In Pixar's Cars (2006), which real NASCAR champion voices the race car The King?

In Pixar's Cars (2006), Richard Petty voices the race car The King.

The King is a veteran Piston Cup champion who competes in the final race against Lightning McQueen and Chick Hicks. His design is based on the Plymouth Superbird, a real performance car associated with the early era of American stock-car racing. The character carries the number 43, the same number long associated with Petty's racing career.

Petty is one of NASCAR's most successful drivers. He won the NASCAR Cup Series championship seven times and recorded 200 victories in NASCAR's premier series, making his casting a deliberate connection between the fictional Piston Cup and real American racing history.

The King is not voiced by Dale Earnhardt Jr., although Earnhardt Jr. voices another Cars character, Junior, in the first film. The King also should not be confused with Doc Hudson, the retired champion voiced by Paul Newman. Petty's real racing identity is built directly into The King's number and character design.