG Daugherty Racing
• Daniel Suárez, Trackhouse Racing, No. 99
• Trackhouse Racing Pit Crew
• Charlotte Knights
• Sonic Automotive
• TLC 4×4
• E2 Apparel
• Synders-Lance; Campbell Snacks
• Fleet Feet
• Race City Wraps
• Life Storage
• Trailer Transit Inc. of Porter, Indiana
• 704 Honda Club
• NewCo Electric
• Retail Sports Marketing
• Island Rec Association
• Carolina Flooring Inspections
• Low Country Vet
• Astro Watt Electric
• Faulkner Transport NC

“This is one of the reasons why this is the most amazing country in the world. Look at all the support from all the community, from all the people who just wanted to help,” said Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez as he and his wife, Julia, dropped off donations Wednesday. “It’s one of those things where it’s a shame that it happened, and I’m very very sad for many many people but with that being said, we have their backs and we’re supporting as much as possible. This is just the beginning. A little is going to help a lot, we’re going to be able to pull the community back because unfortunately, they’ve lost a lot.”

Those interested in further opportunities to assist the mountain regions, visit www.SamaritansPurse.org

— Charlotte Motor Speedway —

NASCAR Cup Series drivers advice for first-time fans at the Bank of America ROVAL 400

Each race weekend, Charlotte Motor Speedway creates memories for thousands of first-time fans. With new, crowd-facing track configurations and a line-up of can’t-miss events, fans – seasoned or first-timers – are in for an epic Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 weekend.

Here’s what some of the top NASCAR Cup Series drivers advise for fans to make the most of their weekend at the track:

Get There Early
At America’s Home for Racing, the fun doesn’t wait for the green flag. The Charlotte Motor Speedway Fan Zone has something to offer fans of all ages from the Joe Gibbs (JGR) Fan Fest on Friday from 4:30 to 7 p.m., to the action-packed EchoPark Automotive Coffee Cup Series all weekend long. Arrive early to immerse yourself in autograph sessions, meet-and-greets, interactive vendor displays and more.

Kyle Larson: “I think my advice for first-time fans would be get there early. Walk the grounds and go check out the atmosphere and the midways. Even during the race, if you get the opportunity to kind of move around and go to different seats and stuff and see the race from different perspectives, I think that would be good.”

Chase Briscoe: “Don’t just show up an hour before the race. Go early. Go to the fan zone and do all the interactive stuff. Try to get up by the wall and see the cars go by. You never know when your favorite driver will be going through the fan zone or walking through the garage area. So I’d definitely get there early, enjoy it, explore and just have a good time with it.”

Get in the Pits
Want an up-close NASCAR experience? Grab a Track Pass and get closer than ever. See the cars, watch driver introductions and catch pre-race concerts by NASCAR-favorite Tim Dugger and GRAMMY-nominated group, Eli Young Band all rocking the ROVAL™.

Martin Truex Jr.: “Just take it all in, you know, enjoy the race. Try to get up close, go into the pits if you can, that’s usually the best. Walk through the garage, check out the cars up close and then in there for practice, just feeling that horsepower and smelling the tires and the fuel burning. It’s a whole new experience if you’ve never been.”

Pick a Driver

Whether you’ve been a lifelong fan or searching for your next favorite driver, there’s no better way to experience the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 than by getting a Racing Electronics headset. Through the headsets, you can tune into your favorite team’s radio and get front-row access to all the strategy that goes into a win.
Christopher Bell: My advice for first-time fans is number one, pick a driver. Follow their day and make sure you rent the headsets so that you know what their strategy is and what’s going on.”

Austin Cindric: “My advice for a first-time race fan is to get a scanner so you can listen to the drivers, listen to the team, listen to the flow of information that’s happening because as cool as it is, and as different as it is for someone who’s never seen a car go 200 miles an hour before, let alone 40 of them all at the same time, to really understand the technicality of what the drivers and teams are going through to make it all possible to compete for the win. There’s a lot going on, and it’s worth having the perspective of it.”

Joey Logano: “I always say, get a scanner, get the headset and listen in to the teams and what’s going on. I feel like a lot of times our races are so complex that it’s really hard to explain it, especially because it’s so loud too, but also there are so many things going on. It’s not just cars going in circles, there’s so much strategy behind it that it brings a whole new element to the race when you can scan in and listen to what the teams are saying.”

Be There for the Start
Pre-race is always electric and is the perfect way to get pumped for the electric racing to follow – so you won’t want to miss it! Before the racing begins, enjoy pre-race activities that include NASCAR Hall of Famers Ricky Rudd and Carl Edwards firing up the crowd with the most famous words in motorsports, NASCAR legend Kyle Petty delivering Sunday’s invocation followed by “The Voice” runner-up Josh Sanders performing the national anthem. Get settled in for these heavy hitters before the cut-off Round of 12 race commences.

Brad Keselowski: “Do not miss the start of the race. This is probably my biggest piece of advice. Just the thrill and to feel the energy when they start those engines and those cars go by the first time at speed. Don’t be in the bathroom, don’t miss it, find a way to be there for it… It happens people are like, “I was in the bathroom’ How did you miss the start of the race? ‘Oh, I went down to the concession stand to get a hot dog,’ and you miss the start of the race!”
Embrace the NASCAR Experience

For those new to NASCAR, Charlotte Motor Speedway is the perfect place to dive in. With pre-race concerts, fan appreciation events like the Saturday night THOR Camper Party, a new track layout designed for maximum excitement and more, this year’s Bank of America ROVAL™400 promises a weekend they won’t forget.

Harrison Burton: “My advice would be just go to the racetrack with an open mind. I guarantee you will find something about this sport that you love. It’s got everything. It’s got wild rowdy fans if you’re in that demographic, it’s got really intense racing, really intense strategy for the people that are the sport’s purists. We’ve got kind of a party and then very serious fans, we’ve got a whole range of stuff going on, so just go with an open mind.”

Ryan Blaney: “You got to get to a race. That’s the biggest thing I tell new people is you have to experience it live in person because it is so much different than on the television. The sounds, the smells, the feeling, you know, of just the race cars going by and the sense of speed, you can’t get that on TV. So I always just encourage people if you maybe aren’t even a fan of the sport, you’re skeptical about it, or you’re kind of curious about it, just get to a race because it’ll change your whole mind, perspective and you’ll fall in love with it pretty easy.”

The Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 weekend is packed with can’t-miss action. As the drivers said, come early and be ready to make memories that’ll last a lifetime.

— Charlotte Motor Speedway —