NASCAR: Hot Wheels Building a Different Kind of Track
6 May 1999
Hot Wheels, 'The Official Cars of the New Millenium', will create the 'world's longest Hot Wheels Track' in Trinity, N.C. , on Sunday (May 9), in honor of the Kyle Petty Hot Wheels Racing Charity Ride Across America fundraising festivities. Hot Wheels is this year's title sponsor of the Charity Ride benefiting the NASCAR Winston Cup Racing Wives Auxiliary (WCRWA) and various children's charities across the country.The 'world's longest Hot Wheels track' will measure 2,863 feet long, equaling the number of miles that the more than 200 charity riders will undertake to help raise money for the Charity Ride. The famous Hot Wheels orange track will include turns, twists, loops and overpasses as it spells out 'Hot Wheels'.
"Not every kid in the world can afford the world's biggest Hot Wheels track," said Petty at the unveiling of his No. 44 Pontiac with the special paint scheme commemorating his Ride Across America. "Since I'm the world's biggest kid I can."
The Hot Wheels track will be decorated by children from across the country and autographed by NASCAR drivers and celebrities, including Paul Newman, Melissa Joan Hart and others. The track will be collected at children's hospitals, NASCAR race tracks and from the families of participating racecar drivers. The track will be gathered and the final pieces assembled at the Petty Farm in Trinity, where the Charity Ride will conclude at an estimated time of 3:30 p.m. ET, May 9, 1999.
The Petty family, along with a host of NASCAR celebrities, competitors and fans, began the journey from Ontario, Calif., to Trinity on Monday (May 30. Kyle Petty, his father Richard and son Adam are riding on custom Harley Davidsons. The charity riders, also traveling via motorcycle, will stop with the Pettys at children's hospitals along the way to present checks and toys, meet with children and parents, collect signed pieces of track, and sign autographs. Over the past four years, Kyle's Charity Ride has raised more than $1 million for children's charities benefiting the WCRWA Trust Fund.
"Riding across the country with 'the King', my son, and 250 riders will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Kyle. "And working with Hot Wheels to raise money for children's charities makes it that much more memorable. The best part is, they even decided to create 'the world's longest Hot Wheels track' in honor of this year's Ride."
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