The King was holding court, trying to explain why the words of a driver who has been retired since 1992 carry as much weight today as they did back in the day when Winston was the name of the Cup game. When Petty pops out of his chair, there's still some spring in those 76-year-old steps, and he signs every photo, smiles for every snapshot and makes eye contact with the kids who know him only as the voice from ''Cars'' and not the Hall of Fame driver known as The King. In the era of Junior and Jimmie, Petty is the rare throwback who looms as large in NASCAR as the stars of today. His opinions still move the sports needle, especially when he's jabbing fan favorite Danica Patrick. More...