Coke Zero 400 in Daytona, and The Ponytail Express by Corky Belanger

Well, here I am again writing in as a guest in Marty’s blog.  On July 3, I had the pleasure of getting to take the flight of a lifetime.  Then again, flying the Goodyear blimp is always a flight of a lifetime.

We flew to Daytona on our annual trip to cover the Coke Zero 400 race on the 4^th of July. This year was quite different though as I found out I would be flying the great Kyle Petty.  Mr. Petty is now working as a NASCAR analyst on TNT and also hosting a show with SPEED TV’s Rutledge Wood called The Ponytail Express.  We took Kyle and Rutledge up for a flight for the show.

I have flown my share of famous people throughout my career, but I was excited to fly someone with whom I had a close connection. As you know, Kyle Petty is a third generation racer and I’m a 2^nd generation blimp pilot. Being born into something has many advantages and disadvantages as we both agreed upon.

Kyle said he got into racing because he was “Too lazy to do anything else.” I stood there in a daze wondering if that was the reason I got into blimps? He slapped me on the shoulder and we both laughed!

Kyle was excited about the flight, after getting his own pilot’s license this past October. He said his wife won’t let him fly without an instructor, so don’t tell her he made the takeoff and landing.  All kidding aside, we took off from the airport and headed to our destination, Daytona International Speedway. On the way down the beach to the track, Kyle pointed out how and where the original race was run and how his grandfather used to talk about the good old days, racing in the sand.  He said the cars would slide in the water as the high tide came in.

For those of you who don’t know, Kyle’s grandfather, Lee Petty, started racing in the early 50’s and raced for 16 years. As we continued our flight, we talked about racing, flying and how great our jobs really are. Once we arrived at the track, his recollection of all the events he and his father raced at Daytona came back to him quickly.  His father, Richard Petty, better known as the “King,” is one of the greatest race car drivers in the world; his career stats alone would cover this blog.

Kyle started racing in the late 70’s and raced over 800 races in his 30-year career. Between the three of them, Lee, Richard and Kyle, we are talking over 80 years of experience. If that’s not racing royalty what is? As we headed back for the airport, we passed over his hotel and a few other landmarks that he pointed out.

When it came time to land he was amazed at how much of a negative pitch we carried on approach. I think he was holding his seat; but I would be holding more than a seat if I was in a racecar! The flight was very memorable, but what a wonderful person Mr. Petty is I will never forget. I guess I’ll be waiting by the phone for a ride from him in the future!

You can view a video of his flight at http://www.nascar.com/video/cup/2009/07/04/cup.day2.pony.express.nascar/index.html?MostPopular

Also, check out Kyle’s charity camp, Victory Junction, at http://www.victoryjunction.org/.