"On Friday morning, I had the awesome pleasure of touring The King, Richard Petty, through the grandstand and the club.  To say that he was impressed is an understatement.  It was quite evident through the time he spent, his comments, questions and observations that he was seeing a structure unlike any other in motorsports.  Yesterday, as I was turning in equipment, Hugh Hawthorne, Mr. Petty’s good friend, pulled me to the side to relay a message that “Richard wanted to make sure [Mr. Hawthorne] told [me].”  I don’t remember the exact quote, but it goes something like this:  “I’ve been to the Whitehouse, on the QE2, and just about every racetrack throughout the country and THAT is the most impressive place I’ve ever stepped foot in.”   To have heard that come from “The King” absolutely flabbergasts me!"