{"id":1156,"date":"2011-08-03T08:15:02","date_gmt":"2011-08-03T12:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/inspiringathletes\/?p=1156"},"modified":"2011-08-03T16:37:49","modified_gmt":"2011-08-03T20:37:49","slug":"a-conversation-with-nascar-analyst-and-former-driver-kyle-petty-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/2011\/08\/a-conversation-with-nascar-analyst-and-former-driver-kyle-petty-part-2.html","title":{"rendered":"A conversation with NASCAR analyst and former driver Kyle Petty (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Click “Like” to share this with your friends!<\/strong><\/p>\n

In part two of the Inspiring Athletes interview with Kyle Petty, the former driver turned analyst talks about the strength of his family, the giving nature of NASCAR and how faith impacts the entire sport:<\/p>\n

Bonham: How strong of a shoulder has your wife Patty been to lean on throughout the changes you\u2019ve gone through in your career and the hard work of building these two camps?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kyle and Patty Petty give a news conference about Victory Junction Gang Camp at Kansas Speedway on September 26, 2008 (Photo by Rusty Jarrett\/Getty Images for NASCAR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Petty: Family is the most important thing. Family starts with your wife and your kids. With Adam\u2019s accident, I lost a son. She lost a son. Her passion for the camp and her desire to make something happen has been the driving force behind the camp in North Carolina and the camp in Kansas City. I tell people all the time, we\u2019re all clowns in her circus. She\u2019s the ringmaster and we just kind of dance around and do whatever she tells us to do. But at the same time, I think she has such a vision for (the camp) and a love for it that we follow her unquestionably wherever she goes.<\/p>\n

Bonham: Are you still amazed at the support you get from the NASCAR fans and the drivers?<\/p>\n

Petty: Yeah, but I think it was just something that came along at the right time for our sport. Our sport was looking for something. So many drivers had foundations but they needed something to rally around and when you look at Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman and what Kurt Busch has done and what Jeff (Gordon) and Jimmie (Johnson) have done\u2014Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip. I think they were just looking for a place (to support) and this is a place that jumpstarted their foundations. We were just in the right place at the right time when the sport was really growing and when fans and drivers were looking to help out. The camp has been able to flourish because of that.<\/p>\n

Bonham: NASCAR is still so different from other sports. How do the sport\u2019s strong ties to the Christian faith tie back to the giving spirit we see within the community?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kyle and Richard Petty at the 1998 Pepsi 400 in Daytona Beach, FL (David Taylor\/Allsport; Courtesy of NASCAR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Petty: I think faith is the one common denominator between everything that goes on at the race track\u2014a faith in Christ. You walk through (the garage) and talk to Kyle (Busch), you talk to Kurt (Busch), you talk to Kevin (Harvick). You talk to any of them. It doesn\u2019t make any difference. We have all felt like we were incredibly blessed to do what we do and to drive a race car. So when you look at it, all of them say, \u201cMan, I\u2019m very fortunate, very blessed to do this. I\u2019m in a position where I can help other people.\u201d They grew up that way. They grew up in communities that helped other people. Their parents helped other people. Their families helped other people. I don\u2019t think you ever lose that spirit of giving and caring, whether its instilled in you by a teacher, your parents or your grandparents or Vacation Bible School. It doesn\u2019t make any difference. Once that seed is planted, I don\u2019t that seed every goes away. And it\u2019s not only the drivers. We talk about the drivers because they\u2019re the names that everybody knows. But when you talk about the fans that pull for Kevin or the fans that pull for Kyle or Kurt, that spirit is all a part of NASCAR and it always been. You go back a long time ago. We didn\u2019t have the camp but you can talk about so many disasters and so many things that have happened in this country that the NASCAR community has stepped in to help out for so many years.<\/p>\n

Bonham: And where else could a guy like Morgan Shepherd do what he does?<\/p>\n

Petty: Exactly. That\u2019s the big thing. When you look at it, it\u2019s just that kind of sport.<\/p>\n

Bonham: How amazed are you that Morgan is turning 70 this year and still going at it?<\/p>\n

Petty: It is amazing. Morgan\u2019s always been Morgan and that\u2019s all you can really say.<\/p>\n

Bonham: Do you think that political correctness will ever catch up to NASCAR and force it to consider making changes to certain expressions of faith such as the pre-race prayer and the strong presences of ministries like MRO?<\/p>\n

Petty: That\u2019s a good question but I don\u2019t really see it changing, because our sport has always been a Southeastern sport and it\u2019s kind of rooted in that and (faith) is a part of the sport. It\u2019s been a part of the sport since the first race was run. I don\u2019t think political correctness doesn\u2019t make any difference. Once that\u2019s in your DNA, you don\u2019t pass an ordinance or pass a law or all of the sudden change your DNA. I don\u2019t think NASCAR can change its DNA. I think it\u2019s passed on from one generation to the next. The fans expect it. The drivers expect it. And more importantly, I think we all want it. I don\u2019t they\u2019ll ever be able to rule it out.<\/p>\n

Bonham: When it\u2019s just you and God, how has He helped you deal with the difficult times you\u2019ve faced as a driver, as a husband and father and as someone fully engaged in giving back to the community through your charitable work?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Kyle Petty driving the #45 Wells Fargo Dodge during practice at the 2008 Daytona 500 (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images; Courtesy of NASCAR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Petty: That\u2019s a good question, but my prayers are not any different from the guy who plows the field for a living or the lady that teaches school, you know, or the pastor that stands in front of a church every Sunday. You take whatever problem\u2014and there\u2019s no problem big or small\u2014you take all your problems to Christ and that\u2019s your sounding board, that your rock, that\u2019s everything. That\u2019s what faith is\u2014that belief that there\u2019s somebody there that\u2019s going to help you and push you and be that person that there for you when you\u2019re in your deepest, darkest moment. At the same time, you pray for the safety of your family, for a better future and for everything. I don\u2019t think that I\u2019m any different or that I approach how I pray any differently than the guy who\u2019s riding a tractor right now or the lady that\u2019s standing up in front of a third grade class.<\/p>\n

Bonham: But you\u2019ve found strength in the prayers?<\/p>\n

Petty: Oh yeah. That\u2019s what faith is. That faith is believing that there\u2019s somebody there to make you stronger. There\u2019s somebody there that won\u2019t leave you alone; God\u2019s always standing by you. That\u2019s what that is. If you didn\u2019t believe that then why would you even get out of bed every morning?<\/p>\n

For more information about Victory Junction Gang Camp, check out the official website HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can follow Petty\u2019s NASCAR.com online video broadcasts including archives of SPEED\u2019s \u201cTrackside\u201d and \u201c30 Minutes You\u2019ll Never Get Back\u201d by clicking HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Click HERE<\/a> to check out part one of the Inspiring Athletes interview with Kyle Petty.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Click “Like” to share this with your friends! In part two of the Inspiring Athletes interview with Kyle Petty, the former driver turned analyst talks about the strength of his family, the giving nature of NASCAR and how faith impacts the entire sport: Bonham: How strong of a shoulder has your wife Patty been to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":418,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[372,3,519,382,388,5],"tags":[426,508,569,568,563,340,203,401,10,561,204,570,567,535,221],"class_list":["post-1156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-charitable-organizations","category-christian-athletes","category-prayer","category-qa","category-racing","category-sports-features","tag-jeff-gordon","tag-jimmie-johnson","tag-kevin-harvick","tag-kurt-busch","tag-kyle-busch","tag-michael-waltrip","tag-morgan-shepherd","tag-mro","tag-nascar","tag-patty-petty","tag-richard-petty","tag-ryan-newman","tag-sprint-cup-series","tag-tony-stewart","tag-victory-junction-gang-camp"],"yoast_head":"\nA conversation with NASCAR analyst and former driver Kyle Petty (Part 2) - Inspiring Athletes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/2011\/08\/a-conversation-with-nascar-analyst-and-former-driver-kyle-petty-part-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A conversation with NASCAR analyst and former driver Kyle Petty (Part 2) - Inspiring Athletes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Click “Like” to share this with your friends! 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Chad\u2019s professional journey began at the University of Tulsa where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (1993) while working extensively in athletic media relations and serving as a sports editor for The Collegian. Since then, he has written extensively for such publications as Relevant, CCM, Christian Retailing, New Man, Charisma, Today\u2019s Christian, Ministries Today, Breakaway, Brio, Sports Spectrum, Christian Single, Faith & Friends, Sharing the Victory and Gospel Today. He has authored, co-authored or ghost written and edited 13 books including Life in the Fairway (New Leaf Press), Glory of the Games (Cross Training), Wrestling with God (River Oak), Spiritual Journeys (Relevant) and the four-part Fellowship of Christian Athletes Core Value Series; Excellence, Teamwork, Serving and Integrity (Regal Books). Chad is currently working on five new books including Sooner Legacy, Husker Legacy and Lessons From Sooner Football (Cross Training) as well as The Faith of Stock Car Racing (Judson Press). When he's not writing, Chad lends his efforts to various independent television and film projects. He was the coordinating producer for Choosing Life (2010) and Life Happens (2011). Chad is currently serving as producer on a forthcoming documentary about Super Bowl champion Brian Kinchen. Chad and his wife Amy live in Broken Arrow, Okla., with sons Lance (September 2003), Cole (February 2008) and Quinn (February 2011).","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/author\/cbonham"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/418"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1156"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1347,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1156\/revisions\/1347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}