Victory Junction Gang Camp
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The Victory Junction Gang Camp is a camp for terminally ill, and chronically ill children located in Randleman, North Carolina, USA. It is part of the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps.
The idea for the camp came from Adam Petty, who was a teenage stock car driver (as well as the son of veteran Kyle Petty, the grandson of seven-time champion Richard Petty, and great-grandson of two-time champion Lee Petty). The Pettys were also inspired by their visits to Camp Carefree, a camp in Stokesdale, North Carolina that utilized the same concept, but originated in the 1980's. In 2000, the Pettys began talks with Hole in the Wall founder Paul Newman about the new venture.
On May 12, 2000, Adam Petty was killed in a crash during practice at New Hampshire International Speedway. Kyle and his wife, Pattie (Huffman) Petty, carried on Adam's vision and spent four years raising money for, and building, the camp. On June 20, 2004, Father's Day in the U.S., the VJGC welcomed its first campers.
Facilities include a swimming pool, a recreational game room, a computer lab, an outdoor recreation area with open space, and a medical clinic. In 2006, work began on a "superdome" that would host indoor sporting facilities. It was begun with a $1 million seed donation from fellow NASCAR driver Tony Stewart. Other drivers, team owners, team sponsors, and NASCAR itself have given substantial donations to the camp.
The VJGC is open year-round and can accommodate about 100 campers at a time. The size of the camp is kept relatively small to allow the children more personal attention. Most campers live in the Southeast United States, but the number of participants that live in other parts of the country has grown over the time it has been open.
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