The King had won seven Piston Cup championships before the events of Pixar’s Cars. Strip Weathers, known as The King, is a veteran racer and a respected rival of Lightning McQueen.
The King is based on the visual tradition of legendary stock-car racers and drives a Plymouth Superbird-style car. His experience contrasts with McQueen’s brash ambition and Chick Hicks’s aggressive competitiveness during the film’s three-way championship finale.
The King’s final season becomes especially important because he is nearing retirement. Chick Hicks causes a major crash that sends The King into the wall, but McQueen stops before the finish line to help him. The King’s seven championships are a specific character detail and should not be confused with McQueen’s later racing record.