• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10

In 2004, NASCAR star Kyle Petty and his wife Pattie set out on a mission to put kids with disabilities or serious illnesses on the fast track to embracing their lives. Their racing-themed Victory Junction Gang Camp opened its doors that year in Randleman, N.C., and welcomed children ages 7 to 15 who are in need of a dream-come-true experience and might not be able to attend other camps because of their medical needs.

Kyle and Pattie Petty founded the nonprofit camp to honor their son Adam, who tragically passed away at the age of 20 after his race car crashed on May 12, 2000. According to Victory Junction’s president, Dean Kessel, Adam was the charity’s original driving force.

“Before Adam died, he had a dream of helping kids less fortunate than he was. Pattie and Kyle were working with him on that before he passed, so it was really started with a vision that Adam created,” Kessel said.

The Petty family partnered with actor Paul Newman’s Association of Hole in the Wall Camps - a worldwide organization of camps for seriously ill children - to start their own camp primarily serving kids from North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Victory Junction accommodates children with more than 24 illnesses and disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome, spina bifida and cancer. Licensed medical volunteers are available during each camp session to ensure the health and safety of the campers.

Victory Junction has hosted almost 10,000 campers since opening in June 2004, Kessel said. That figure includes participants in its weeklong summer sessions focusing on specific illnesses and smaller events such as family retreat weekends held in spring and fall.

Kessel said the camp strives to host as many kids with as many illnesses and disabilities as possible for one simple reason: need.

“Kyle Petty has a saying that he often references when he’s speaking: ‘We could put a camp like this on every corner and still not meet the need,’” he said.

The camp’s kid-pleasing attractions are spread out over 72 acres of land donated by Richard and Lynda Petty and include a water park, theater, accessible lake for fishing and a miniature golf course.

Several NASCAR personalities have contributed attractions to the camp, including Jimmie Johnson’s bowling lanes, Tony Stewart’s maze and Michael Waltrip’s sports center. One of the newest attractions is Kurt Busch’s Superdome. The climate-controlled, domed field allows kids to play kickball, softball and other sports year-round.

Kessel said that during the Superdome’s opening, he was struck by the joy on the faces of parents sitting in the bleachers who watched their kids play kickball for the first time.

All Victory Junction programs are free to campers thanks to contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations. Kessel said that even competing corporations and NASCAR sponsors such as Lowe’s and The Home Depot have collaborated to bring new activities to the camp.

Kessel called the NASCAR community’s support the charity’s “lifeblood,” and he said the efforts to help the Petty family’s cause have been overwhelming.

“This is very much a family sport, and when the call goes out to help another family, it gets answered,” Kessel said. “That’s the magic of NASCAR.”

He recalled the words of one camper’s father during a recent event that brought home the importance of keeping Victory Junction an entertaining pit stop for kids who need an extra boost.

“The father of one of our campers stood up and said it’s the one time of year that his child is the envy of the other kids – because he gets to come to our camp,” Kessel said.

 In the Blogs:

Check out these Sexy Smart Cars