“Some people touch your heart”: NASCAR veteran Kyle Petty visits old friend in Atlanta

Kyle Petty visited an old friend during the NASCAR weekend in Atlanta. The driver-turned-analyst took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and posted a few pictures with his friend, Allison, whom he had met during the late 1980s.

Petty was born on June 2, 1960, in Level Cross, North Carolina, USA. He is the son of the legendary Richard 'The King' Petty and the grandson of Lee Petty, the patriarch of the Petty racing family who raced during the 1950s and the 1960s.

Petty's career in NASCAR spanned over three decades, throughout which he delivered 173 top-10s. Since his retirement in 2008, Petty has worked as a commentator for several renowned networks, including TNT, SPEED, ESPN, Turner, Fox Sports 1, and the Performance Racing Network. Petty currently serves as an analyst for NASCAR on NBC.

On meeting his longtime friend and her mother, Petty wrote,

"Atlanta was a great race weekend. I was so fortunate to be able to spend the evening with my friends, Allison and her mom, Grace. We met sometime in the late 80s and we have been friends ever since. Some people touch your heart and stay with you forever. Allison did that for me."

In his 56 career starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Petty amassed two top 5s and nine top 10s. He has led 95 laps at the 1.54-mile quad-oval intermediate speedway in Hampton, Georgia.

Besides being an analyst for NBC Sports, Petty is the Chairman Emeritus for Victory Junction, a non-profit organization in North Carolina. He is also the President of Kyle Petty Charity Ride, Inc. and the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Trust, Inc., and a member of the NASCAR Drivers Advisory Council and the Tosco Music Board of Advisors.

Kyle Petty Charity Ride wishes Richard Petty on Grandparents Day

Richard Petty won 200 races throughout his career, which is, by far, the most by any driver in what is known as the NASCAR Cup Series today. Petty, an International Motorsports Hall of Famer, class of 1997, was inducted into the prestigious NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.

Petty also has 15 grandkids, five of whom are Kyle Petty's children. The 7-time NASCAR champion also has 15 great-grandchildren, with two more on the way.

Wishing Richard Petty on September 8, i.e., National Grandparents Day, The Kyle Petty Charity Ride wrote:

"Happy #GrandparentsDay,@therichardpetty! 😊❤ You may know him as The King, but he's known as PePaw to his 15 grandkids and 15 great grandkids (with 2 more on the way)!"

The Kyle Petty Charity Ride, led by Kyle Petty, aims to raise funds for Victory Junction by organizing rides to various destinations around the country on motorcycles. The KPCR celebrated its 29th anniversary with a trip from Traverse City in Michigan to Hot Springs in Virginia in May.