Kyle Petty’s 25th Annual Charity Ride Lead 250 Riders Through 11 States in Nine Days Covering Approximately 3,700 Miles

Published on July 11, 2019 under Born To Ride

Kyle Petty’s 25th Annual Charity Ride Lead 250 Riders Through 11 States in Nine Days Covering Approximately 3,700 Miles

Former NASCAR driver and NBC Sports racing analyst Kyle Petty celebrated the 25th anniversary of his annual Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America by leading the longest route in the Ride’s history. As one of the most successful and popular charity rides in the country, the Ride traveled a true corner-to-corner route across the United States – starting in Seattle, Washington, on May 3 and ending in Key Largo, Florida, on May 11. On this milestone anniversary route, Petty lead 250 participants, including more than 30 new Riders, through 11 states in nine days. Presented for the seventh year in a row by Manheim®, North America’s leading provider of used vehicle services and the host of two stops along the route at Manheim Seattle and Manheim Tampa, the Ride traveled nearly 3,700 miles to raise funds and awareness for Victory Junction – a camp dedicated to providing life-changing camping experiences for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Traveling from Washington to Florida, this year’s trek will be offered a variety of incredible scenic views. From the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the red rock terrain in Utah to the Colorado hot springs and the Rocky Mountains to the North Central Plains of Texas and the Louisiana bayou, and onto the Everglades and sunny Florida beaches, Petty concurs this 25th Anniversary Ride was the ride of a lifetime. Spectators along the 2019 route were encouraged to attend one of the Ride’s nine overnight stops to greet Petty and the riders.

Courtney Lambert of Wide Open Radio and Kory Souza Originals actually rode on the ride and commented “This was the ride of a lifetime, truly! We covered 11 states and every type of terrain imaginable: from mountains, canyons, plains, bayous, and Everglades. Surprisingly, the biggest challenge was the weather throughout Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi; as a Floridian I thought surely the cold weather in the PNW would be the hardest to deal with, but it was a breeze compared to the tornadoes, violent crosswinds and torrential downpour that came once we started heading east across the southern states. Above everything, the part of this experience for which I am most grateful is becoming a part of the incredible group of people who make up the KPCR family. I was honored to have been chosen as the Angel Rider for this very special 25th Anniversary ride by David Andreas. Unfortunately, David passed away before the ride – so I rode in his memory and was fortunate enough to have his family waiting at the finish line for me in Key Largo. I was overwhelmed by the sense of support and welcoming I felt from the first day and the sadness I felt on the last day when we realized we were going back to our normal lives. This was the most well-organized event I’ve ever been a part of and the kindness and generosity of this group were inspiring. I encourage everyone to check out www.victoryjunction.org to learn more about this amazing cause and what can be done to help support this life-changing camp for seriously ill children and their families.”

Because of the Ride, 8,185 children have attended Victory Junction at no cost to their families. Victory Junction is a year-round camping environment for children, ages six to 16, with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses. Co-founded by Kyle Petty and his family in honor of their son Adam, the camp is located in Randleman, North Carolina. Last year alone, the Ride raised $1.3 million and sent 100 children to 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.