Prior to his crew’s stop in Joplin, Kyle Petty spoke of the brotherhood, family and community aspect that comes with being within the NASCAR circle. He said that when one driver or former driver has an event that they want their peers to be a part of, everyone shows up.
During Tuesday’s stop in Joplin for the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, Clint Bowyer reiterated that.
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“That’s exactly what it is. It’s beyond brotherhood. It’s family,” the former NASCAR Cup Series auto racer said. “When I came in the sport, it’s guys like Kyle Petty, Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace, and you look over your shoulder, and lo and behold, they’re still together today.
“That brotherhood that he speaks of is genuine and it’s real, and it’s an easy answer when somebody asks you to come join the Kyle Petty Charity Ride. Hell, yes.”
Both Schrader and Wallace were also on the trip.
Bowyer, an Emporia, Kansas, native, joined the team of riders in Wichita on Monday night before heading down to Joplin. He said he had plans to stick around for the next two or three days after Tuesday before heading to Watkins Glen International for the next race of the NASCAR season in New York.
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He added that Petty does it “the right way” to be able to have a safe trip that gets out to meet the fans and raises money for a good cause for Victory Junction, a camp for children with disabilities and illnesses.
The stop in Joplin featured a family atmosphere as Kyle’s wife, Morgan and their kids were along for the journey. Kyle Petty’s dad, Richard Petty, was also in attendance.
“It’s just a heck of a good cause. All these guys have a good time going across the country making up money for Victory Junction camp,” the 88-year-old NASCAR legend said of the event.
After circling through the lot and filling all of nearly 200 motorcycles with gasoline, Kyle Petty, Richard Petty and Bowyer went into Joplin 44 Petro to visit with fans and sign autographs because the weather wasn’t the fairest that afternoon.
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“It’s just a little windy, a little chilly. But the store here let everybody come inside, which is great. I really thank them for letting us stop here and be here,” Kyle Petty said. “Everybody in Joplin, it’s just been a fun crowd. It’s a lot of fun.”
He couldn’t come into the hometown of friend and former competitor Jamie McMurray without a jab.
“We came to Jamie McMurray’s hometown just to sign autographs and make him look bad. That’s what I told him,” Petty said with a laugh. “It’s been a lot of fun to meet all the fans. They’ve all got different memorabilia from Kenny Wallace to my dad’s stuff.”
From Bowyer’s words to the photos taken, the shaking of hands and smiles on faces, the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America displayed that the NASCAR family is all over the country indeed.
