Adam’s Legacy: the Petty family’s Victory Junction Gang Camp in N.C.

[Guest guest]

Adam’s Legacy: Late driver’s presence is everywhere at the Petty

family’s Victory Junction Gang Camp in N.C.

By DAVID NEWTON Posted on Fri, Jun. 18, 2004

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/8952053.htm

RANDLEMAN, N.C. — A light drizzle fell as and Pattie Petty began

the opening ceremony for the Victory Junction Gang Camp on 75 acres of

rolling hills not far from the race shop of NASCAR’s most famous family.

Some said they were tears from heaven.

Some were more specific, saying they were the tears of Adam Petty.

That’s because this camp for kids ages 7-15 with chronic or

life-threatening illness was founded in honor of Adam.

“I know how important it was to Adam to have the best of the best,” said

Adam’s sister, Mongomery Lee, as she fought back tears of her own during

the ceremony earlier this week. “And now he does.”

Adam Petty died during a practice session at New Hampshire Speedway four

years ago at age 19. Since then his parents, and Pattie, his

grandparents, and Lynda, and much of the NASCAR community have

worked tirelessly to complete the $24 million race-theme camp in his honor.

More than 2,000 people, including actor Newman, who co-founded the

camp, and driver Tony , who has pledged more $1 million over the

next five years, attended the official ribbing cutting.

The reaction, from NASCAR chairman France to race team owner and

camp board member Rick Hendrick to four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon,

was the same.

“Wow!” France said as walked onto the property for the first time.

Wow, indeed.

The nearly 40 state-of-the-art buildings decorated in a rainbow of

colors and with a Disneylike imagination were beyond words for many.

“I’ve been hearing about it and we’ve been a part of it through our

foundation,” said Gordon, whose foundation sponsored one of the 16

camper cabins. “I don’t think any way they describe it would live up to

what this is.

“It’s amazing.”

The camp, centered around a road in the shape of a racetrack, is more

than or anybody imagined when ground was broken more than a year

and a half ago.

From the chandelier shaped like an engine to the race car hoods on the

ceiling of the theater to the giant motorcycle in the water pool,

everything is, as likes to say, over the top.

“We had an idea of what we wanted to do, but we just kept adding,” he

said. “You get to a point where you say, ‘Man, that’s pretty cool. But

if we did this then it would be really cool.’

“It’s kind of like NASCAR Nextel Cup racing. Until you come here and see

the camp, all the pictures you take and all the things we say on TV ...

you don’t understand the scope of what it is.”

But the real scope won’t be felt until Sunday — by no coincidence

Father’s Day — when the first group of campers, about 60 kids from the

Carolinas and Virginia with hemophilia and juvenile rheumatoid

arthritis, begin filling the buildings with smiles and laughter.

“That’s what the thing is all about,” said. “Sometimes we get

caught up in the buildings and how spectacular they are, but it’s all

about changing lives for those kids.”

DRIVE THROUGH TOUR

Less than 24 hours remained before Tuesday’s ceremony, and Pattie was

watering plants in front of a three-story purple, green, red and yellow

building in the shape of a racecar with the No. 45 on the side.

It’s called Adam’s Race Shop.

“The flowers were not doing very well and I looked out and saw (a group

of friends and volunteers) and they’re all covered in mud and they have

been for two weeks working with 150 other people without pay to make

this happen,” Pattie said.

“I had a meltdown then.”

The race shop easily is the most unique structure. It will help

introduce campers to the world of NASCAR with racing simulators, show

cars and some of Adam’s memorabilia.

“We felt like in a lot of ways we lost one son and we’ve gained

hundreds, hopefully thousands,” said. “It’s just a building where

kids can come in and learn about NASCAR.”

The first place campers go after a short trip to the welcome center is

the Goody’s Body Shop, a fully-staffed medical facility where kids go

for tune-ups ranging from chemotherapy to kidney dialysis.

The company for which ’s famous father — — has been

promoting headache powders for years picked up the bill.

But this doesn’t look like a medical facility. There are multi-color

couches and beanbags in the waiting room. Beds are built like racecars,

complete with fake wheels. Nightstands are built like fuel pumps.

The walls are as colorful as the couches and beanbags, ranging from lime

green to hot pink. The staff wears colorful clothing as well. No white

coats allowed.

Medical equipment is hidden by replicas of Craftsman toolboxes like the

ones teams use on pit road.

“We hope and pray that is the only time they have to enter that

building,” said.

Next to the Body Shop is the Fuel Stop, otherwise known as the campus

cafeteria. This was the donation of Rick Hendrick, as evidenced by the

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie cars on the roof.

Hanging from the ceiling inside are Terry Labonte’s No. 5 car and

Vickers’ No. 25. Every hour on the hour the engines rev up, the tires

begin to spin and smoke comes out as though they’re doing a burnout to

remind everybody of the time.

“It is the loudest building on the premises all the time,” said.

Next door is the sports and recreation building built for everything

from volleyball to wheelchair basketball.

“That’s an empowerment building,” said. “We can do things in there

where these kids can be the Jordan of basketball.”

Then comes the Silver Theater, an 186-seat facility equipped with

costumes from every movie or play imaginable “so kids can be whatever

they want to be.”

Next to that is an arts and crafts building, in NASCAR terms known as

Research and Design. Beside that is the aquatic village that was paid

for with donations from ’s cross-country charity motorcycle ride.

At the center of the pool, which is accessible from every angle by a

wheelchair because there are no edges, is a monstrous front end of a

purple motorcycle that has a water slide in the middle and water spewing

out of all sides.

Listen carefully and you can hear the revving of a Harley-son.

“All that stuff is over the top,” said with a smile.

Over the top continues at the Pit Stop, an ice cream shop and campus

store built by Teeter. Next door is the Fab Shop, a full beauty

parlor where campers, as Pattie says, come out looking “fabulous.”

“They can get their hair done, their nails done or have a pedicure,”

Pattie said. “If they don’t have hair we’ll glitter their head or get

them a wig, but we’ll do whatever it takes to make them look fabulous.”

In the middle of the track is a tower built by Nextel, NASCAR’s new

sponsor that on Tuesday donated a $1 million check. Atop it is a

Jumbotron donated by NASCAR’s founding family, the Frances.

Outside the track is Jessie’s Horsepower Garage, donated by Mark and

Suzie Hazelwood, who lost their 16-year-old daughter to a traffic accident.

“She loved horses just like Adam loved racecars,” said of Jessie.

“It’s one of the most phenomenal horse facilities anywhere.”

The camper cabins are decorated with the same beds and nightstands that

are found in the hospital. The bedspreads are like checkered flags, only

multicolored instead of black and white.

There’s also the Soap Box laundry room sponsored by Tide, the fishing

dock where you can’t help but catch something and the Boathouse

sponsored by Bass Pro Shops with some prodding from .

At the camp’s entrance is a water tower in the shape of hot-air balloon

thanks to a donation by Pizza Hut.

“When you look out across the camp itself what you see is a building and

you see what so many people have done and what so many people have

believed in,” said.

“But when you see the kids here it’s a totally different place. You

don’t pay any attention to the buildings. All you see is the kids.”

ADAM’S CREW

made his way from the main stage to a No. 45 racecar with the

Victory Junction paint scheme for the ribbon cutting. His voice began to

crack as he asked members of Adam’s former pit crew to come forward to

cut the ribbon. He had given them no advance warning, knowing many were

shy and might not have come had they known.

Tears began to flow as asked one of the crew members to cut the ribbon.

“It’s kind of another stepping stone, another rung in the ladder of the

healing process,” he said. “That group of guys and the team were so

tight ... I don’t see New Hampshire as a tragedy in life. I see it for

the positive that it’s brought here.”

There will be eight weeklong sessions each year from June to August with

room for up to 125 campers for each session.

No child or parent will be charged to attend.

The camp originally was designed for kids from North Carolina, South

Carolina and Virginia, but because of overwhelming support across the

country that likely will change.

One airline already has volunteered to transport children to the camp

for free.

The camp received 21,000 donations from 15,000 individuals from all 50

states. Bobby Labonte was the first driver to commit, followed by Dale

Jarrett.

said he couldn’t help but get involved after seeing the passion

and Pattie had for the project. He can’t wait to come back when

children are roaming the land donated by and Donna.

“I don’t like weddings, funerals or going to the hospital, but I think

this is something I can handle,” he said. “Knowing this is in Adam’s

memory will be the bad part.

“But seeing how much fun they’re having at camp doing something that

without this camp they never would have a chance to do in their lives is

definitely going to outweigh it.”

By now the rain had stopped, something that didn’t go unnoticed by

Pattie or her guests.

“It’s a reminder,” she said as she looked to the sky, “that God is still

in control.”