Kyle Petty ended his summer stint in the TNT TV booth Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway, but before he gets back in his No. 45 Dodge next weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he's spending a week on his Harley Davidson motorcycle leading the 14th annual Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride.

PETTY The two-wheel trek across the country kicked off at Traverse City, Mich., on Sunday, where the 200 or so riders headed out on a journey of more than 3,000 miles that will end in Savannah, Ga., on July 19.

Through the years, the ride, which this year will include celebrities Richard Petty, Harry Gant, Herschel Walker and Davis Love III, has raised more than $10.5 million, much of which has been given away during the ride when the tour stops at hospitals. A portion also goes to the Victory Junction Gang Camp for ill children that Petty and his family founded.

The charity ride continues to grow each year, in large part because it's never quite the same. Every year the ride attracts different riders and takes a different route across the country. Even so, Petty is surprised at its longevity.

"It still blows me away that it's lasted this long," he said.

Taking a cross-country trip on a motorcycle has become old hand for Petty, and it's not just because he has been on so many charity rides.

This year, he already has put 20,000 miles on his new Harley. "I've ridden it to every race so far this year," he said.

He and Matt Kenseth rode together from Texas to Phoenix earlier this year, but, for the most part, he has ridden alone. Perhaps one day, the world will find out more about those trips.

"I've been sort of halfway writing a book about the places I've been and the people I've talked to," Petty said. "It's been a lot of fun meeting people on the road."

But that and his TV work doesn't mean that his primary focus is changing.

What really gets his motor running is driving his No. 45 Dodge. He said his TV stint is more like a summer vacation, and he's ready to get back to work.

He said one of the lessons he learned from watching races this summer is the amount of strategy being employed during races. With the tight rules for the Car of Tomorrow, there's little room for modifications that increase a car's speed. Therefore, crew chiefs are trying every trick they know to help their drivers gain positions.

"There are more different strategies being tried than I've seen in all the years I've been going to the races, even back when I was working with my dad," he said. "People are pitting at different times, taking four tires, two tires, no tires."

For many teams, pit strategy is the only way to move up in a race.

"From about eighth place on back, the cars are all going about the same speed, and it's really tough to pass," Petty said.