Family plans private service for Adam Petty

Sunday, May 14, 2000 | 3:53 a.m.

Petty, heir to the Petty Racing throne, died Friday after crashing during practice for the Busch 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway.

A memorial service for Petty will be held at High Point University in High Point. The Petty family has requested a private ceremony but has opened the service to close friends.

But the mourning extends far beyond family and friends.

More than 7,000 e-mail condolences had been sent to the Petty Racing Web site by early Saturday evening. RPM 2Night, a racing show on ESPN2, devoted its entire telecast Saturday night as a tribute to Adam Petty.

Tim Fedewa dedicated his victory in Saturday's race to his friend.

"This one's for Adam," Fedewa said in victory lane.

Petty was the grandson of seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty and the son of Kyle Petty, a regular on the Winston Cup circuit. His great-grandfather, Lee Petty, was one of the pioneers of NASCAR.

Lee Petty died April 5 at age 86 from complications of a stomach aneurysm, three days after Adam made his Winston Cup debut in Fort Worth, Texas.

While making a name for themselves on the track, the Pettys were known in North Carolina for their sense of community.

"They pretty much made Level Cross and Randleman what it is," volunteer firefighter David Ridgeway said. "Even people that don't know them took it pretty hard."

On Saturday, John Carroll and Bobby Trantham reflected on the Petty legacy as they ate peanuts and waited for the start of a bullriding competition at Level Cross Ball Park.

Both men are members of the Level Cross Civitans, a group that has frequently benefited from the Petty family's generosity.

Richard and his wife, Lynda, repeatedly have offered the use of cars and tractors during fund-raising efforts, Trantham said. The Civitan organization also receives donations from Kyle Petty's Ride Across America charity drive.

Carroll said the Petty generosity was passed down every generation.

"Our community is going to feel a void," Trinity town councilman Carlton Boyles said. "All of us have lost."