When Adam was born on July 10, 1980..no one ever thought he would become Nascar's first fourth generation driver.  Following in the footsteps of the Petty men, Adam dreamed of racing, just like his great-grandfather Lee, his famous grandfather Richard, and his father Kyle.  As a child Adam started by driving go-carts when he was 6 years old, and in the Petty tradition, became a winner. By age 12 he was competing in selected Mini-Sprint races. In 1995, he started competing in the Nascar Legends series, gaining experience with each turn of the wheel. 1997 saw him debut in the Nascar Weekly Racing Series, competing in 25 events. The next year he moved to Minnesota to campaign in the ASA, with his first win coming in his 10th start. He would compete in 9 more ASA races that year, before moving on to race 2 in the ARCA Series, in that same year. In his first ARCA race at Charlotte, Adam dominated and came to victory lane, flashing that famous Petty smile, and celebrating that victory with father Kyle, and grandfather Richard, in victory lane with him.  He also made his Busch Series debut where he ran 3 events. 1999, Adam entered the Busch Series full time, driving the #45 Sprint Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Being mild-mannered, Adam was the ever learning pupil, always asking advice from his fellow competitors, he was willing to learn all he could. Someone once told Adam, that to be a good driver, you had to be thin, at one point, Adam was a little chunky, and he shed 50lbs. because he believed it would make him a better driver. Racing was in his blood, and he strived to improve every week. The year 2000 saw Adam make 11 Busch Series races, with his best finish being a 12th at Talladega. On April, 2..Adam made  his Winston Cup debut in Texas, becoming the first fourth generation driver in that series, he was excited about getting the chance to race with his father Kyle, unfortunately, Kyle failed to qualify for the event. Three days later, after Adam had made history, the patriarch of the Petty family, Lee, passed away.  On May 12, one month and seven days later, while practicing his car at the New Hampshire Speedway, Adam's car suddenly hit the wall with a thundering hit. Rescue personnel were 20 minutes cutting Adam from the car. As the ambulance sped off to the hospital, and resuscitation efforts were being applied, everyone prayed that this 19 kid would be ok. Sadly, Adam passed away a few hours later, from the head trauma he suffered in the crash.  Everyone who spoke of Adam repeatedly reminded everyone what an unselfish person he was. He was the friendliest anyone had ever known, always wanting to improve himself as a driver, never thinking that because his name was Petty, that he would be given any special treatment at the tracks, he was determined to earn everything he wanted, his way, by hard work and determination. Under the watchful eye of Richard and Kyle, he was blossoming as a good driver, but with this tragedy, the racing world will never know what Adam could have accomplished.  Kyle lost his best friend that day, and everyone in the garage area, knew how close these two were. Kyle stayed away, missing two events at Charlotte, and in coming back to the track for the weekend at Dover, he put himself in Adam's car, for one time only, paying tribute to his lost son, and best friend. Kyle made a good showing in the #45 Sprint machine, a run that Adam would have been proud of. Would Adam have been the future driver of the famed #43, and since the switch was being made back to Dodge's for the 2001 season, would he have put the Petty name back where it once stood when Richard drove that number, and make of car?  I have to believe he would have. Adam, I wish you were still here, there was so much you could have done, and it is not every day that someone of your character comes along. Every one should smile as Adam did, and enjoy life to the fullest as he did also. We miss you.

 Adam Petty Photo Gallery