Saturday afternoon, fans at the Dover International Speedway had the opportunity to be a part of racing history. The speedway honored Richard Petty with a plaque on the new Monster Monument at Victory Plaza. Following Petty's induction ceremony, fans were able to take part in a question and answer session hosted by ESPN's Allen Bestwick. Always willing to take time for the fans, Petty also stuck around afterwards to sign autographs for those who had been waiting in line for hours.

Below are a few lucky fans that had the chance to meet one of the most unique and historic figures not only in motorsports, but all of America.

George Tatum, Salisbury, MD.:

George had been waiting in line since 9:30 am and had never met Richard Petty before. The Maryland-native said Petty was his favorite driver because he had won so many races and was a seven time champion. "I watched him when I was a teenager coming out, my father liked him," Tatum explained. George, pictured with the helmet he had Petty autograph, has been working on compiling various driver autographs on the piece for over a year. Although he couldn't tell me how many signatures there were on the helmet, but he was quick to point out, "That's a lot of standing in line."

Joe and Joe from Linden, NJ:

This was their fourth trip to the Monster Mile and they had waited in line for a little over three hours to meet The King. "We always try to chase after whatever we can get," the younger Joe said, "but we never get the caliber of Richard Petty, I mean come on."  Joe's father echoed his son's statement, adding, "He's the best, by far the best ever."

Mike Armacida, Pennsylvania:

Mike has been working for two years, about fourteen races, to accumulate signatures on a picture honoring the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Already with a number of autographs on the piece, he planned on getting four more drivers to sign the photos ? which consisted of his favorite drivers.  ?My top favorite driver,? he admitted though, ?is the man I?m getting to sign this right now.  He was before everybody else and he was a superstar when racing was not a big premier superstar.?

Helen and Dennis Romano, PA:

Saturday marked the first time Helen and Dennis had the chance to meet Richard Petty, but say they have met lots of other drivers before. The couple has been following NASCAR for eleven years now, and this weekend's trip marked the tenth year of coming to the Monster Mile. "He's just a classic, you can't beat the guy," Dennis said of Richard Petty. "You can't even explain how good he is. He's what it's all about." The couple both agreed there will probably never be a driver quite like Petty. Helen added, "He's one in a million."

 Terry and Bill Coe from Cinnaminson, NJ:

This couple stood in line for four and a half hours in order to meet The King. Terry has been into racing for seven years, but her husband has been following the sport for forty years.

"Richard Petty is the all-time king of racing," Terry explained. "He's a real class act, they have a class act family and racing wouldn't be what it is today without him."

Bill had a chance to ask he hero a question during the fan Q&A session prior to the autograph session, and had The King autograph a fender off one of the Richard Petty Racing Experience cars. The couple has a friend from South Carolina that works with the driving experience, and the buddy sent the piece along knowing how big a Petty fan Bill is. While Bill has never actually taken part of the Richard Petty Driving Experience, he gave it as a birthday present to Terry.

"I got to see him in 1967 in Langhorn, the track doesn't even exist anymore. The man sat around for hours, just sitting on the edge of the hauler signing things for people - pictures, jackets, hats, whatever. He took time with everybody. He treated everybody like a friend, and  you know what, you got to love the man. He's the greatest driver out there, but him and his family are really first class, the first family of NASCAR, they really are."

"You'll never see anybody come close to him," Bill added. "Not only in his racing ability, but with what he does for everybody."

Phil Newhart, Shopton, P.A.:

This Hardcore Race Fan from Pennsylvania got his black cowboy hat autographed by The King. "I'm the biggest redneck my area, everybody knows me," Phil admitted. Newhart got into racing as a kid, but admits he, "got out for a while when Mr. Petty left." Unable to stay away, Phil started watching NASCAR again in the late '90s, this time following Mark Martin.

"He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet," Newhart said of Petty. "He takes time out for his fans. He more or less says, "if it wasn't for you fans, we wouldn't be here.'"

When asked if he believed if there could ever be another driver like Richard Petty, Phil's answer was clear, ?No, never.  He's the best, he's the King.  Nobody will ever, ever be the king like Richard Petty."

Scores of other Hardcore Race Fans stood in a line that seemed to go on forever, just to meet the man they call The King. Arguably the greatest driver the sport has ever seen, Petty's on-track success is much more special when you consider the time he takes to thank the fans.

"I guess I look at it from the standpoint that whatever I did while I came along, racing was a hobby for me. Working on the car was my job," Petty explained. "If I have a hobby, and people appreciate that hobby by [wearing Petty t-shirts], it just makes you feel good that you did something that not only you enjoyed, but a lot of other people did also."