The King in the Cars franchise is a race car named Strip "The King" Weathers)). He is a veteran race car and racing legend, and one of the racers in the 2005 Piston Cup three-way tie, along with Chick Hicks and Lightning McQueen. He is an anthropomorphic version of real-life NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Pettys 1970 Plymouth Superbird, sporting the same shade of blue and Pettys racing number, 43, as well as being a fictionalized version of him.