CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyle Petty and Morgan Petty have long known the importance of the annual Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, but another member of the family had an up-close experience.
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This helped their son Overton put a different perspective on Victory Junction, the camp that helps children dealing with medical issues enjoy special experiences that they may not otherwise have.
"There's a little boy at our son's school," Morgan told FanBuzz. "He was in kindergarten, and Kyle went to the school, and he was a mystery reader and read a book to the school.
"And this little boy came up to us afterwards and said, 'Mr. Kyle, I go to your camp.' And he is a sweetest little boy in a wheelchair. Has just this awesome energy to him. He's such a precious child, and he had been to Victory Junction for three summers."
As it turns out, this child's mother had also messaged the Petty family and said that Victory Junction had changed his life.
But the story did not end there. A major moment occurred later, one that the family did not expect.
Photo credit: Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America
"We were at camp over the summer, and we saw him, and it was just an emotional moment," Morgan said. "Because for us, that brought on a new meaning to Victory Junction for our (son). Not only are your daddy and your mommy running a motorcycle ride, and we're riding across country and we're raising money for camp, but this brings it home to him at 7 years old.
"To know that what we're doing is sending a child he goes to school with to Victory Junction. And (our children) know that at Victory Junction, these kids get to do things that they can't normally do. And it's not a camp for Overton because he's fortunate that he can go to other camps, but this is a camp just for kids like this little boy and other kids like him.
"For that one week, they're not different, and everyone there is just like them. And he's not just another...he's not the kid in the wheelchair. He's known by his name there, and he's not identified by his diagnosis."
This connection continued after the day in the classroom and the reunion at Victory Junction. Every time that the Petty family goes to Overton's school, they rolls down the windows and yell to the little boy and his father.
This continues the fun back and forth between the families. It also continues to serve as a reminder to the Petty children, to the point that all three have listed some goals for their future.
"Overton, our oldest, said he was going to run the Charity Ride and work like mommy," Morgan said. "Cotton said he wanted to sign autographs like daddy (laughs), and our littlest one, Davant, said he wants to ride a motorcycle."
Dinner at the office with Morgan! You know the @kpcharityride is coming soon when this happens! pic.twitter.com/haidzIlZTd
— Kyle Petty (@kylepetty) April 16, 2026
These answers could be expected from three children who have already traveled the country multiple times over while the Petty family has planned out the annual Charity Ride routes. They have seen things that people decades older never will.
Yet, these words have a deeper meaning for Petty, who has started teaching their children how to ride so that being on a motorcycle becomes second nature.
"So ultimately, it is to pass that love of motorcycles, that love of giving to other people, to help other people," Petty said about the time with the children. "And that caring spirit. I hope that that's what Overton and Cotton and Davant carries forward.
"And I hope that's what they learned from this, as much as anything else. And if they're still working here at the Charity Ride when they're 40 or 50 years old and they're still doing the Ride, then I know they're still looking after their mama too."
Petty and Morgan have already taken steps to ensure the future, even if their children don't take over. Back in 2015, they founded the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Trust with the purpose of continuing to fund Victory Junction even when they can't hold the annual trip across the United States.
This Trust became crucial when COVID disrupted planned events. They didn't have to stop the donations to Victory Junction, so they continued to send children facing medical challenges to camp.
One of the goals for the near future is to build the Trust to the point that the donations can continue without impacting the principal. It can become that reliable source of funding to support children in need.
"So we make sure that every kid that comes, comes because we raise money for that one week," Petty said. "And we'd like to grow that to the point where, hey, instead of having eight weeks, they have 16 weeks. Instead of having 16 weeks, they have 32.
"So I think that's the ultimate goal of what camp is. And our ultimate goal is to continue to support them and to be there for them so that they can see more kids."
The entire family will continue to pursue this goal on May 1-9 as they take part in the 30th anniversary of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride.
This event will take hundreds of riders from Sonoma Raceway to Charlotte, North Carolina, with stops at numerous historic sites. This includes Elvis Presley's home and the original Bass Pro Shops.
Full Kyle Petty Charity Ride Schedule
- Day 1, Friday, May 1 - Sonoma, CA to Ely, NV
- Day 2, Saturday, May 2 - Ely, NV to Moab, UT
- Day 3, Sunday, May 3 - Moab, UT to Colorado Springs, CO
- Day 4, Monday, May 4 - Colorado Springs, CO to Wichita, KS
- Day 5, Tuesday, May 5 - Wichita, KS to Springfield, MO
- Day 6, Wednesday, May 6 - Springfield, MO to Memphis, TN
- Day 7, Thursday, May 7 - Memphis, TN to Chattanooga, TN
- Day 8, Friday, May 8 - Chattanooga, TN to Asheville, NC
- Day 9, Saturday, May 9 - Asheville, NC to Charlotte, NC
