The Shadow
“The scenery…beautiful scenery. The winding roads, and – golley man – the mountains.”
That’s the answer former NASCAR driver and current NBC Sports racing-commentator Kyle Petty gave The Virginian Review when asked why he chose the stretch of highway between Bath County, V.A., and Summers County, W.Va., for his “Charity Ride Revival.”
“It’s like every corner is a postcard,” Petty said. “But most importantly, and I will say this with all honesty, it’s the people. [ ] They are just so nice, man, so kind.”
Then Petty added with a laugh: “A lot of race fans in that area, so that helps!”
Petty, who retired from the racetrack in 2008, was raised in the small community of Level Cross, in Randolph County, North Carolina. While the success of his nearly 30-year career behind the wheel of a stock car has taken him far from those humble beginnings, the rural-lifestyle remains close to his heart.
“There’s a volunteer fire department, and a baseball field,” Petty said. “That’s the community I grew up in. The people here remind me of that. They care – they give. You know, I put the scenery first. But really, it’s the people. They’re just so kind.”
Petty, himself, is no stranger to kindness. This year’s three-day Charity Ride Revival will serve almost as a “reboot” of the annual “Ride Across America” event which serves to “raise funds and awareness to provide life-changing camping experiences for so many deserving kids living with chronic medical illnesses.”
The first Ride Across America took place in 1995. Since then, 25 successful events have been held, raising more than $19 million for charities, such as Victory Junction, which support chronically-ill children. However, last year, the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to what would have been the 26th Ride Across America event. Although a measure of control has recently been exerted over the pandemic through the administration of vaccinations, as well as other mitigation strategies, the event’s full-return was not yet feasible.
“In 2021, things started to move and shake, but not fast enough for us to do our ride cross-country,” Petty said. “So we decided we would phone our riders and find a place that they love to go, and the Homestead was a place that they all wanted to go. We decided that we would do a local ride.”
The Charity Ride Revival will begin on Tuesday, September 21, at the National D-Day Memorial, in Bedford. Day two will see Petty and his fellow riders make their way to Seneca Rocks. And on Thursday, September 23, the third and final day of the event, the riders will conclude their trek at the New River Gorge National Park and Reserve.
“We’re going to stay at the Homestead there in Hot Springs,” Petty explained. “Then over to the D-Day Memorial, and back to Hot Springs. Then we’ll go up to Seneca Rocks and back. And then we’re going over to the New River Gorge Bridge and come back.”
Petty went on to say that the riders have never before been based out of a single hotel for the duration of the event.
“This is something different for us – something different for the riders. That’s kind of why we’re calling it the ‘Charity Ride Revival.’ Bringing everybody together under one tent, and we’re having a revival and bringing everybody back.”
As those local to the area already know, the route that has been chosen for this year’s ride is perhaps one of the most picturesque in the nation.
“We were out back in April or May for a sight inspection,” Petty told The Virginian Review. “We drove it in a car, and I wanted to get out. I wanted right then to get on a motorcycle and ride it – that’s how pretty it is. It’s beautiful in a car, which means it’ll be breathtaking on a bike.”
The Kyle Petty Charity Ride Revival continues the developing trend of high-profile sports figures and celebrities joining the cause for positive change in the lives of Virginia and West Virginia’s young people. This past May, WV Game Changer held a successful event at the Greenbrier, in White Sulphur Springs, to raise both funds and awareness for the fight against opioid and substance misuse. Former college and NFL star Ryan Leaf, as well as Alabama head football coach Nick Saban were among those in attendance.
“I think it’s wonderful that Kyle Petty is bringing an event of this magnitude here,” said WV Game Changer Executive Director Joe Boczek. “The Petty family has set a wonderful example of how to give back. The success they’ve experienced on the racetrack is exceeded only by the heart that they have for kids. They’re just such a wonderful family.”
Boczek went on to say, “I really hope that, in some small way, Game Changer can emulate what the Petty’s have done for so many kids.”
But with this year’s “reboot” of the charity ride, Petty hopes to do more than just raise money for young people – he wants to meet some of them, as well.
In conclusion, Petty said, “Listen, the main thing is this: we are gonna be at the Homestead from the twentieth, and there will still be a few of us there on that Friday, the twenty-fourth. This is a simple ride – we’re just going out and back. If you’re a fan and you want your photo taken with Richard Petty, or some of our celebrities that are gonna be around, please come out, man. We want people to come out. [ ] It’s an opportunity to see my dad (Richard Petty), to see David Reagan – to see myself, and all the other guys that are riding with us. So please come hang out. We wanna talk to people!”
