Overcast skies and a light drizzle fell over Cedar City, Utah, on May 3, but that wasn’t enough to dampen the morale of the crowds gathered at the southern end of town — or rows. A long line of smiling and waving riders as part of the Kyle Petty Cross-America Charity Trip came to greet the crowd.
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Often associated with four wheels rather than two, Kyle Petty started a charity motorcycling in 1995 to raise funds for children with chronic illnesses and conditions. The main beneficiary has been victory forka camp spread over 84 acres in Randleman, North Carolina, opened in 2004.
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Victory Junction is the dream of Adam, the son of Petty, who is also a car racer. When Adam Petty died in 2000, family and friends came together to make camp a reality. Since the charity ride began in 1995, more than 8,875 riders have logged nearly 12.6 million accumulated motorcycle miles and raised over $20 million for Victory Junction and charities for other children.
While Kyle Petty may be best known for his racing awards and commentary, in Episode 56 of Rider Magazine Insider PodcastPetty said horseman EIC Greg Drevenstedt that he has ridden motorcycles “forever”.
“And when I say ‘forever’, it’s almost forever,” he said. “I consider myself a motorcyclist. … Motorcyclists get on bicycles, and they go see the country. They go see everything. They discover. They want to be part of the world.”
Petty said there are many motorcyclists who want to contribute to charity activities.
“They are doing something they enjoy, and they find that they can do something they enjoy and still be able to help others.”
Along these routes, the 27th iteration of Kyle Petty’s Charity Ride began and ended in Salt Lake City in my home state of Wyoming, and included a ride along the United States Highway Term 50, “The Loneliest Road in America,” to Ely, Nevada, then southwest to Tonopah and continue on to Las Vegas for a lap around the track at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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After a stop in Las Vegas, the riders – about 175 of them, if you count the two-wayers – arrived in Cedar City around 5:30 p.m. Along the ride were some other familiar faces, including NASCAR Hall of Famer and seven-time champion (and Kyle’s father) Richard Petty, NASCAR legends Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace, former NFL great and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, and NBC Sports NASCAR character Rick Allen.
There was a line of people waiting for photos and autographs on everything from posters to t-shirts to motorcycle helmets. Among them was Terie Simcox, who was there with her sister and three of her sister’s colleagues. Simcox is a fan of both Kyle and Richard Petty but said she’s mostly there to watch the latter.
She said: “He is 85 years old and he is still as young as possible to do these charitable activities. “He is still there for his fans and for his community. But, of course, so did Kyle. They do a lot for the community, fundraisers and charities, and I think that’s amazing.”
Simcox also mentioned Kenny Wallace and how both he and Rick Allen made jokes as they made their way down the line.
“Together, they are hilarious,” she said. “It’s great to see them go out on their own to the public.”
She also said she was impressed that Herschel Walker accompanied the trip and was “friendly and gentle with the public, especially after such a rigorous political campaign.”
As for motorcycles, Simcox said her family doesn’t ride street bikes, but her husband has a Honda 450 and they “play dirty”.
“My husband used to race professionally, but that was three kids and 50 pounds ago,” she jokes.
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After Petty ran out of line, he stopped for a moment to talk to me.
There is a joke in southern Utah that when the pioneers came, they said that once the wind stopped blowing they would move on. Luckily it was just a light spring rain we got on May 3, but I told Petty they were lucky because this time of year is usually windy.
“You’re kidding,” he said and laughed, clearly familiar with the area. “It is windy, but it is a multi-directional wind. It just blows you all over the place, so that’s okay.”
Other than that, he said, the ride was fantastic, with temperatures in the mid-40s in the morning and mid-60s to low-70s during the day, though he admits that “Vegas is very warm. ”
When I asked him about his favorite part of the trip so far, he told me it was the section of Route 50 to Ely, then the route to Tonopah and out of Tonopah, but he also called the ride in The city of Cedar on Highway 56 is “beautiful.”
“When you go back through the valley and the mountains over there,” he said, pointing in the direction they had come, “with the snow on top that you can see, it’s great.”
After leaving Cedar City, the route will take riders to Moab, Utah, near both Arches and Canyonlands national parks.
Petty said the group thought they’d seen some great views so far, “but I kept telling them, ‘You all haven’t seen anything yet'”.
For more information on causes and donations, visit Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America Website.
