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Kyle Petty

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Inducted: 2007
Induction Class: Kyle Petty (NASCAR), Dikembe Mutombo (Basketball), Edgar Martinez (Baseball)
Sport: NASCAR
Years Active: 1979-present
Born: June 2, 1960
Birthplace: Randleman, NC
Community Focus: Health & Disease, Children & Youth
Foundation: Victory Junction Gang Camp

Kyle Petty, a 28-year NASCAR veteran with more than 750 career Cup starts, was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame along with the NBA’s Dikembe Mutombo and Baseball’s Edgar Martinez as part of the class of 2007.  The Randleman, N.C. native was the Hall of Fame’s first NASCAR inductee.

Petty’s first test in a major league stock car race resulted in winning the 1979 Daytona ARCA 200. Since then, he has collected eight victories on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit including two top-fives and nine top-10s in 1997 – his first year as a car owner. In 2006, he brought the No. 45 back into the top-35 in owner points.

In 2004, Petty established the Victory Junction Gang Camp (in memory of his late son, Adam, who lost his life on the NASCAR track.  The North Carolina camp annually brings together over 2,000 children ages 7 to 15, who are battling similar health issues, for life-changing camping experiences. The camp, opened by Petty and his wife Pattie on 72 acres of land donated by father Richard and Lynda Petty and with the help of an initial $24 million capital campaign. The camp, which is par of the Paul Newman founded Hole in the Wall Gang Camps association, is operated entirely through contributions of corporations, organization and individuals along with the assistance of some 2,000 volunteers each year. For his efforts Petty was named NASCAR Winston Cup Illustrated “Person of the Year”