You're right about that too. Don't be fooled by the Carolina accent and his easy going nature; he can be accused of many things just like the rest of us, but you can't accuse him of being dumb.

My brother used to work for the Pettys and he was always amazed at how fast The King could absorb and process information necessary for significant decisions. This applied to racing, financial and management matters.

He said one thing to watch was his eyebrows. Whenever they rose above the tops of his sunglasses he had seen or heard something he questioned. My brother once told him, "Whenever I'm talking and you do that I know I've missed something." No one argued.

He was also very well aware that staying with Pontiac and STP as long as he did reduced the team's chance to win but also was the best financial option available to PE in the late 80's through the 90's, etc. That must have felt like racing's version of Sophie's Choice.