Petty legacy honored by Hawkeye Downs Wall of Fame

CEDAR RAPIDS - To be inducted into the Hawkeye Downs Wall of Fame, an inductee has to have left an indelible mark on the speedway in some way.

Typically, it's individuals who raced at the track for a long time or contributed over a number of years. But one inductee on Friday night raced at the track just twice - once on his 18th birthday. The impression he left on those who attended and on the officials still around today would've been enough, even if he failed to finish one race and was fifth in the other.

It's what Adam Petty left in terms of legacy and impact on both racing and charitable work that led Hawkeye Downs to put the driver in their Wall of Fame alongside Dudley Fleck, P.J. Harrington, Walt Hill and special inductee, superfan Jimmy Funke.

'When John (Park) called me from the track and was telling me about what it was, it's extremely humbling. It really is,” said Adam's brother Austin Petty, who flew in from North Carolina to accept Adam's award. 'It means a lot to me, it means a lot to my family that after 15 years since Adam passed away (at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2000), people still talk about him other than Victory Junction (Gang Camp). What really got me was when they reminded me Adam celebrated his 18th birthday here. I had to come back and be a part of it.”

The Pettys are the sons of former NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kyle Petty, the son of The King, Richard Petty. Their family legacy in racing knows no end, and for Austin to fly out to Cedar Rapids for the event was enough to render Wall of Fame director John Park speechless.

Park said he was blown away when Austin agreed to attend the event, never really expecting a member of the family to make the trip all the way here.

But there was no doubt in Austin's mind when he got the phone call. The 33-year-old Chief Operating Officer of the Victory Junction Gang Camp - the charitable camp for cancer-stricken children, which was an idea of Adam's before he died - said it was just another way for him to connect with his brother.

He carries a tattoo of Adam's No. 45 car on his right forearm, he runs the camp his brother had the idea for, and he named his son Adam. But getting to go to the racetrack still offers Austin a connection he can't get anywhere else.

'It's another opportunity where I get to connect with my brother,” Austin said. 'Really, for me personally, I get to come back and see Hawkeye Downs and it can kind of take me back and see what Adam would've seen and feel his presence there. For me, it's very personal and very humbling to get to be a part of it.

'For me to come back to a place like Hawkeye Downs and remember those 14, 15 years old days going to the tracks with Adam, this personally brings it back to me and gives me a connection with him.”

Austin said he finally got to tell his dad, Kyle, about the honor just after he landed in Cedar Rapids midday Friday. He said Kyle's reaction was similar to his, and wasn't sure if he got choked up or not over the phone. He did know his father was moved by the honor, as was the rest of his family.

In his acceptance speech to the crow, Austin shared the one memory he had of coming to the track - with his dad for a race in the early 1990s - and reminded everyone that who was being honored wasn't necessarily a racecar driver. He came there of his own accord to be sure everyone knew what it meant to the Pettys and what it meant to him.

'My legacy in life is getting to continue his legacy, which was more what you do off the racetrack than what you do on the racetrack,” Austin said. 'It wasn't a ‘Can you cover my hotel or airfare?' situation. I didn't care about any of that. I wanted to be here and be a part of it. Hopefully the fans enjoyed it and the track gets something out of it, but for me personally, I'm doing it for me and my family.”

Racing action was fast and furious all night on track Friday night.

Brad Osborn got the win in Late Models, fighting off Brian Gibson as they raced side by side for the final five laps. Nathan Ballard made it back-to-back weeks winning a pair of races, taking the Hobby Stock win in dominant fashion, then making a last-lap pass of Dave McCalla for the win in Sportsmen.

In INEX Legends, two late restarts allowed Cole O'Brien, who led the first 15 laps, to recover from a broken part and climb back from restarting last to take his first career win. And in Hornets, Derek Parrott got his third win of the season.

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