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Kyle Petty remembers late son Adam with touching birthday message

profilephotocropby:Suzanne Halliburton•07/11/23•

suzhalliburton

adam richard kyle petty
ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images

NASCAR legend Kyle Petty buried his son, Adam, nearly a quarter of a century ago. But no matter how much time has passed, the emotions over birthdays can still be raw as they hit you in the gut.

Such was the case this week, when Kyle Petty shared a heartbreaking, yet uplifting message for Adam.

Petty posted on Twitter: “Today is Adam’s birthday. It’s hard every year but for some reason, it’s just a little harder this year than it’s been in the past. But that lets my heart know I love him so much. I miss him every day.”

If Adam Petty was still alive, he’d be 43, as of Monday. He was born into racing royalty, with Adam following dad, Kyle Petty, granddad, Richard and great grandfather Lee, one of NASCAR’s first stars.

On May 12, 2000, Adam was going through a practice session for the Busch 200 race at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He started his official racing career at 18. But less than two months before his 20th birthday, Petty’s car smashed against the outside wall on the third turn. He suffered a skull fracture and died instantly.

In the late 1990s, Adam Petty became the first fourth-generation athlete in all of pro sports In this photo, Adam Petty stands with dad Kyle and Richard, his grandfather. Adam died in May, 2000, during a training accident in New Hampshire. .(ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images)

In an interview with Newsweek last summer, Kyle Petty said he never wanted to quit racing after Adam died. He carried on because of family and maybe raced too long because of his son.

“When I grew up, you were raised to do what your family did,” Petty said. “My family might not have raised crops or cattle, but we did raise race cars.”

He said “It never crossed my mind,” to quit racing. “Instead, I felt called to continue racing, probably longer than I should have, for Adam. It’s part of my DNA.”

With memories of Adam always with him, Kyle Petty stuck with NASCAR until he retired in 2008. He now works for NBC as a NASCAR analyst. He usually does the pre- and post-race coverage and he does a daily sports show devoted to NASCAR.

And several years back, Kyle and the rest of the Petty family sought to remember Adam by creating Victory Junction. It’s a year-round camping complex for kids with serious or chronic illnesses.