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The KPCRAA group rides through Monument Valley in 2022. (Photos courtesy KPCRAA)
More than 30 years ago, a small group of friends swung legs over their bikes in North Carolina and rode to a race in Phoenix, Arizona, picking up more friends along the way. During that ride, third-generation NASCAR driver Kyle Petty had a thought.
“It dawned on me while we were riding that night: How cool would it be if we rode motorcycles and just picked up people along the way and did it all for charity?”
The 1995 ride included a stop at Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home in Memphis, Tennessee.
And that’s exactly what they did. In 1995, a group of about 35 riders rode from San Francisco to North Carolina, giving money to support causes along the way. They had so much fun that they did it again the next year, and then the next, and the next. Now the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America is planning its 30th anniversary ride based on that original route from 1995.
Celebrities along the 1995 ride stopped by the site of the Auto Club Speedway near Fontana, California, before the speedway was built.
To learn more about this ride, its history, and its cause, I got in touch with Kyle Petty. Even though he and his team were busy planning the 30th anniversary ride, he was happy to take some time to chat with me. Petty is a down-to-earth guy, and although we’ve never met, speaking to him felt like talking to an old friend.
The 30th anniversary ride takes place in May, when about 150 motorcycles and more than 200 people, including several NASCAR racers and other celebrities, will depart from Sonoma, California, and begin a nine-day ride to North Carolina. The destination is Victory Junction, a camp for kids with chronic illnesses and the ride’s primary beneficiary.
Riding by Sedona, Arizona, in 2003.
Victory Junction was founded in memory of Petty’s oldest son, Adam, who died in a racing accident in 2000. Since the camp’s opening in 2004, they’ve been able to send more than 140,000 kids and their families to camp free of charge. Petty said that although the annual ride’s route changes each year, the group makes sure to visit Victory Junction every two to three years.
“We touch base and let everybody know this is what we’re doing it for. We go by as often as possible.”
Kyle and Adam rode side by side during the 2000 ride.
Before reaching Victory Junction, the ride will spend nine days crossing the country, including U.S. Route 50 (the “Loneliest Road in America”) and parts of the original Route 66. They’ll stay in a different city every night, and each overnight stop will be a chance for the community to come out and meet the riders and celebrities. Petty said those fan events are one of his favorite parts of the ride.
Adam Petty greets kids along the 2000 KPCRAA, weeks before his accident.
“We have stopped at gas stations in Utah and west Texas where you’ve not seen a house or anything but big farms forever and ever. Then you get to a gas stop, and there’s 65-70 people standing in line to get Richard Petty’s autograph or Herschel Walker’s autograph. How many times are you going to meet a guy who’s won 30 stock car races and a Heisman Trophy winner in the middle of New Mexico?”
The riders visit Victory Junction in 2007.
In addition to Kyle Petty, Kyle’s dad Richard Petty, and Herschel Walker, fans who show up to the events along the 2026 ride will have the opportunity to meet celebrities like Bill Davidson of Harley-Davidson, TV host Rutledge Wood, and race drivers Kenny Wallace, Ken Schrader, and Matt Kenset.
“We want people to come out,” said Petty. “We want fans to come.”
Greeting fans in Ten Sleep, Wyoming.
After 30 years of organizing and participating in these rides, the KPCRAA team has the logistics figured out. Petty describes the experience as “like a cruise.” Each morning, participants bring their luggage down from their hotel room to be loaded onto the luggage truck, which departs before the riders so it can arrive early at the next hotel. Then participants eat breakfast before riding out for the day. In swag bags, participants get a T-shirt for each day of the ride, provided by the ride’s sponsors. Once they reach the hotel, luggage has already been dropped in each participant’s room. Two doctors and two nurses travel with the group to provide medical aid if necessary, along with a large support team to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Left to right: Davis Love III, Herschel Walker, and Kyle Petty visit a children’s hospital in 2006.
To keep the ride manageable, the KPCRAA is capped at about 125-150 motorcycles each year, so applying early is essential to getting a spot. To keep everyone as safe as possible, applicants must send in a video displaying proficiency with slow cone work in a parking lot, and they must take a safety class before the event.
Riding through Yellowstone National Park in 2017.
“Everybody’s there to raise money to send kids to camp, and it’s all fun. But in the end, safety never takes a holiday. And safety is our most important thing. It takes priority over everything.”
A snowy ride to Deadwood, South Dakota.
Although more than 100 motorcycles join the rides, Petty says the community is tight-knit, with many participants returning year after year.
A Victory Junction camper greets Richard and Kyle Petty in Las Vegas.
“Once you go on this ride, you become part of the charity ride family. It’s hard to explain to somebody that doesn’t understand it. I think we’ve got 50 or 60 people who have gone 20 years or more on this ride. And those are the people, when somebody has a wedding, you’ll see them at the wedding. If there’s a funeral, you’ll see them at the funeral. They may be in California, they may be in New York, the wedding may be in Tennessee, but they fly there just to be a part of it, because they feel a part of that family.”
KPCRAA riders, including Jody Perewitz, visit the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2023.
Apart from the charity ride family that is formed on the rides, literal families also participate. Petty told me the story of a man named John who went on the very first ride in 1995. Years later, John’s two sons joined him on the ride. After some time, his grandson also joined the ride. Before John had quit riding, the family was represented by three generations riding together.
The 2024 route took the KPCRAA riders past Mount Rushmore.
To those wanting to use motorcycle riding to support their own causes, Petty recommends starting local and letting the community grow naturally.
Sending kids to camp is what it’s all about.
“This charity ride is a huge phenomenon, but don’t think it started that way. You just got to put your toe in the water and start somewhere. Whether it’s a local ride for a family whose house is burnt down, whether it’s a local ride to send a kid to have surgery, whether it’s a local ride to build a community center and build something in your own town. Start somewhere, and as long as you believe in it, other people will believe in it too, and it’ll grow.”
The KPCRAA visits Victory Junction often to remind riders what it’s all for.
Petty’s ride is proof of his words. Since its beginning, nearly 9,600 riders have logged more than 13.3 million cumulative miles on these rides, and more than $23 million has been raised to support Victory Junction and other children’s charities.
Although the 30th anniversary ride is already full, Petty encourages everyone to come out to the evening fan events when the ride passes through your area on its way east. You’ll get to meet the celebrity riders and other participants, and you’ll have the chance to support Victory Junction. If everyone else on the ride is half as friendly as Kyle, you’re sure to have a great time.
Listen to our interview with Kyle Petty on the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast
The 30th anniversary of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America takes place May 1-9, beginning in Sonoma, California, and ending in Charlotte, North Carolina. More information can be found at KylePettyCharityRide.com.
2026 KPCR Route/Daily 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
The post 30th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America Preview appeared first on Rider Magazine.
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