Remembering Adam's smile

By Marty Smith, Turner Sports Interactive
May 11, 2001
10:43 AM EDT (1443 GMT)

CONCORD, N.C. -- When I called up my good buddy Hank Parker, Jr., Wednesday morning, he answered how he always does when my number flashes up on the caller ID:

Marty Smith

"MartDawg! Wassup bro?"

"Not too much big time," I replied, "I just need a few minutes of your time, gotta ask you a couple questions for a story I'm working on."

Peers remember Adam  Video: Kyle Petty speaks

"Sure man, wassup."

"I wanted to ask you some questions about Adam."

Suddenly, Parker Jr.'s infectious happy-go-lucky demeanor vastly changed. Suddenly, our laughter turned somber, our friendly conversation became a desolate question-and-answer session. Suddenly, Hank Jr. was on the brink of tears.

That's how badly people miss Adam Petty.

Hank Parker Jr.

A year ago May 12, Petty was killed in a crash during practice at New Hampshire International Speedway and the aftereffects are still felt throughout the racing industry. He was just 19 years old, with a fruitful stock car racing career staring him square in the eye. He was fresh off his first and only Winston Cup Series start. He posted a 40th place finish that day, the result of a blown motor.

Still, he smiled.

He was just happy to be there, and that toothy, ear-to-ear grin made everyone else take a step back and realize how lucky they were to be there, too. Adam was well aware that only a select few people are fortunate enough to do what they love to do for a living.

"He didn't seem to let things get to him, the demands. That's one thing that really impressed me," Parker Jr., said. "It had to be hard, being a fourth-generation driver. He was just like the guy you bumped into next-door, just happy to be there. Forget that Richard Petty was his grandpa. He was just that kid that was happy to be doing what he was doing, he knew how fortunate he was to be there. He had a lot of respect -- that explains a lot about him."

Adam was a Petty, the latest in a legendary lineage of racing excellence. He was the youngest driver to ever win an ARCA race. After that win, in 1998 at the age of 18, he stood in Victory Lane at Charlotte, flanked by his father Kyle and his grandfather Richard.

That only made the expectations that much higher.

He went to the Busch Series with the Petty name and nothing but success on his resume. The Busch Series wasn't so kind, however, and Petty struggled to run competitively.

Still, he smiled.

He knew his future was bright. He knew patience was a virtue. He knew his father, his best friend, would back him no matter what.

"Adam was always smiling and laughing. You never really saw Adam and he was mad about this or that," Parker Jr., said. "If you saw Adam he was laughing or smiling. It was such a breath of fresh air in the garage. He brought a lot to the sport with his personality. His loss is a major void. You feel that loss. He was just a very neat individual who had high prospects for his career. He is so sorely missed."

Parker wasn't the only one with this reaction, either. I talked to Tim Fedewa and John Andretti Wednesday as well, and they both offered similar sentiments. While reflecting on his victory the day after Petty's death, Fedewa's voice cracked. He hadn't won in two years, and he may as well have not won this one, either. It meant virtually nothing.

Andretti chose his words carefully, hoping to do justice to a young man he so deeply admired, despite the fact that Andretti was 15 years older.

Associated Press writer Jenna Fryer discussed the tragedy at length with Kyle and Pattie Petty last weekend at Richmond International Raceway, and during the interview, Pattie revealed that it gets no easier. It's been a year, and it may as well have been yesterday.

"It doesn't heal. I told people all year. It just gets worse the more time that's gone by," Pattie Petty said. "It's gotten worse. It's gotten worse for me to see how much harder each week gets, to see Kyle suffering each week without him. I think everybody thinks time heals things but that's not always the case. I think that's one of them.

"We have talked to a lot of parents who have lost children and they will tell you the same thing. People who haven't had a great loss think time heals things, but this is one of those situations that time doesn't heal. In some ways, time makes it worse. I was stronger at this race in the fall. I came and had a strength to watch the race and Kyle qualifying but it's been really, really hard yesterday and today."

That's how badly people miss Adam Petty.

That's how badly people miss that smile.

Oh, that smile.

Marty Smith's column appears every Thursday on NASCAR.com. The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.