Inside the Halls of Petty: Back behind the wheel

Hey fans, this is Kyle Petty. Well, my stint in the TNT Sports booth is over. It was an amazing experience that I really enjoyed. I have to thank the people at TNT for giving me the opportunity. It was a lot of fun. Now I am ready to get back behind the wheel.

This is an off weekend for the Nextel Cup Series, but it gives us the chance to do something special. While most of the other drivers will be using the time off to relax, I'll be hitting the open road with the Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride.

Petty Charity Ride

The 2007 Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America begins July 14 and ends 2,800 miles later on July 20, stretching from Maine to Miami.

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Being up in the broadcast booth gives you a much different perspective on a race. As a driver you can almost see things before they happen from up there. That is part of what drove me to do this kind of work. I still drive these cars on a regular basis. I know what they drive like and I know how the other drivers race. I think that puts guys like Dale Jarrett and I in a unique situation to give some different insight.

It was great to work with Bill Weber and Wally Dallenbach in the booth. I used to have so much fun racing with Wally, and I really think he is one of the best in the business at analyzing a race. He and I have a lot of starts between us. We were able to just bounce things off of each other. That made it a lot of fun. Bill is great at calling the race. They are great to work with in the booth. I hope you guys enjoyed my broadcasting debut as much as I did.

Our next race is the prestigious Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I never need extra motivation when it comes to racing, but this one will be a little sweeter than most. Indy will be my 800th career Nextel Cup start -- 800 starts, man that is a big number. I remember the first one. It was the 1979 Talladega 500. I started that race 18th and finished ninth. I owe thanks to a lot of people who helped me get to that milestone number of starts because I could not have done it alone. The list of drivers who have made 800 starts is short. There are only six of us and at the top is my father, The King, Richard Petty.

As I said this week marks the 13th annual Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride. I don't have to tell you that this is one of my favorite weeks of the year. It combines two of my passions, motorcycles and helping kids. In the past we have gone from the West Coast to the East Coast. Then we thought to ourselves, "You don't have to go east-west to travel across the country." This year we will be making the more than 2,800-mile trek from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Hollywood, Fla. More than 250 riders from all walks of life will make this the largest charity ride yet. Patti and I are humbled every year by the support that we receive for this event.

Before I go I have to give a huge thanks to John Andretti and Chad McCumbee. Those two are professional in every sense of the word. They came in and helped us. Chad is a young guy with a promising future. John is a rock all the time for us. They are forever a part of the Petty family.

See you in Victory Lane,
Kyle Petty