CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Petty stepped out of the NASCAR Cup Series garage Wednesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway amazed. He said his fingers were cut up, and could not believe it had already been an hour.
No, Petty – a retired driver turned analyst – wasn’t coming off hot laps around the 1.5-mile oval, site of the crown-jewel Coca-Cola 600 (May 24, 6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). His giddiness came from meaningful charity work at “America’s Home for Racing,” helping pack meals for Coca-Cola Consolidated and the America 250 initiative, the semiquincentennial celebration of the country’s inception.
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“So many people just came out and volunteered, that’s what’s really cool about it,” Petty told NASCAR.com. “When Coca-Cola does something, they’re gonna do it right. When Charlotte Motor Speedway does something, they’re gonna do it right. And they’ve both teamed up with America 250 … I’m impressed, man.”
Petty and Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon, both members of the Coca-Cola Racing Family, joined 150 volunteers to fill meal boxes for distribution around the Greater Charlotte area under the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. Members from Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Spire Motorsports and Team Penske joined them, coming together for the largest America 250 event to date, officials said. Four different packing lines were set up in the Cup Series garage area, with canned fruits and vegetables, proteins and grains included in each meal.
In total, 4,500 boxes were filled over three hours, enough for 50,000 meals for families in need.
“It shows what our racing community is about,” Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet, told NASCAR.com. “We want to give back and help any way we can with our communities. I’ve been familiar with the Second Harvest Food Bank for a while now; one of our pit coaches has Pit Stops For Hope, a charity that gives to the Second Harvest Food Bank. So, it’s a true problem. We have problems each and every day in our lives, whether it be at work, at home, whatever it may be. But God slows you down sometimes and shows you where you should really be focused on, and that’s giving back to those who are helpless, and we got to help those in need.”
The process started with a group of volunteers taping up boxes and passing them down the line for fulfillment. Then, the boxes were filled with the non-perishables before another group taped the boxes shut and lifted them onto pallets, which were then pushed out of the garage area and loaded into tractor-trailers. Many of the pit crew members in attendance did the quite literal heavy lifting, naturally, either loading the aforementioned pallets or restocking the packing lines.
Still, the competitive juices were flowing. The race teams were split among the four packing lines, of course, trying to make speed.
“That’s what we got to do; you’ve got to dig in, create a little competition,” Dillon exclaimed. “Everybody wants to be the fastest in there, packing the most meals that you can. So Kyle and I were trying to figure out how to make our line faster.”
Wednesday morning’s meal pack is one of many America 250 events across the country, which in NASCAR, leads up to the inaugural San Diego street-course race (June 21, 4 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). All three national series will converge on Naval Base Coronado for a celebration of the United States Navy and recognizing those who have and currently serve.
For the Cup Series’ Anduril 250, each driver was recently selected to represent a specific naval squadron leading up to and throughout the June weekend. For Dillon, he’s honorarily part of the Maritime Expeditionary Security Training and Evaluation Unit ONE.
“I love the patriotism and what is going on with America 250 this year, and I think the San Diego race out on the base there in Coronado is going to be awesome to see the representation from all of our military branches,” Dillon explained. “Coke 600 is very similar in that way. I think NASCAR does a very good job of showing our veterans and our military men and women the respect that they deserve.”
Beyond the race track, Petty is well-known for his extensive charity work, particularly his Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America. He spearheads an annual motorcycle trip across the country, raising funds for Victory Junction and other children’s non-profits. Last year, the ride went from Michigan to West Virginia, highlighted by stops at Niagara Falls and Watkins Glen International in Upstate New York. This year, Petty explained, is a full cross-country trip starting at Sonoma Raceway in California and ending at Charlotte Motor Speedway, commemorating the 100th anniversaries of historic Route 50 and Route 66.
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But what continues to impress him, he says, is how rivals on the track come together for greater causes away from it.
“That’s racing. That’s NASCAR,” Petty said. “Back in the day, when I drove, and we’d be in this same building here for a driver’s meeting, and Michael Waltrip or somebody would stand up and say, ‘Hey, in three weeks, I’m having a golf tournament. It’s to benefit this, this and this. If anybody wants to come, can you come and see me when the driver’s meeting is over,’ and you’d see seven or eight drivers talking to Michael say, ‘Yeah, I’ll come help you, man. I’ll play in your tournament, whatever you want to do.’ So I think that’s the way it’s always been.
“It takes one person to raise their hand, and the rest of the community came. I think Coca-Cola raised their hand and the Speedway raised their hand, and you see these different teams that came out and helped.”