The King Meets The Queen

America may be a representative republic, but we have a King:

Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II won't be the only royalty at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

Richard Petty, otherwise known as King Richard in NASCAR circles, will fly to the Derby to hopefully meet the Queen after a special invitation from Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher.

"If I meet the Queen, it'll probably be a nod and that's about as far as it'll go," Petty said on Friday at Richmond International Raceway. "I don't know if I could talk to her because I don't speak English. I speak Southern American, and I don't know if she would understand that or not."

Petty will return to Richmond in time for Saturday night's Nextel Cup race in which he has two cars, the No. 43 of Bobby Labonte and No. 45 of Kyle Petty.

He'll wear the same familiar cowboy hat to the Derby -- black with a peacock feather in the front -- that he wears to the race.

"She wears one of them great big hats," Petty said of the Queen. "She might outdo me on the hat deal."

Asked how he'll act in front of the Queen, Petty laughed and said, "I've got a queen at home that I have to act to. The rest of them don't make a whole lot of difference."

I hope there are pictures of the two together should they get to meet. If so, I'll post it here.