Adam Petty: A Friend That Will Never Be Forgotten

Friday, May 12, 2000 will be a day that will live in infamy as on this day fans, friends, colleagues, family members and just everyone who is just human lost a special friend. Some of you may not know who Adam Petty was but if you have been alive for any period of time you have heard of his famous grandfather, Richard Petty. Unfortunately on this fateful day Adam lost his life, but he was doing something that he loved to do and was born to do.

Born on July 10, 1980 in rural High Point, N.C., Adam (left) grew up in the footsteps of the most famous racing family in all of motorsports. From day one when you are born a Petty you are going to race, no matter what it is. Adam started out young and raw, just like Petty Enterprises, at the age of six. Back in the grass-roots days of what we know of today as NASCAR Winston Cup racing, Adam's great-grandfather Lee Petty drove his own car to Daytona Beach to compete in the first ever NASCAR-sanctioned race on the beach. Now this was way before there was a two and a half mile speed palace that now sits in Daytona, and Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500 at that speedway. Adam started out small as well with go-carts and he worked his way up until the age of 17 when he had is first of many debuts in different NASCAR divisions. In 1997 he ran 25 races in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series. When he did this he became the first fourth generation athlete in ALL of sports. There are many other famous racing families (in a family orientated sport); the Earnhardts, the Jarretts, the Allisons, the Andrettis, but for Adam to do it, with the Petty name made his great-grandfather, his grandfather, and his father all extremely happy.

The following year Adam made both his first American Speed Association (ASA) and Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In his first ARCA start at the Lowe's Motor Speedway, outside of Charlotte, he won. Everyone thought that it would be the jump start that the Petty family needed. His grandfather Richard (pic-l.) thought that it as time for Adam to join the big boys and granddad (owner of Petty Enterprises) gave his is own car. On October 17, 1998, Adam made his first NASCAR Busch Grand National (BGN) Series start at Gateway International Raceway outside of St. Louis. He finished 27th that day but that was only the beginning of what was to be expected of the friendly son with the legendary name. In 1999 Adam decided to run the full NASCAR BGN schedule and although he did not have the same success as in his first ARCA start but he described it as a "learning experience." He made 29 starts and had 3 top 5s and 4 top 10s with his best finish (4th) coming at the California Speedway in Fontana, California. That year he finished 20th in the series points standings but he was third in the rookie of the year points, behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth. He also made two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts in 1999 at Richmond and Texas.

The millennium year was to be a very special for all of the Petty family. Adam's father Kyle (pic-r.) was looking to "right the ship" in 2000 and Adam was looking forward to his second full season in the NASCAR Busch Series. In addition to the full BGN schedule he planed to run five NASCAR Winston Cup races to compete against his father. Adam made 11 starts this year in the Busch Series with his best finish (12th) at Talladega Superspeedway. However his biggest joy was the weekend of March 31-April 2 when he made his way to the Texas Motor Speedway. This was Adam's first opportunity to race against his father at the Winston Cup level. Adam qualified in 33rd however his father was unable to qualify for the race at Texas. Kyle spotted for his son on April 2nd when Adam made his Winston Cup debut. It was a little disappointing as he finished 40th with a blown engine. Three days later on the 5th the Petty family lost its pioneer as Adam's great-grandfather Lee passed away at the age of 86. Adam was looking forward to bringing his Sprint PCS Chevrolet Monte Carlo to the Lowe's Motor Speedway at Charlotte at the end of the month during the Memorial Day classic, the Coca-Cola 600 to dedicate that race to his fallen great-grandfather. What he did not know was that he would not be able to race in Charlotte at the end of the month.

Unfortunely while Adam was practicing for the May 13th BGN race at the New Hampshire International Speedway, Adam hit the Turn 3 wall crashing hard on the right side with his Sprint PCS sponsored BGN car (right) at about 12:45 p.m. Adam was transported to an area hospital were he passed away about 3 hours later from sereve head trauma that he suffered in the accident. Reports from witnesses say the his throttle hung wide open and caused his car to hit the wall at full speed (around 160 mph). His car rode about 200 yards along the Turn 3 wall into Turn 4, and came to a stop in Turn 4 where a fire in the car then broke out. Adam was removed from the car but by then the damage had already been done. This tragedy comes a little over a month after Lee Petty's passing.

Adam is survived by his parents, Kyle and Pattie; a brother Austin and sister Montgomery Lee; grandparents Richard and Lynda; great-grandmother Elizabeth and a host of other relatives. My thoughts and prayers are with the Petty family in their time of bereavement, I hope that yours are as well.

This is Adam's 2000 Busch Grand National Car & the car that he was driving at the time of the accident.

This is the car Adam drove at the Texas Motor Speedway when he made his Winston Cup debut on April 2, 2000.

Young Adam at his second home, the race track.

The 3 of the 4 members of the legendary Petty Family. Father Kyle (left), Grandfather "The King" Richard (right), and Adam.