Kyle Petty Charity Ride makes stop in Hub City

NASCAR driver Kyle Petty is usually a part of the pack of 43 cars going around the track in stock car races.

On Friday, he was leading a pack of motorcycle riders through West Tennessee on Interstate 40 on the way to Nashville and ultimately back to Greensboro, N.C., as part of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride. Former NFL running back Herschel Walker and golfer Davis Love III also participated with about 100 other riders.

"This is great to do this with so many people," Petty said of the ride, now in its 15th year. "We started out helping a few different children's hospitals, but then after we built Victory Junction, all of the money started going toward that."

Victory Junction is a camp in Randleman, N.C., for children with chronic medical issues or serious illnesses that holds camps for about 3,800 kids per year. The idea was started by Petty's son, Adam, who was killed in a wreck during practice at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on May 12, 2000.

"I think Adam would be embarrassed at how big one of his ideas has become, to be honest," Kyle Petty said of Victory Junction, which broke ground on a second camp in Kansas City during the ride's stop there on Wednesday. "But we want to help as many people as we can, and we're glad we can do it in honor of Adam."

Walker, who won the Heisman Trophy at Georgia in 1982 before going on to the NFL, said the ride combines two things he likes to do: Riding motorcycles and raising money for charity.

"I got started in this about four years ago when Pattie Petty was talking about this," Walker said. "I've always loved motorcycles and getting involved in rides, so I showed up four years ago and (have) ridden every year since."