Kyle Petty shares wholesome message to his fans who “remembered” late Adam Petty on his birthday

Kyle Petty was grateful for the fans who greeted his son Adam Petty on his birthday. The former NASCAR driver was humbled to know people still remember Adam, who passed away 25 years ago.

Born in July 1980, Adam Petty was a fourth-generation driver after his father, Kyle, and grandfather, Richard, who won seven Winston Cup championships. He died in a car crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway during a practice session for a Busch Grand National Series (now Xfinity Series) race.

In an Instagram post, Kyle Petty, who won eight races in NASCAR's premier series, shared his thoughts on the support fans have given to his son throughout the years.

“The outpouring from so many fans and friends on Adam's birthday yesterday was overwhelming. It's humbling that after all these years, you still remember. I love all of you. Thank you,” Petty said.

Kyle Petty's Instagram story - Source: @kylepetty on IG

The 65-year-old North Carolina native also wrote a heartfelt message on Adam Petty's birth anniversary. He reiterated that his son would've been 45 today, saying:

“Today, Adam would be 45. Just like the number on the car, he loved to drive so much. I miss him as much today as I ever have.”

After retiring from NASCAR in 2008, Petty has been serving as a race analyst for various networks, including Fox Sports. Off the track, he champions the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America, an annual motorcycle trek aimed at raising funds to support children with serious illness. The proceeds go to Victory Junction, a charitable organization that Adam Petty once dreamed of.

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“Earn those guys' respect”: When Kyle Petty's son Adam shared his goal for his NASCAR Cup Series debut

Kyle Petty and his son Adam were on the entry list for the Texas race weekend in 2000. The race marked Adam Petty's debut in the NASCAR Cup Series, though he didn't have high expectations, saying he would move out of the way of guys like Mark Martin to hopefully earn their respect.

In a pre-race interview, the young Petty said:

“The only thing I want to do is go out there and earn those guys' respect... earn Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, people like that's respect, and stay out of their way if I get in their way.”

Despite planning to slow down to make way for the frontrunners, he still wished for at least a top-25 finish, adding:

“Top 25 that'd be great.”

As mentioned in the pre-race show, Kyle Petty didn't qualify for the race, spoiling what could've been a proud father-son moment. They were close to sharing the racetrack after the older Petty was set to replace Elliott Sandler, who suffered an injury during the race.

However, his son exited the race due to a mechanical issue about 14 laps earlier before coming in on lap 229. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race for his first career victory in the series.

Adam Petty planned to run a full-time schedule in the premier series with Petty Enterprises the following year. However, the plan was cut short due to his life-ending crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua