Life Magazine in 1986 nicknamed Highway 50, dotted with ghost towns and historic mining communities along its 300-mile stretch across Nevada’s Great Basin Desert, “The Loneliest Road.”But the desolate countryside won’t faze the hearty 250 faithful who will be part of a 125-motorcycle-strong contingent riding once again from coast to coast May 1-9 as part of the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America (KPCRAA) May 1-9.By the time they embark on that segment of their ride from Sonoma, California, to Charlotte, they’ll be well on their way to helping raise awareness and funds for Victory Junction. And most of them know the drill—former NASCAR driver and current racing analyst Kyle Petty has orchestrated this event for 30 years now.It has raised more than $23 million for Victory Junction—a camp dedicated to providing life-changing camping experiences for children with chronic and serious medical illnesses—as well as other children’s charities.“The reason I am so excited about this year’s Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America is because this is our 30th year,” Petty said. “America 250 , the anniversary of our great country’s independence… the 100th anniversary of Highway 50—the ‘Loneliest Road in America’… the 100th anniversary of Route 66, another iconic highway. There is just so much to celebrate this year.Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America“The places we are stopping—Bass Pro Shops [Springfield, Missouri], Coker Museum [Chattanooga, Tennessee], Graceland [Memphis], riding the Dragon [the famous 318-curve, 11-mile route through the Appalachian Mountains… Just like the kid’s book says, ‘Oh the places you’ll go!’ I feel like a kid, and I’m ready to do it,” he said.Petty will lead about 150 motorcycles over 3,400 miles across 11 states in just nine days to support Victory Junction. Since 1995, more than 9,575 riders have logged 13.3 million cumulative motorcycle miles and gained lifelong benefactors for the camp. The KPCRAA is working closely with America 250 to highlight iconic stops along the way, and contribute to the “Our American Story,” program in which stories of everyday Americans will be recorded for posterity. Fans are encouraged to attend one of the Ride’s nine overnight stops or daily pit stops to greet Petty and the riders, purchase memorabilia, collect autographs, and make donations to Victory Junction. Among the celebrities they’ll have a chance to meet are NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Matt Kenseth; NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton, former NASCAR drivers Clint Bowyer, David Ragan, Ken Schrader, and Kenny Wallace; TV personalities Rick Allen and Rutledge Wood; and Harley Davidson Vice-President and Global Brand Ambassador Bill Davidson, great-grandson of Harley-Davidson co-founder William A. Davidson.The full schedule is:• Day 1, Friday, May 1 – Sonoma, Calif. to Ely, Nev.• Day 2, Saturday, May 2 – Ely, Nev. to Moab, Utah• Day 3, Sunday, May 3 – Moab, Utah to Colorado Springs, Colo. • Day 4, Monday, May 4 – Colorado Springs, Colo., to Wichita, Kan.• Day 5, Tuesday, May 5 – Wichita, Kan. to Springfield, Mo.• Day 6, Wednesday, May 6 – Springfield, Mo. to Memphis, Tenn.• Day 7, Thursday, May 7 – Memphis, Tenn., to Chattanooga, Tenn. • Day 8, Friday, May 8 – Chattanooga, Tenn., to Asheville, N.C. • Day 9, Saturday, May 9 – Asheville, N.C. to Charlotte, N.C. The start and end points for the 30th Anniversary Ride replicates the first route taken by Kyle Petty and friends during the initial Ride in 1995. The first Ride kicked off May 8, 1995, following the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway, and wrapped up in Charlotte eight days later. This year’s course will include a stop at the Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum at Maggie Valley, North Carolina, and a joyous visit at Victory Junction at Randleman, N.C., before heading to a close at Charlotte Motor Speedway at Concord, N.C.Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America Victory Junction has served as the Ride’s primary beneficiary since Petty and his family established the camp in 2004 in honor of his late son, Adam. The Ride has helped Victory Junction mobilize resources to provide more than 136,000 camp experiences for children of all levels of abilities who are living with complex medical conditions at no cost to their families. Applications for the 2026 Ride are closed, and all riders have been selected. The Ride accepted 26 new riders, and applications for the 30th Anniversary Ride filled up in record-setting time—less than 72 hours after applications were distributed. Riders will come from 35 different states and two Canadian provinces. “Once you go on the Kyle Petty Charity Ride, you become part of the Charity Ride family,” Petty said. “It’s hard to explain to somebody that doesn’t understand it. We have around 50 people who have gone 20 years or more on this Ride.” They include the late Autoweek contributor Al Pearce.Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America “This year we have 150 motorcycles going with us, and we still had to turn people away. It is the hardest thing to tell people it didn’t work out for this year’s Ride.” he said. “We tell those people to come back next year, get on the list, and we will look at those people first. We have two doctors and two nurses that go with us, paramedics that follow the bikes, retired Highway Patrol motor officers who act as our Ride Motor Marshals. We have a hotel and luggage team, a media team. Coca-Cola sends a team and truck with products. Harley-Davidson sends a truck and technicians. There are an additional 30-plus people that go with us just to make sure we can ride every day. The level of commitment from our team, our valued partners and many volunteers is really something special.” For those unable to meet the participants along the way, Victory Junction will accept online donations. To make a contribution, visit https://victoryjunction.org/donate-online/and follow the instructions.