The Petty name has been synonymous with NASCAR from its inception with Lee Petty being one of the early pioneers of the sport. Over the span of four generations they’ve had great success and continue to, undoubtedly leaving a lasting mark on the sport we all love. In 2000, the family lost Adam Petty at nineteen years of age in a racing accident. Loss is not something you get over or move on from but rather move forward with and if you can muster the strength, you can give even the most difficult of losses purpose. That is what the Petty family was able to do by taking Adam’s passion and dream of creating a camp specifically for children with disease, illness and/or disability to attend unhindered and they named it Victory Junction.
I had the honor of sitting down with Richard Petty, Adam’s granddad and one of only three seven-time Cup Series Champions to ask him more about Victory Junction. The conversation with Petty took place in the Petty Museum in Randleman, NC. It began lighthearted when autographs came up. Petty is endearingly known for always being willing to sign autographs for fans, something he still makes time to do nearly every day. I wondered if he ever tires of it, to which he responded with a smile, “No, never. Those are the people that made it happen. I didn’t make it happen. I’m just part of it”. From that moment, I knew this interview was going to impart wisdom on me and I was all ears. Petty said he “didn’t do anything by [himself]”. Everyone in the Petty family has contributed to the business whether or not they were behind the wheel. He said, “Nobody has ever worked for me. They’ve worked with me — there’s a difference”. I commented that he has built quite a legacy, to which he humbly replied, “I’ve just been here a long time. That’s what causes legacy.” It’s true the Petty family has left a lasting impact on NASCAR, but perhaps the real legacy is how they turned their tragedy into purpose by bringing Adam’s dream to life.
After a visit with his father Kyle to Camp Boggy Creek in Florida, a medically safe camp for afflicted children, is when Adam decided NC needed something like that, too. Adam had been making visits to pediatric hospitals through his partnership with Sprint, so he had already been feeling a pull to further help afflicted children. Petty said, “He realized how lucky he was to be able to do what he was doing and it really hit home with him”. As an 18-year-old kid at the time, he knew what he wanted to do with money he received from his budding racing career and was taking steps to make it happen. Unfortunately, the accident happened before he was able to bring to fruition what had been placed on his heart, but he had been vocal with his family and others about his dream. Once the shock of losing Adam passed, his family knew how they wanted to honor Adam’s life. They had a family meeting where the question asked was “Are we going to do this?” and hands began raising up in favor to picking up where Adam left off to turn his vision into reality. They gained affiliation with SeriousFun Children’s Network, founded by Paul Newman and in June 2004, they had their first campers. Twenty-one years later, the camp continues to bless, grow and inspire the campers, volunteers, staff and anyone who has visited. Petty shared, “This is something that might’ve taken Adam years to get it done, but he would’ve eventually got it done.”
Victory Junction began on 84 acres of land donated by Richard and his late wife, Lynda. Over the years they acquired more acreage and this past December, Petty donated 403 more adjoining acres. He shared, “I wanted to protect what all the people had invested in to take care of the kids” and this was his way of doing that. Victory Junction is a year-round camp for kids ages 6-16 years old who have complex medical and physical needs that may inhibit them from attending other camps due to lack of support and resources. At Victory Junction, the kids are in a medically safe and exhilarating environment where they are challenged to conquer various activities for the first time such as horseback riding, zip lining, bowling, archery and more. Petty shared, “all the sudden they find out they’re not the only people in the world who are afflicted, so they make up buddies and a lot of them stay connected after they leave.” Medical staff is onsite 24/7 to tend to the campers’ medical needs without taking away from the fun they’re having. Petty says, “It frees them up so much it’s unreal. It changes their attitude, lets them join the world instead of being isolated completely.”
Next month, we’ll further step inside the gates of Victory Junction as we learn more about its success and impact on not only the kids, but the Petty family and NASCAR as well.
