Adam Petty

Adam Kyler Petty (born July 10, 1980 in High Point , North Carolina , † May 12, 2000 in Loudon , New Hampshire ) was an American racing driver. His father was NASCAR racing driver Kyle Petty , his grandfather was seven-time Grand National and Winston Cup Champion Richard Petty, and his great-grandfather was three-time Grand National Champion Lee Petty . He was the first ever athlete to continue his forefathers' profession in the fourth generation and who was believed to be the next great petty.

Career

Petty's racing career began in 1998, shortly after his 18th birthday. Like his father Kyle, he won his first race in the ARCA Racing Series in the Pontiac with starting number 45 at Lowe's Motor Speedway that same year.

After a successful short-track season for the American Speed ​​Association in the Midwest, Petty completed a full season in 1999 in the # 45 Chevrolet in the Busch Series . In his very first race at Daytona International Speedway he achieved the best result of the season with fourth place. Although he failed to qualify for three races, Petty finished 20th in the championship at the end of the season.

Petty Enterprises planned to use Adam Petty in the Winston Cup for the entire 2001 season and therefore let him start in seven races of the 2000 season. In addition, he should drive the entire Busch Series season. In the first races of the Busch Series, Petty only delivered mediocre results, but qualified for his first race in the Winston Cup, the DirecTV 500 at Texas Motor Speedway . He started from 33rd place and was in midfield for most of the race when an engine failure forced him to give up and he was classified in 40th place.

death

On May 12, 2000, Petty took part in the Busch 200 training session at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Busch 200 , which took place the following day, when the accelerator pedal jammed and he drove straight into the boundary wall with no brakes. Petty died instantly.

Petty's death, as well as that of Kenny Irwin Jr. on the same route, NASCAR required the installation of an emergency stop switch and, for the Winston Cup race in September, the use of air limiters . The rule of the governor was rejected after the race. However, it was not until Dale Earnhardt's death under similar circumstances in February 2001 before NASCAR mandated protective devices for the head and neck.

US President George W. Bush in front of Adam's workshop at Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, North Carolina with NASCAR drivers Kyle Petty, Richard Petty, Michael Waltrip and Jimmie Johnson.

Kyle Petty, Adam's father, who was driving the number 44 at the time, drove Adam's number 45 car for the remainder of the season. Since then he has been using this number as a tribute to his son in the Sprint Cup races and in races at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway he drives an all-black car. In addition, his name is not on the car, but that of his son Adam.

legacy

In October 2000, five months after Adam's death, his family teamed up with Paul Newman and Hole in the Wall Gang Camp to open the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman , North Carolina, as a tribute to Adam Petty . The camp receives support from many NASCAR drivers, teams and sponsors. The Victory Junction Gang Camp began operations in 2004. It is an official NASCAR charity.

His younger brother Austin (* 1982) named his son Adam (* 2013) after him.

Web links

Driver statistics on racing-reference.info