Motorcycle riding isn’t something new for Kenny Wallace. Two-wheeling it has been part of his racing family’s history for years, but it’s only now that the activity has had a resurgence.
When Wallace recently dialed back the dirt-track racing that consumed much of his post-NASCAR career, it synced up with a motorcycle-building venture launched by his brother Rusty and nephew Stephen in 2019. Soon, Kyle Petty – an avid motorcycle rider in his own right – began seeing his friend and former broadcasting colleague pop up at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Daytona Bike Week and other biker haunts.
“I’m thinking, ‘Kenny’s got to go on the ride, man,'” Petty said with his trademark grin.
This year, he will. The Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America is gearing up for its 27th-anniversary edition this spring, with a community of 225 riders joining in to enjoy a roughly 1,500-mile loop through Utah and Nevada from April 29 to May 5. The event, presented by Cox Automotive, benefits the Victory Junction camp that Petty and his family founded in 2004 to provide life-changing camp experiences for medically fragile children, and to honor the memory of his son, Adam.
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Petty estimates that 35-40 riders will be first-time participants this year. Among those making their debut on the seven-day trek will be Kenny Wallace and his wife, Kim.
“You have to connect the dots a little bit,” Wallace says. “When you go back in our time that we grew up as a family in St. Louis, we raced motocross. So I mean, we have always been motorcycle people. I think racing consumed us, and we just went all in and focused on four tires on the ground, but always had our eyes on motorcycles. My dad rode them as a kid and always told me stories about him and my mom, how they fell in love on a motorcycle. Like I said, we always grew up riding motorcycles, but we raced motocross, and as I got older and the racing started to slow down, Kyle’s exactly right. I looked up one day, and came up for air, so to speak.
“The timing is perfect now where I am. I got out of my dirt racing what I wanted to do, and it’s something I wanted to accomplish. And now this has given me new life, and I really enjoy the people. So when Kyle asked me, I said, ‘Oh, it’s perfect. Yes.'”
It’s a passion shared by Wallace’s brother and nephew. Rusty and Stephen Wallace formed Southern Country Customs four years ago, creating and selling wild custom-built Harley-Davidsons with a certain flair. “These are not motorcycles, these are works of art,” Petty says. “They’re just rolling works of art, man — the craftsmanship, the workmanship, the paint.”
Motorcycles might be the charity ride’s medium, but the people are its currency. Wallace says he’s received primers for what to expect on the road, but connecting with others is a big part of the lure.
“I think we call it fellowship. When the ride is over, meeting everybody either at the hotel later that night or whether we’re stopping at the gas station, everything’s going to be so new to me,” Wallace says. “I understand that part of life. I understand that when things are new, and you see it for the first time. I’ve done so many things, that some of my friends are gonna go, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve been there and I’ve done all that.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, I feel bad for you, because it’s old to you.’ For me, the Kyle Petty Charity Ride is so new, it’s exciting. It’s like my first Christmas.”
Says Petty: “Once you get about a day or two in it, the scenery is beautiful, the riding is perfect, everybody’s having a good time or everything’s going the way it’s supposed to go. But it’s the times off the bike when you’re just hanging out with people, hanging out with people that you know and then making new friends, I think that’s the cool part about the ride, so that’s what I always look forward to. … This is the first time for Kenny, this is the first time for a lot of these people, so to see that excitement, it kind of fuels that flame and it fuels that passion for doing this thing.”
This year’s route in the American Southwest hits several scenic spots from its starting and end point in Salt Lake City, making trips to Moab’s desert oasis, the mining town of Tonopah, Nevada, and navigating parts of U.S. Highway 50 – the so-called “Loneliest Road in America.”
The sites with connections to racing history rank as another standout. Riders plan to visit and make a lap around Las Vegas Motor Speedway along the way, but are also scheduled to soak in the Bonneville Salt Flats with land-speed record-setter Jody Perewitz to step in as a special tour guide – all before rolling back to the Utah capital city.
“Now that we’ve gotten older, we just make loops,” Petty cracks. “Man, I’m back to running into circles.”
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Wallace’s anticipation level remains high for a new voyage on the open road, but he’s also cognizant of the greater meaning to the event. Wallace’s ties to Petty and his family have deep roots, and his memories of Adam note how adept the young racer was at proving himself on the American Speed Association (ASA) circuit as he climbed the racing ladder.
“I’m very clear that when Kyle called me and asked me, that’s what I meant by (saying) I was honored, because we know what the Kyle Petty Charity Ride is all about,” Wallace said. “Adam was, I hate to say it, but I could relate to Adam. He smiled all the time. You know, some competitors kind of sweat on the inside of their body, and Adam was always happy. He was a great talent, a really good race car driver.”
The lasting tribute continues with the works of Victory Junction, which Petty says is back for its first full-fledged year after the outbreak of COVID-19. The pandemic forced two postponements of the charity ride, which returned last year with its 26th edition after a smaller-scale revival in the fall of 2021.
Petty said the medical protocols that were already in place for some campers helped Victory Junction steer through the pandemic better than most facilities. One thing that didn’t change was the level of support; the 2022 ride raised $1.8 million to help fund the camp’s activities.
“Camp is back on track, and camp is thriving,” Petty said. “I will say this, during that whole time, the donations stayed the same. The people that believed in what we were trying to do and believe in camp and what’s going on, they never quit. Even though there was 150 kids at camp instead of 1,500 kids there, people kept digging and kept coming. So we’re in a really good place right now, and it’s going to be a big summer for us.”
