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Adam Petty left the Earth too soon at 19 years old, but his memory will live forever.

Kyle and Pattie Petty welcomed their son, Adam, into the world on July 10, 1980. Racing was in his genes, as great-grandfather Lee and grand-father Richard made their mark on the Cup circuit. His father Kyle also had some success in his NASCAR career, scoring eight Cup wins, making it a total of 263 NASCAR wins across three generations.

Adam made his way in the NASCAR Weekly Series in 1997, before making his ARCA début at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in September 1998. Race fans had reason to smile that night, as the 18-year-old held off veteran Mike Wallace to win in his début, a feat his father accomplished as well.

1999 saw Petty Enterprises field him full-time in the NASCAR Busch Series, with Adam finishing a career-best fourth at Auto Club Speedway.

April 2, 2000 was a special day for father and son, as the two raced together for the first time in the Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway. One month later, on May 12th, Adam tragically lost his life in a practice crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a place where his father Kyle still feels uneasy when he attends the track.

Although Adam is gone, his spirit still lives through the Victory Junction Gang Camp, which opened in 2004 to help children with serious illnesses or chronic medical conditions.