NASCAR star and philanthropist Kyle Petty brought his entourage to the Davidson County Airport on Wednesday to board two private planes for a quick
trip. But the flights weren’t to Daytona or Talladega — the planes were heading to Washington, D.C. And seven members of the entourage were young men and women from the Victory Junction camp and their parents, who were going to the White House to meet President Barack Obama before returning home in the evening. Petty and his wife, Pattie, are the founders of the Victory Junction camp in Randleman for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses, which they started in honor of their late son, Adam, who was killed in a racing accident. The camp has provided a weeklong camp experience for thousands of children ages 6 to 16 since it opened in June 2004. It has programs for 24 disease groups, from cancer and cystic fibrosis to sickle cell disease and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Petty and other NASCAR stars, including his father, Richard Petty, were recognized Wednesday by the president during “Champions Week” for their success in racing and their philanthropy. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson was honored at the South Lawn event as well as 2008 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and several past champions and special guests. “He’s really the one who brought philanthropy into NASCAR,” said Erin McCloskey, event coordinator for Victory Junction, about Kyle Petty. Petty, an avid motorcyclist, founded the Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America to benefit children’s causes, including Victory Junction, 15 years ago. She noted that many other NASCAR drivers and owners now have their own foundations and make donations to the camp — Johnson donated money for the camp’s bowling alley, Kurt Busch built an indoor baseball stadium, and Tony Stewart has also contributed to camp programs. McClosky said Victory Junction has been so successful a second camp is planned near Kansas City. Land has been purchased, and construction is set to begin next year.
Petty said he was pleased to be able to take some of the campers with him to meet the president and said he would invite Obama to come visit, as former President George W. Bush did in 2006.