A Tribute to Adam Petty
1980-2000
My speech on Adam, given to my Public Speaking class on May 15, 2000, 3 days after his untimely death...
You're probably wondering what I am doing back up here being I have already done a tribute speech on my Mom and Dad. I am braving this lonely podium once more, not only because Mrs. Ganley *my P.S. teacher, one of the best human beings I have ever met* graciously, from the bottom of her heart, let me but because of circumstances that occurred on Friday. Before I get to the subject of my speech, I have to give you a little background, a little insight into a piece of my life very few of you know about.
If the people closest to me were asked to describe me, i know a majority of them would include something like race freak, Labonte fanatic, etc. And without a doubt, its true. I love race cars, love most of the drivers and crave the excitement. You could all probably argue that its just guys driving in circles, but to me, its way more. You can take one step into my room and realize that when pictures of Bobby Labonte are staring straight at you. I definitely love the sport of auto racing. But I do know that racing sometimes has its low points. The danger of going sometimes over 200 mph is high, even with the safety precautions but still, you never think that that danger could strike at any moment and unfortunately on Friday, it did. 19 year old Adam Petty, grandson of "the King" of racing, Richard Petty and son of Kyle died of head trauma after a single car accident at New Hampshire Speedway. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. His crash occurred within the last 15 minutes of a 1 hour practice session and onlookers said it looked like the throttle just stuck. And now...Adam Petty is gone.
I became an Adam fan about 2 years ago when I saw him win an ARCA race at my favorite track, Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. He was an enthusiastic 18 year old winner in an elite series and I'll never forget the joy on his face in Victory Lane that night. But perhaps my own encounter with Adam is my brightest memory. I was ecstatic when I learned my family had pit passes for our second trip to Charlotte. This meant I was going to meet the stars I had grown to love the past few years. So on race day, I was standing around, waiting for drivers to exit the garage area, where my pass did not permit me to go, when I spotted Kyle and as usual, Adam, a tall, skinny bright eyed cutie pie, was right by his side. Adam passed by me, when on impulse, even though he was well past me, I called out his name. He looked around for a moment, saw me, smiled and came back to sign my hat, like it was a pleasure for him to do so. After encountering some drivers who were not as polite and amicable, he was a breath of fresh air. A flash of that famous Petty smile definitely brightened my day. Today, that hat hangs on my wall, a memento of a memory I'll tell my children about someday. How Adam Petty stopped to sign an autograph he didn't HAVE to sign...how he turned around to come back for a fan, just for a signature...how something so little as that has made an imprint on my memory forever and even though bigger things happened that weekend, it'll probably be the first story from that weekend that I tell my kids about.
In less than 2 weeks, I'll be spending my Memorial Day weekend, now with a little less excitement, where Adam won his first ARCA race and where I met him only 7 months ago. That weekend, he was supposed to be starting his 2nd Winston Cup race and ironically, his 45th Busch Grand National race. Its ironic because his car number was 45, in succession with his great grandfather's 42, his grandfather's 43 and his father's 44.
Adam accomplished so much in a short time span. From his ARCA win, to his Winston Cup start, to his many charitable acts, his 19 years were jam packed. Adam will go into the record books for being the first fourth generation athlete to compete in any sport. But to me, Adam Petty is more...he's an inspiration. He's the kind of person I strive to be...a sincere human being. They don't come around too often and almost 20 years ago, one did, and now he's been taken. But my faith helps me through times like these because I know there has to be a reason why Adam died and why bad things happen to such good people. I feel fortunate though, that I was once in the presence of an incredible young man, even if it was only for a few minutes. A song lyric reminds me of this..."If I'd only known how the king would fall, who's to say, I might have changed it all. And I'm glad I didn't know the way it all would end, the way it all would go. Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain, but I'd of had to miss the dance." So I know every ounce of pain of all who knew or felt like they knew Adam is worth the fact that he blessed this Earth for 2 months short of 20 years.
And now, on a more personal note...Adam, if you hear me, thanks so much for being you...thanks for exciting me every saturday afternoon and that one Sunday morning...thanks for touching the lives of so many people. You are truly a champion in my heart. I know you died doing what you loved but you were taken way too soon. You know how people say thunderstorms are actually angels bowling? Now I'll know its really you, hitting your ignition switch, ready to race as always on the speedway in the sky. And if one day, you're walking around and you hear a familiar call, its me, grasping my halo, hoping you'll sign it and I have faith you will because you're now an angel, Adam, rest in peace...we all love you and you'll never be forgotten...
You're probably wondering what I am doing back up here being I have already done a tribute speech on my Mom and Dad. I am braving this lonely podium once more, not only because Mrs. Ganley *my P.S. teacher, one of the best human beings I have ever met* graciously, from the bottom of her heart, let me but because of circumstances that occurred on Friday. Before I get to the subject of my speech, I have to give you a little background, a little insight into a piece of my life very few of you know about.
If the people closest to me were asked to describe me, i know a majority of them would include something like race freak, Labonte fanatic, etc. And without a doubt, its true. I love race cars, love most of the drivers and crave the excitement. You could all probably argue that its just guys driving in circles, but to me, its way more. You can take one step into my room and realize that when pictures of Bobby Labonte are staring straight at you. I definitely love the sport of auto racing. But I do know that racing sometimes has its low points. The danger of going sometimes over 200 mph is high, even with the safety precautions but still, you never think that that danger could strike at any moment and unfortunately on Friday, it did. 19 year old Adam Petty, grandson of "the King" of racing, Richard Petty and son of Kyle died of head trauma after a single car accident at New Hampshire Speedway. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. His crash occurred within the last 15 minutes of a 1 hour practice session and onlookers said it looked like the throttle just stuck. And now...Adam Petty is gone.
I became an Adam fan about 2 years ago when I saw him win an ARCA race at my favorite track, Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. He was an enthusiastic 18 year old winner in an elite series and I'll never forget the joy on his face in Victory Lane that night. But perhaps my own encounter with Adam is my brightest memory. I was ecstatic when I learned my family had pit passes for our second trip to Charlotte. This meant I was going to meet the stars I had grown to love the past few years. So on race day, I was standing around, waiting for drivers to exit the garage area, where my pass did not permit me to go, when I spotted Kyle and as usual, Adam, a tall, skinny bright eyed cutie pie, was right by his side. Adam passed by me, when on impulse, even though he was well past me, I called out his name. He looked around for a moment, saw me, smiled and came back to sign my hat, like it was a pleasure for him to do so. After encountering some drivers who were not as polite and amicable, he was a breath of fresh air. A flash of that famous Petty smile definitely brightened my day. Today, that hat hangs on my wall, a memento of a memory I'll tell my children about someday. How Adam Petty stopped to sign an autograph he didn't HAVE to sign...how he turned around to come back for a fan, just for a signature...how something so little as that has made an imprint on my memory forever and even though bigger things happened that weekend, it'll probably be the first story from that weekend that I tell my kids about.
In less than 2 weeks, I'll be spending my Memorial Day weekend, now with a little less excitement, where Adam won his first ARCA race and where I met him only 7 months ago. That weekend, he was supposed to be starting his 2nd Winston Cup race and ironically, his 45th Busch Grand National race. Its ironic because his car number was 45, in succession with his great grandfather's 42, his grandfather's 43 and his father's 44.
Adam accomplished so much in a short time span. From his ARCA win, to his Winston Cup start, to his many charitable acts, his 19 years were jam packed. Adam will go into the record books for being the first fourth generation athlete to compete in any sport. But to me, Adam Petty is more...he's an inspiration. He's the kind of person I strive to be...a sincere human being. They don't come around too often and almost 20 years ago, one did, and now he's been taken. But my faith helps me through times like these because I know there has to be a reason why Adam died and why bad things happen to such good people. I feel fortunate though, that I was once in the presence of an incredible young man, even if it was only for a few minutes. A song lyric reminds me of this..."If I'd only known how the king would fall, who's to say, I might have changed it all. And I'm glad I didn't know the way it all would end, the way it all would go. Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain, but I'd of had to miss the dance." So I know every ounce of pain of all who knew or felt like they knew Adam is worth the fact that he blessed this Earth for 2 months short of 20 years.
And now, on a more personal note...Adam, if you hear me, thanks so much for being you...thanks for exciting me every saturday afternoon and that one Sunday morning...thanks for touching the lives of so many people. You are truly a champion in my heart. I know you died doing what you loved but you were taken way too soon. You know how people say thunderstorms are actually angels bowling? Now I'll know its really you, hitting your ignition switch, ready to race as always on the speedway in the sky. And if one day, you're walking around and you hear a familiar call, its me, grasping my halo, hoping you'll sign it and I have faith you will because you're now an angel, Adam, rest in peace...we all love you and you'll never be forgotten...