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All-American 400 Honors Adam Petty

Motorplex Season Finale Pays Tribute to NASCAR?s First Family

The All-American 400 has always been a great race. Now it?s a great race for a great cause.

Music City Motorplex president Joe Mattioli has designated the 25th annual race, Nov. 2-4, the Adam Petty Memorial All-American 400. The event will pay tribute to Adam, who lost his life in May of 2000 at age 19 in a crash at New Hampshire Speedway.

The race also will promote the Victory Junction Gang Camp which Adam?s family established in his memory. The camp is free and available to youngsters who are battling life-threatening ailments.

?The Petty name is synonymous with stock car racing and good works,? Mattioli said. ?They have given so much to this sport, and I wanted to take this opportunity to give something back.?

?We are honored that the Motorplex is doing this for Adam,? said Patti Petty, Adam?s mother. ?He loved to race at Nashville and we loved to watch him race there. He grew up watching both his dad and granddad race there. The Petty family has a lot of cherished memories of Nashville.?

?This track has a tremendous history, and the Pettys are woven into that history,? said Mattioli, who has a tradition of recognizing and honoring the sport?s retired legends and other notable personalities.

?The Petty family?s ties to Nashville span four generations,? Mattioli said. ?That?s impressive, and I want to make sure it?s never forgotten.? Lee Petty, Adam?s great-grandfather, raced at the historical Fairgrounds track during its early years, and was followed by fan favorite Richard. Adam?s dad, Kyle, also logged laps around the famed five-eights-mile oval.

Adam had been in Nashville for a Busch race at the Superspeedway in Gladeville a month before his fatal crash. Talented, bright and charismatic, Adam was being groomed to carry on the legacy of NASCAR?s First Family when tragedy severed the racing lineage.

Since his loss, the racing community has rallied around the Victory Junction Gang Camp, with NASCAR and many of its top drivers making contributions.

Mattioli said he wants to do his part. ?What the Pettys have been able to do with the camp takes my breath away,? he said. ?The family?s commitment and desire to help others is an inspiration to all of us.?

Richard, whose 200 major-league victories stand as a record that will likely never be equaled, said Nashville was always a special place to him.

?It?s a great town with a lot of great race fans,? he said. ?Man, I still remember how hot it was during those summer races, but it was fun. Nashville was always one of my favorite towns and favorite tracks and I really enjoyed coming there.?

The Adam Petty Memorial All-American 400 promises to provide a dramatic finish to what has been a successful 49th season at the Motorplex. Started in 1981 by the late Bob Harmon, the race quickly gained a national reputation as the ?Super Bowl of Short-Track Racing.?

Over the years it has lived up to its billing, with such celebrated champions as Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Butch Lindley, Jeff Purvis, and many other prominent racers.

?This race has great history and I think it has an equally great future,? Mattioli said. ?I?m a big believer in taking what?s been successful in the past and building on it.?

For race information or tickets call (615) 726-1818 or visit MusicMityMotorplex.com

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