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“Bible Brings Kyle Petty Comfort, Purpose In Wake of Tragic Loss”

2000 Busch 200 Practice: New Hampshire International Speedway (May 13, 2000)

May 13, 2000.

It was one of the darkest days in NASCAR history. The sport had already seen its fair share of tragedy. Driving in circles at high speeds with varying degrees of safety equipment over a span of five decades can do that.

But when 19-year old Adam Petty crashed into the wall during a practice session at New Hampshire International Speedway, no one within the stock car racing world was prepared for the tragic result. Emergency workers cut through the roof and pulled him from the wreckage before transporting him to Concord Hospital where he later died of head trauma.

Adam was supposed to be first fourth generation driver to win a NASCAR race as he predictably followed in the sizeable footsteps of his great grandfather Lee, his grandfather Richard, and his father Kyle. Instead, his family was left devastated in the wake of its unfathomable loss.

For Kyle Petty, there was only one thing that could ease the pain.

“I must have got 20 million help books on how to deal with grief and how to deal with everything…the only help book there is, is the Bible,” he told CBN. “Walk to your Bible, open up your Bible and the Lord will lead you to a passage. There’s a relevant passage that he’ll lead you to what’s going on in your life today. And that’s everyday, that’s not just in hard times, that’s everyday.”

It wasn’t long after Adam’s death that the family began work on Victory Junction Gang Camp. Designed for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses, this racing-themed camp was something Adam had dreamed about developing a few years earlier. Moving forward with the plans was the best way Kyle knew to create a legacy for his son.

But serving others was already something that came natural. It could be traced back to Kyle’s grandmothers who grew up in small communities and actively helped people in need through their churches. Ultimately, Victory Junction Gang Camp paid homage to a principle he had learned from the iconic Bible verse found in Luke 6:31, which is commonly referred to as “The Golden Rule.”

“When somebody’s house burns down, the church is the first one there to try to do something,” Petty told Christian Sports Journal. “The church has the covered dish suppers to raise money for a family who’s lost something or had a tragedy. That’s faith in action. Do to others as you would have them do to you. That’s it. Everything sprouts from that.”