King at the rink

Legendary NASCAR driver Richard Petty will be in attendance at Saturday night's Columbus Cottonmouths game the Civic Center as part of what is being marketed as a ''Racin' Weekend.''
That begs the question of: What the heck do NASCAR and hockey have to do with each other?
The sports are more similar than you might think.
Both are played on an oval surface and both place a premium on speed.
Drivers and hockey players rely on uncanny hand-eye coordination and endurance.
NASCAR drivers make multiple pit stops to change out tires and refuel. Hockey coaches make line changes every minute to freshen up lineups that have become rubber-legged from end-to-end exertion.
Some NASCAR fans come to the track to see spectacular crashes in the corners. Some hockey fans come to the rink just to see spectacular crashes too, in which defensemen generally pin a forward's face to the Plexi-glass with a nasty body check.
NASCAR has caution flags and lap penalties, hockey has the penalty box.
Most hockey players lack at least one tooth, which gives them instant kinship with denizens of the infield at Bristol.
And the No. 1 shared trait between the sports ...
The mullet is a perfectly acceptable haircut.