New Hampshire Motor Speedway's executive vice president and general manager, David McGrath, will join former NASCAR driver and NBC Sports racing analyst Kyle Petty as he revs up his Charity Ride Across America for the 24th year in a row. As one of the most successful and popular charity rides in the country, the Ride will travel down the East Coast this spring for the first time since 2011.
Starting in Portland, Maine on May 5 and ending in Greensboro, N.C. on May 11, Petty will lead 225 participants through nine states in seven days. The Ride will travel 1,200 miles to raise funds and awareness for Victory Junction - a camp dedicated to providing life-changing camping experiences for children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses.
"I love motorsports of any kind, but there's nothing better than taking on the open road with my Harley. I am psyched to be able to combine this passion of mine with the opportunity to bring this special charity ride to my home at New Hampshire Motor Speedway," says McGrath. "I would love to see a crowd of New Hampshire racing fans waiting to greet the riders as we arrive at the track."
Dubbed by Petty as "The Americana Tour," this year's route features many bucket list stops, sights and activities for participants, including victory laps at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway, the hallowed grounds of Woodstock, tours of the Martin Guitar Factory, Harley-Davidson Factory and Petty Museum, a visit to Manheim Pennsylvania - the world's largest auto auction - and so much more, but perhaps the most exciting part of the 2018 Ride will be its homecoming and finale celebration at Victory Junction.
"It's been more than seven years since we've been to the East Coast. We heard the requests of both our riders and fans, and we're excited to deliver a special route full of incredible surprises and experiences, like riding through Shenandoah National Park, which will be the 13th national park visited on the Ride," said Petty. "We'll also be ending the Ride at Camp this year, which always brings everything full circle. Year after year, all the miles we travel are for the kids at Victory Junction. They're the reason we ride."
Because of the Ride, 8,085 children have attended Victory Junction at no cost to their families. Last year alone, the Ride raised $1.3 million and sent 100 children to Camp. Victory Junction has served as the Ride's primary beneficiary since its establishment by Petty and his family in 2004 in honor of his late son, Adam.
Among the celebrities participating in this year's Ride are NASCAR Hall of Famer and seven-time champion Richard Petty, NASCAR legends Harry Grant, Hershel McGriff and Donnie Allison, current NASCAR driver David Ragan, former NASCAR driver and ESPN racing analyst Ricky Craven, former NFL great and Heisman Trophy winner (1982) Herschel Walker, Heisman Trophy winner (1980) and Super Bowl champion (XXII) George Rogers and NBC Sports NASCAR personalities Krista Voda, Rutledge Wood and Rick Allen.
Keep up with Petty and the Ride on social media at the following accounts:
For more information about the Ride or to donate, visit KylePettyCharityRide.com. For ticket information on all 2018 events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, including the July 20-22 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekend and the September 21-22 Full Throttle Fall Weekend, please stop by the ticket office, visit the speedway website at www.nhms.com, or call Fan Relations at (603) 783-4931.
