225 participants completed a week-long scenic journey, traveling 1,500 miles across Nevada and Utah to raise funds to send kids with chronic medical illnesses to camp at Victory Junction
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 23, 2023 – The Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America today announced it raised more than $1.7 million after completing its 27th Anniversary Ride, which took place April 29 - May 5, 2023. Funds raised directly benefit Victory Junction – a camp in Randleman, North Carolina servicing children with chronic medical illnesses. The Ride's donation support summer camperships, building projects and maintenance programs - including upkeep of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Water Park.
Former NASCAR driver and racing analyst Kyle Petty led more than 125 motorcycles on a seven-day trek, covering over 1,500 miles across picturesque scenes in Nevada and Utah. The Ride started and ended in Salt Lake City, and made overnight stops in Ely, Tonopah, Las Vegas, Cedar City and Moab.
All along the Ride's 2023 route, fans come from miles around to welcome the Ride, meet celebrity riders and support the cause. Highlights included visits Bonneville Salt Flats, venturing down the loneliest road in America (Highway 50), taking off-road Jeep tours in Tonopah, shutting down Las Vegas Boulevard with a police escort to The Mirage, lapping the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, riding scenic Highway 12 and Highway 14, passing through Capitol Reef National Park, receiving the first-ever key to the city in Hanksville, exploring Legends Motorcycle Museum and so much more.
“We had a phenomenal Ride! But I knew all along that Nevada and Utah would not disappoint. These are two of the most beautiful states to ride motorcycles in," said Petty. "Everywhere we stopped, we were greeted with open arms from fans near and far. And we also had a handful of Victory Junction campers come out to see us along our route. Seeing their excitement and gratitude for our riders is incredible. It really puts into perspective what and who we are riding for. All of our miles lead to all of their smiles!"
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.
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.
"We could not do what we do each year on the Ride without the generosity of our sponsors," said Petty. "Some of our sponsors have been a part of the Ride since the very beginning. They do so much more than just make contributions to support our cause. From providing gifts to our riders to funding meals, fuel and/or activities, they have a genuine passion for making the Ride a memorable experience for everyone involved."
The 2023 Ride was made possible by presenting sponsor Cox Automotive, as well as Coca-Cola, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Dodge Law, Racing Electronics, WinCraft Racing, FLUIDYNE Racing Products, Petty Family Foundation, Headbands of Hope, Piedmont Moving Systems, Wiley X, Blue Emu, Goody’s and Fuel Me.
This year's Ride also featured several celebrity riders, including NASCAR Hall of Famer and seven-time champion Richard Petty; NASCAR legends Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace; former NFL great and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker; and NBC Sports NASCAR personality Rick Allen.
To look back at Petty and the riders' journey, check out their posts on social media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kpcharityride and www.facebook.com/kylepetty45
Instagram: www.instagram.com/kpcharityride and www.instagram.com/kylepetty
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kpcharityride and www.twitter.com/kylepetty
For more information about the 27th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America or to donate, please visit www.kylepettycharityride.com.
About Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America
Led by former NASCAR driver and racing analyst Kyle Petty, the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America is an annual cross-country motorcycle trek that raises funds and awareness for Victory Junction. The Ride is one of the most successful and popular charity events in the country. Since its inception in 1995, more than 9,100 riders have logged nearly 12.8 million cumulative motorcycle miles and raised more than $21 million for Victory Junction and other children’s charities.
About Victory Junction
Victory Junction is a year-round camping facility for children with serious illnesses and chronic medical conditions. Co-founded by Kyle Petty and his family in honor of his son Adam, Victory Junction provides life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, in a medically-safe environment, always free of charge. In addition to traditional camp sessions, Victory Junction’s REACH program takes camp experiences to children and their families at hospitals, clinics, and in Ronald McDonald Houses throughout North and South Carolina.
Since opening in 2004, Victory Junction has delivered more than 115,000 camp experiences and has served children from all fifty states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, as well as four countries. Victory Junction is a member of the SeriousFun Children’s Network of Camps founded by Paul Newman, and is accredited by the American Camp Association. To learn more, please visit victoryjunction.org.
About Cox Automotive (www.coxautoinc.com)
Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider. Fueled by the largest breadth of first-party data fed by 2.3 billion online interactions a year, Cox Automotive tailors leading solutions for car shoppers, automakers, dealers, retailers, lenders and fleet owners. The company has 25,000+ employees on five continents and a family of trusted brands that includes Autotrader®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital™ and vAuto®. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with $21 billion in revenue. Visit coxautoinc.com or connect via @CoxAutomotive on Twitter, CoxAutoInc on Facebook or Cox-Automotive-Inc on LinkedIn.
Comments