The King (Cars)

Strip "The King" Weathers is a supporting character in Pixar's 7th full-length animated feature film Cars, the first installment of its namesake franchise, and a minor character in it's 2017 threequel Cars 3. 
He was a veteran racer who possessed the Dinoco sponsorship for over twenty years, and was planning to retire after one last Piston Cup race.
He was voiced by Richard Petty.
==Personality==
The King is shown to be kind and caring and a devoted husband to his wife Lynda. He is also an honorable racer and would never resort to cheating. He is also shown to be a good mentor to Lightning McQueen as he taught him not to think about himself and get a good crew to help him.
== Physical Appearance==
The King is painted Dinoco Blue, with the Dinoco sponsor and the number "43". On his trunk, he has a giant, tall blue spoiler. The King is a 1970 Plymouth Superbird with a 426 Hemi V8 engine, the car Richard Petty drove. The Plymouth Superbird was a heavily modified version of the Plymouth Road Runner, specifically designed for stock car racing. Its radical design was later banned by NASCAR. The King features slightly bigger wheels and a shortened wheelbase - an edit only for the film to make the car more visually appealing. His max speed is 200 MPH and his horsepower is 425 HP (317 kW). He can go 0-60 is 4.8 seconds.
==History==
===Cars===
The King is first seen racing in Motor Speedway of the South with Lightning McQueen and Chick Hicks and finishes the race in a tie between McQueen and Chick. As a result of the 3 way tie, the Tie Breaker race is scheduled to be held in California between the 3 racers. The King says to McQueen that he's got great racing talent, but he's stupid and also advises him not to be selfish and get himself a good team to support him. 
Later on, he shows up to California to finish the tie-breaker race, along with McQueen and Chick. On the final lap, he gets sideswiped by Chick who refused to come behind him again and it causes him to fly and crash and roll a few times before coming to a hault which shocks his fans, his wife, Tex Dinoco, Doc Hudson, and eventually McQueen who sees this, comes to a hault, inches away from the finish line, which causes Chick to greedily win. McQueen reverses and pushes the King to help him finish his last race, coming in second place. He told Lightning that he gave up the Piston Cup to save him until McQueen revealed to the King that this grumpy old race car told him that "it's just an empty cup". The crowd gives applause for both cars’ sportsmanship, and boo Chick Hicks on the stage for his bad sportsmanship. He is then taken to the pit-stop area where his wife Lynda kisses McQueen, thanking him for his selfless act. Tex later offers McQueen the Dinoco sponsorship for his sportsmanship despite not winning, but McQueen, having realized that friendship comes first and having changed his ways by giving up the Piston Cup by helping someone instead, stays with Rust-Eze instead. Tex agrees, but lets Mater on a helicopter ride under McQueen’s request.
The King (now repaired) and Lynda later visit Radiator Springs and tour the museum where Mater shows them the Doc Hudson wing.
===Cars 3===
He appears again in Cars 3. He is apparently now serving as the crew chief for his nephew, Cal Weathers, who later retires from racing. Early in the film, he compliments one of Cal's attempted insults. At the end, he is seen alongside Tex Dinoco and Cal Weathers, where they allow Cruz Ramirez to become Dinoco's next racer.
==Video games==
===Cars: The Videogame===
In Cars: The Videogame, The King appears as a playable character in the arcade and versus game modes. He can be unlocked with 12,000 Bonus Points, but can only be used in Piston Cup races. Since Strip had retired prior to the events of the game, much of Darrell Cartrip's commentary revolves around remarks about Weathers' return to the race track.
Though he does not make a physical appearance in the game's story mode, Strip is mentioned during the cutscene for Palm Mile Speedway, in which Cartrip remarks about how with The King off the circuit, that means that Lightning and Chick only have each other as rivals now.
===Disney Infinity===
In Disney Infinity, The King is one of the race cars that comes to Radiator Springs to compete in Luigi's international competition in the Cars Play Set, alongside the likes of Francesco Bernoulli, Chick Hicks, and more. Additionally, The King is one of the race cars that can be randomly selected to face the player in challenge races.
Preview videos for toys in the Cars Play Set, such as monster truck tires, will sometimes showcase The King using them. Since only the player has access to these toys, it is possible that Strip, like Finn McMissile, may have been intended to be a playable character at one point during the game's development.
==Powers and Abilities ==
The King is one of the most well-known racers of all time, known for his seven Piston Cup wins, and being the racer chosen to sport the blue Dinoco paint job and logos. His nose cone and huge wing allow for optimum aerodynamics. Despite his age and older make, he holds his own due to his sheer experience and skill on the Piston Cup circuit. He's also able to match and even outrace younger racers than him, as he ties with the likes of Chick and McQueen. He won races and stayed towards the front of the pack right up until the end of his career.
===Specifications===
*Engine: 426 C. I. Hemi V8
*0-60 in 5.5 sec
*Top speed: 200 mph
==Awards and Accomplishments==
*7-time Piston Cup winner and veteran racer for team Dinoco
* Crew chief of Cal Weathers
*Was successfully helped out by McQueen so he can let him end his career on a race finish, not wanting to let him suffer the same fate as Doc Hudson and also because he learned that friendship is important
==Quotes==
==Gallery==
===Images===
====Cars====
File:8805DBE2-4813-4A89-96B8-627CA0908D43.jpg|The King behind Chick Hicks and Lee Revkins
File:StripWeathersCars.jpg|The King looking at his rivals
File:Restart Cars 1.jpg|The King behind McQueen and other racecars
File:The-King-voiced-by-Richard-Petty-in-Buena-Vista-Pictures-Distributions-Cars-2006-32.jpg
File:Three way tongue tie.jpg|The Three way tounge tie
File:Cars-disneyscreencaps.com-1252.jpg
File:Cars-disneyscreencaps.com-1391.jpg|The King, Chick and McQueen
File:CharlieCheckerCars12.jpg
File:The King Before His Wreck.jpg
File:Cars-disneyscreencaps.com-12114.jpg
====Cars 3====
File:Screenshot 20240110-011010.png
File:Cars3-disneyscreencaps.com-286.jpg
File:Cars3-disneyscreencaps.com-10782.jpg
File:Cars3-disneyscreencaps.com-10798.jpg
File:Cruz Ramirez -6v2.jpg
File:Cars3-disneyscreencaps.com-10837.jpg
File:Cruz Ramirez -6v1.jpg
File:E7JTr5jX0AQYWcU.jpg
====Miscelaneous====
File:KingCarsGame.jpg
===Videos===
File:Cars- First Race
File:Cars - McQueen Has Lost A Tire - HD Clip
==Trivia==
*Strip is based on a 1970 Plymouth Superbird with a 426 cubic inch hemi (about seven liters) engine, the same model Richard Petty drove. The Superbird was a heavily modified version of the Plymouth Road Runner, specifically designed for stock car racing. Its radical design was later banned by NASCAR. The King features slightly bigger wheels and a shortened wheelbase - an edit only for the film to make the car more visually appealing.
*The King's crash seems to be a re-creation of Petty's real-life Daytona 500 accident in 1988 with the exception that it was not caused by a collision with another driver as in the movie. The bit which Lightning assists him to the finish line seems to be based on the 1976 incident, albeit by the pit crew.
*In the Danish version, The King was voiced by nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen.
*In the Finnish version, he was voiced by Finnish two-time Formula One World Champion Mika Häkkinen.
*In the German version, he was voiced by Austrian three-time Formula One World Champion Niki Lauda.
* His record of seven Piston Cups won was reached by Lightning in Cars 3.
*The King only has one line in Cars 3.
*According to a concept art for Cars 2 he would be repainted yellow.
*If The King would've been left behind following his crash, an alternative reality would've been that he would've decided to not retire and participate in the next racing season only to be replaced by a rookie, Chick Hicks, or possibly McQueen himself in a similar fate to Doc. However, McQueen helped The King instead after learning that helping others is more important than fame.
*The King could've won his 8th title early if McQueen never stuck out his tongue to trigger a tiebreaker race after losing both of his tires. But when race officials try to determine who won the Dinoco 400, the order is that it is basically The King, Lightning McQueen sticking his tongue in a attempt to win, and Chick Hicks crossing the finish line side by side. So basically, if McQueen never stuck out his tongue, it would feel like The King and Chick Hicks either could've won or did the tiebreaker race instead if both of them crossed the finish line. This is coincidental because the viewer could see a slight view of The King and Chick Hicks both crossing the finish line side by side, making it complicated who could've won the race due to the length of the front of each car crossing the finish line if McQueen never stuck his tongue out.
*Strip Weather's number, 43, is a reference to former racer Richard Petty's racing number, 43.
*Despite being a racing veteran, The King, along with Chick Hicks, are the only Piston Cup racers to be based on older vehicles, as the rest of the Piston Cup racers are based on the current NASCAR stock car type vehicles.
==External Links== 
*World of Cars Wiki: The King
*Pixar Wiki: Strip Weathers
*Disney Wiki: The King
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