NASCAR driver shifts gears for charity ride

NASCAR driver Kyle Petty recently made two pit stops in the Chicago suburbs. First, he was a commentator for TNT's broadcast of the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet. Then he rolled through the area again July 14 during his 3,000-mile Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America from Traverse City, Mich., to Savannah, Ga.

During the eight-day motorcycle trip, he and roughly 200 riders made their way through the Midwest and into the South to raise money for the Junction Victory Gang Camp that Petty and his wife, Pattie, founded in memory of their son. Adam Petty died on a racetrack in 2000. The camp provides a temporary haven for chronically ill children-some of whom hail from the Chicago area.

During his pit stop in Lombard, Petty talked about his charity but also racing and driving in general, and more.

Q. What do you think of Lombard and the Chicago suburbs?

A. You have some funky weather up here. I didn't know you had monsoons up here.

Q. What do you think of Chicago roads and drivers?

A. I've not seen anyone up here that can drive. How can you have tollways and the roads are so bad. We sat in traffic.

Q. When you're driving on the highways and surface streets, have you ever wanted to just bump another driver?

A. No. That's called road rage. You get arrested for that. It's not hard (driving on surface streets). You go with the flow, almost like it is on the racetrack.

Q. Do you get speeding tickets outside the racetracks?

A. I drive the speed limit. Don't print that. That's a lie (smiling). I haven't had a speeding ticket in 10 years. My record's pretty good.

Q. What do you think of your escorts?

A. The first thing I noticed was the 45 on that police car. Most of the things I have with 45 on it have track marks on them.

Q. Why do you think NASCAR has grown so much in recent years?

A. I don't have a clue. The sport hasn't changed.

Q. How did your charity ride begin?

A. It started just as a joke. A bunch of guys wanted to ride from California to Arizona. Our wives told us they'd all give us divorces. So we turned it into a bike-a-thon.

Q. How did that first ride go?

A. We left San Francisco. There were about 35 of us that first year. About an hour and a half into the ride, we stopped for gas. The lady locked the door and wouldn't let us buy gas. It was kinda funny. We've never been back. With prices of gas today, she'd probably open up.

Q. How much are you hoping to raise?

A. We don't set a goal for ourselves. We give what we get. The drivers people don't like and boo, they're the ones that do the most for camp Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. have done a lot. Their fans have helped us... They give from their hearts.

Q. How can individuals donate or join in next year's ride?

A. Go to www.kylepettycharityride.com.