craigdailypress.com

Steamboat Springs — NASCAR driver Kyle Petty is bringing his cross-country charity motorcycle ride to Steamboat Springs next week.

The Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America takes off from Stevenson, Wash., on Friday and will make eight overnight stops before reaching its final destination of Greensboro, N.C. The Steamboat Springs stop, scheduled for the night of May 11, is the only overnight stop in Colorado.

More than 200 riders will take part in the 15th anniversary of the event. Kyle Petty and his wife, Pattie, began the ride in 1995 to raise money for chronically ill children. In 2004, the Pettys opened Victory Junction in Randleman, N.C., a year-round camp serving children ages 6 to 16 who otherwise couldn't attend camp because of their health issues. A second Victory Junction camp is being built in Kansas City, Kan., and there will be a groundbreaking ceremony there during the charity ride's stop on May 13, according to a news release.

The Pettys founded the first Victory Junction camp in honor of their son Adam, who was killed in 2000.

This year's notable riders include former football great Herschel Walker, PGA golfer Davis Love III and NASCAR legend Harry Grant, according to the release.

To date, the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America has raised more than $12 million for children's charities. The idea for the ride began in 1994, when Petty and a couple friends rode their motorcycles across the country to a NASCAR race. Petty's friends joined the ride along the way, and he was inspired to make it even bigger, according to the release.

For more information, visit the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Web site.