Petty announces details of '07 motorcycle charity ride

RICHMOND, Va. -- Kyle Petty and Robert McLaughlin, senior manager of sponsorship and event marketing for Chick-fil-A, on Friday outlined details about the 2007 Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America and the impressive results of last year's Ride.

Petty and Chick-fil-A president and chief operating officer Dan Cathy will lead more than 275 participants -- including NASCAR drivers and other celebrities, ride sponsors and motorcycle enthusiasts -- on the 2007 Ride in July, which is shaking things up for its 13th year. Chick-fil-A will continue to support the Ride as its title sponsor in 2007 and recently signed on to extend the sponsorship to 2009.

Kyle Petty combined his passion for helping others and a love of motorcycles to create the annual Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America. This annual trek features NASCAR celebrities, sponsors and fans traveling cross-country to raise money for Victory Junction Gang Camp and other children's charities.

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• Victory Junction Gang Camp

One fundamental change in 2007 is the route: for the first time the Ride will travel north to south along the East Coast. Petty and the other Ride participants will log an impressive 2,800 miles on the eight-day trip from Maine to Miami -- with the added benefit of covering new territory and meeting new fans and supporters along the way.

For fans near and far who can't experience the Ride in person, the Web site, www.chick-fil-akylepettycharityride.com, will have an exciting new feature. Kyle's Virtual Ride will track the route and each day's adventures with video footage, audio journal entries and interviews, photos and Kyle's journal entries.

"With 12 amazing years of the Charity Ride under our belt, we're excited to bring in a new route, new activities and new features for 2007 that will allow even more people to share in the Ride experience," Petty said. "Every year, the generosity of our riders, sponsors and fans allows us to donate more funds to Victory Junction Gang Camp and other children's charities than the year before, and we are immeasurably grateful for their continued support."

Victory Junction Gang Camp is always a favorite stop on the Ride and in 2007 it will have an even greater meaning. For the first time, the Ride will sponsor an entire five-day week of camp designated for children with burn, skin and craniofacial disorders. During the stop, Ride participants will take a tour and interact with 125 chronically ill children who are attending camp free of charge.

The week will be funded completely by proceeds from the 2006 Ride, which donated $1.2 million to Victory Junction Gang Camp and other children's charities. With the extension of Chick-fil-A's title sponsorship of the Ride through 2009, even more funding will be collected and contributed to these deserving charities.

"Chick-fil-A is dedicated to improving the lives of children, and it is our pleasure to support the Kyle Petty Charity Ride as well as the Victory Junction Gang Camp and other children's charities," McLaughlin said. "We look forward to seeing even more campers and their families enjoy the opportunities that this long-running partnership creates."

The Ride also will continue to expand on its "Small Change. Big Impact." program, not only collecting coins at fuel and overnight stops, but reaching out to the communities along the Ride route with small acts of goodwill and kindness. In 2006, small change added up in a big way -- fans and Ride supporters donated $53,000, the equivalent of sending 21 additional campers to the Victory Junction Gang Camp at no cost to their families.

Petty and his wife, Pattie, founded the Victory Junction Gang Camp, which is dedicated to enriching the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, in a safe and medically sound environment.

Other 2007 Ride sponsors include Victory Motorcycles/Polaris Industries, Pilot Travel Centers LLC, SunTrust Banks, Sunoco (the official fuel of NASCAR), Wells Fargo, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Coca-Cola, Dodge Motorsports, Sprint Nextel, Racing Electronics, Mannheim Auctions Inc. and Wincraft Racing.

To learn more about the 2007 Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, visit www.chick-fil-akylepettycharityride.com.