Stewart to give Victory Junction camp $1 million

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- Tony Stewart made a startling announcement Saturday morning at North Carolina Speedway, and it had nothing to do with racing.

	Tony Stewart

Stewart promised to donate $1 million over a 10-year period -- and he wants to do it quicker -- to Kyle and Pattie Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp. The donation caused Pattie Petty to let out a small shriek and nearly left Kyle Petty speechless.

"I always knew the Lord wanted us to pray for each individual here to be blessed," Pattie Petty said. "Now I know why, because they turn around and bless us back. Thank you very much."

The Victory Junction Gang Camp is being built in memory of the Pettys' late son, Adam. The camp is designed to give children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses a chance to spend time around other kids with similar illnesses.

"I don't know what to say," Kyle Petty said. "We did a deal in New York City on Wednesday for the 'Hands to Victory' promotion. ... Tony wanted to come to New York, and he wanted to do this, I guess. He got fogged in. I would've been a nervous wreck if I would've known he was going to do this. I would've gone back to North Carolina and drove him up there."

Stewart helped raised $240,000 for the camp two years ago through donations for each lap he completed in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. The connection to the camp came when Petty welcomed Stewart to the sport when he came to Winston Cup as a rookie in 1999.

"I'm doing it because I'm proud of what they're doing," Stewart said. "When a driver is willing to spend as much time as Kyle and Pattie have done to do a project like this, you really want to get behind it and support them on it."

	Kyle Petty

The money will come from the Tony Stewart Foundation, a charity organization run by Stewart's mom. Stewart said he plans to run some charity events next year, perhaps a motorcycle ride in Indiana or North Carolina. But he and mom differ on some ideas.

"She's the angel of the family," Stewart said. "I don't know what happened to me."

Stewart joked that the donation seems contrary to his image.

"Don't let it get out too much," Stewart said. "What we do for a profession is one thing, but this is what you do for the kids. Every one of us in the garage area would do this, no matter what your image is or who you are."

Stewart wants to finish the pledge in five years, and "then come back five years from now and give them another $1 million check," he said.

"I wish I could express how good I feel right now, knowing how much it's going to help Kyle and Pattie. I can't wait until it gets open and I can go there and see the kids and how much they're enjoying the camp."