He once worked for "The Hef" and now works for "The King," legendary driver and car owner Richard Petty.

David Zucker is the new CEO of Petty Enterprises, the storied organization that has started and won more Cup races than any other in NASCAR history but has fallen on hard times in recent years.

Brought in to help beef up the business side of the organization when cash-rich Boston Ventures entered into a partnership with Petty Enterprises, Zucker said he intends to restore the operation to its former glory. We sat down with him and talked about how he plans to do that, and lots of other interesting things.

The Zuck file

Name: David Zucker

Position: New CEO of Petty Enterprises

Background: 11 years at Walt Disney Co., including eight at ESPN, where he headed up ESPN International and was in charge of programming. Also formerly worked at Playboy Enterprises, Inc., where he ...

Family: Wife Karen; sons Jack, 7, and Nate, 4.

Hobbies: Playing golf and late-night video games.

Favorite video game: NASCAR '09.

Q: How's the new job going?

Zucker: I'm diving in. There is a lot of work to do, but obviously with the Pettys, it's a great organization. I'm looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity.

Q: What do you envision both in the short term and the long term for Petty Enterprises?

Zucker: We have some great assets, and we have a great organization. But with Boston Ventures coming in, we're going to be investing in building the race team in terms of adding personnel and building up a test-team operation and increasing investment in some of our programs like the chassis development program. So really investing in and improving the performance of the race team over time. We know it's going to take a lot of work; we know we're going up against a lot of really good competitors out there. And it's going to be one week at a time -- but we have a long-term commitment to be successful, and we've already started digging in.

Q: Robbie Loomis, vice president of racing operations at Petty, has said you would like to go to a third team at some point, maybe part-time by next season and perhaps full-time by 2010. Is that sort of the plan and timetable for that?

Zucker: That's certainly possible. I think our goal certainly is to get to three teams as soon as it makes sense. We're going to focus on really building the two-car team in the immediate future; and then, as Robbie indicated, possibly adding a third team as early as next year.

Q: When it was announced that Boston Ventures was entering into the partnership, it also was announced that driver Bobby Labonte had signed a four-year contract extension. Could you talk about the importance of retaining him, and what his role will be as more than just a driver going forward?

Zucker: We look at Bobby as a great champion and a great driver. And he's going to be a core part of our entire organization going forward, both as a driver and helping us with decisions as we build up the organization.

Q: What is Kyle Petty's future as driver of the No. 45 car?

Zucker: Kyle, obviously, he is Petty. He's going to be part of our organization for many, many years, carrying the legacy forward. He's driving the 45 car, certainly, now and we're talking about plans for the future.

Q: So you see him driving that car for the foreseeable future? He's 48 years old and has admitted himself that he can't drive forever ...

Zucker: We're talking about that. We're taking that one step at a time. He's certainly our driver in that car for now, and we'll talk about transition at the right time.

Q: The entire Petty Enterprises operation is a different animal than most because of the driving schools, is it not? Could you talk about the role that played in making the company more attractive for a company like Boston Ventures?

Zucker: Yeah, it did. But you know, Petty Enterprises has been around for 60 years. They are the winningest team in NASCAR history. So it is all about the race team, and getting us back into Victory Lane. The [Richard Petty] Driving Experience is certainly nice to have, and I think complements what we are doing with the race team. We are launching the safe-driving program, putting teens in controlled experiences where they have to negotiate difficult driving circumstances. And we think that's a great contribution and fits into the whole Petty brand and family heritage and all that kind of stuff. So we're excited about doing things with that program and the Driving Experience, but really, it's all about the race team.

Bobby Labonte and Kyle Petty

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Q: Could you talk about working for the Walt Disney Company for 11 years, including eight at ESPN, and what you carry over from the jobs you held there that you hope will help you in this one?

Zucker: I've spent most of my career in producing and developing products, and then marketing them. ... I've always been around sports. I really had a great experience at ESPN, where I oversaw programming there and ran ESPN International. A big part of what we did back in the early 1990s there was NASCAR. So I worked with Bill France Jr. on some ISC [International Speedway Corp.] deals, and spent a lot of time out at the various tracks and being around NASCAR. I've been a big fan for a long while. So I think that plays into this job.

To me, this is a really special opportunity; to be in NASCAR and to be with the Pettys -- a company and a brand that stand for so many great things in today's world. You need to be competitive, yes, but it's important to have the integrity and dedication to hard work that makes being part of the Pettys so special.

Q: When you were an undergraduate at Princeton and later earned your masters at Harvard, could you have envisioned taking a job path that would land you in NASCAR?

Zucker: I got hooked back in the '70s. I grew up in Rochester, N.Y. We had a Pontiac and a Mustang, and we used to tinker around with the cars. But it's funny. I was watching [NASCAR] when ABC's Wide World of Sports was carrying stuff, and they would cut in for 10 laps or whatever and then cut out and not come back to it until later. ... I used to watch [David] Pearson and The King duel it out. I liked them both a lot, but I really swung over to The King's side for good after that 1976 Daytona 500 race when Richard pulled ahead and kind of got clipped and spun. That was one of the greatest races of all time, and I've been a big Petty fan and really a NASCAR fan since then.

I've always had an interest in sports. Of course that's why I went to ESPN. Putting together sports and business -- especially in the motorsports area -- works great for me. I'm particularly excited about being involved with Petty.

Q: When was the first time you met The King, and has perception met reality as far as talking with and working with him?

Zucker: You know, I actually met him briefly back in the '90s at the big year-end event [NASCAR] had at the Waldorf [Astoria hotel in New York]. But I didn't really start spending time with him until a couple of months ago.

He is incredibly down-to-earth -- one of the most down-to-earth, genuine people I've ever met. The thing I always liked about him, that I always read about him, was that he would say, 'I work for the fans.' I think really it's a great reminder to all of us -- to all of NASCAR -- that part of what makes it so great is that we really do work for the fans. It's important that all of us don't forget that. I really admire that philosophy, so he's got a lot of great insight and certainly knows how to win. He was never interested in just being a good driver; he was interested in winning, and he certainly did it.

Q: Could you talk a little about your family life?

Zucker: I'm married. I have two boys who are also big NASCAR fans. They're actually now big Bobby Labonte fans, which is good.

AP

King and Hef

“

Everybody that knows him calls him Hef. Nobody ever calls him by his given name. ... I just think it's King. That's it. And it fits.

”

DAVID ZUCKER

Q: Was that by choice, or did you twist their arms a little bit after this business deal went down?

Zucker: No, the funny thing is that my younger son (4-year-old Nate) has always loved Kyle Petty. So that works out pretty well. They're actually looking forward to meeting both of them (Labonte and Kyle Petty).

Q: Any hobbies away from the job?

Zucker: You know, I pretend to play golf a little bit. And I like to play video games. I tend to go to bed late, and after midnight you can usually find me -- if I'm not watching NASCAR Now on my TiVo -- I'm playing video games.

Q: What's your current favorite video game?

Zucker: Actually, NASCAR '09. What's great about it is that I'll never be a driver, but I can actually kind of experience the difference between driving at Bristol versus Lowe's Motor Speedway -- and get a little flavor of it. Which I also think is cool about the Richard Petty Driving Experience, too, for fans. Whether you're riding along or actually driving the car at different tracks, you can really bond with that experience and understand a lot better what your drivers and teams are going through as they actually race.

Q: Last thing we've gotta ask -- because if we didn't, NASCAR fans would want to know why -- but what was it like being president and CEO of Playboy Enterprises, Inc.

Zucker: You know what? It's funny, but it's also a family company. The Hef [Playboy founder Hugh Hefner] is probably much more conservative than people would think. I mean, he grew up in an environment where he wasn't allowed to read Esquire magazine. Christie [Hefner, Hugh's daughter] and Hef are really good people, and class acts in their own world. I really enjoyed working with them.

Obviously, it's a totally different business and we don't take alcohol or tobacco sponsors at Petty. But it's all about family. That's part of what makes the Pettys so special, too -- where you have three or four generations of really good values and family and charity. So in many ways, there are a lot of similarities.

Q: We just think it's cool that you call him "The Hef." ...

Zucker: Everybody that knows him calls him Hef. Nobody ever calls him by his given name.

Q: Sort of like The King, don't you think?

Zucker: That's right. I just think it's King. That's it. And it fits.