NASCAR drivers make pit stop in Lombard

Racing fans, grab those car keys, start your engines and race over to Lombard on Monday for a pit stop with some NASCAR drivers.

NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and more than 250 riders participating in the annual Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America will be parking overnight at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center hotel. The caravan is traveling from Traverse City, Mich., to Savannah, Ga., to raise money for Victory Junction Gang and other charities that support chronically ill children.

NASCAR legends Richard Petty and Harry Gant, retired NFL running back Herschel Walker and supermodel Niki Taylor are among the famous riders making the eight-day trip that will cover more than 3,000 miles.

In honor of the caravan stopping in Lombard, a welcome party will be held in the parking lot of the hotel near the intersection of Butterfield Road and Highland Avenue. The public is invited to attend the free event, which starts about 4:15 p.m Monday.

"We're excited about it - really enthused," Lombard Village President William Mueller said. "It's a very worthwhile cause. It's good publicity for Lombard. I like to showcase our community."

The caravan is expected to arrive about 4:45 p.m. During the brief ceremony, Mueller and Kyle Petty will make a few statements. Fans can take photos, but Petty will not be available to sign autographs, publicist Caitlin Goodrich said.

Fans are invited to make another pit stop at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday to watch the caravan depart the Lilac Village.

Goodrich said Petty likes to stop over in smaller communities because the visits have a bigger impact.

"Kyle wants to raise as much awareness of the ride and its beneficiaries as possible, and this is a great way to do that," Goodrich said.

Since the first charity ride in 1995, roughly 5,700 participants have logged more than 7.2 million cumulative miles and donated more than $10.5 million to Victory Junction Gang, its camp for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses, and other charities that benefit ailing children, according to the Petty charity Web site.

The ride will start Sunday in Michigan, heading north around Lake Michigan into Wisconsin and to Elkhart Lake, where the caravan will have a pit stop before continuing south Monday through Milwaukee to Lombard. Next, they'll head for Lexington, Ky., then wind through West Virginia and North Carolina on the way to Georgia.

Taking a page out of Fox racing commentator and former NASCAR champ Darrell Waltrip's book: Boogity, boogity, boogity, let's go racin' boys.

If you go

What: Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride welcome party

When: 4:15 p.m. Monday

Where: Westin Lombard Yorktown Center hotel parking lot, near Butterfield Road and Highland Avenue, Lombard

Details: www.kylepettycharityride.com or www.villageoflombard.org