After a sculptor asked retired racer Richard Petty to strip down to his undergarments to get measurements for a wax likeness, the good ol' boy model walked away to get some privacy.

When he came back, he was in his underwear -- unlike former President Clinton, he prefers boxer shorts -- and still wearing his cowboy boots and cowboy hat.

"He had a big smile, too," artist Vicky Baker said of the king of NASCAR on Thursday from London.

Petty, 69, was bemused by the experience and impressed by Baker's thoroughness.

"I didn't know what to think about doing this," he said. "These guys are professionals, though. They are champions in what they do. I was measured a bunch of times, and they got everything right down to the fingertips. This was different to be part of, but the figure is pretty real. It's pretty amazing what they can do with wax."

Baker's sculpture of Petty will be unveiled today at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

She works for Madame Tussauds, the international wax attraction that offers the public the chance to see life-size likenesses of famous people at museums in Las Vegas, London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, New York and Shanghai.

Also unveiled today in Las Vegas during the grand opening of the Neon Garage at the raceway will be a wax figure of NASCAR racer Dale Earnhardt Jr. Sculptor Anelia Rowcroft crafted that figure.

At 2 p.m. today, both Petty, who retired as a driver in 1992, and Earnhardt Jr. will stand alongside their wax figures.

The sculptures will remain at the raceway during NASCAR weekend and then become part of the permanent SPEED venue in Madame Tussauds wax museum at The Venetian.

Baker's work includes sessions with Beyonce, Paris Hilton, Shakira and Ryan Seacrest.

Never, Baker said, has she met a man more polite than Petty, whose 200 NASCAR wins remain a record.

"When I told him he also had to take off his hat, he put it on my head," Baker said. "I was told he never let anybody wear his hat before, so I was really honored."

The former racer's presence in Las Vegas has been felt through his Richard Petty Driving Experience business at the raceway.

For a fee, people can ride along with professional drivers or receive instruction to drive themselves.

Baker said she will never forget her three hours with the racer.

At Petty's sitting, conducted in November at his racing team headquarters in Randleman, N.C., Baker and her staff took about 160 measurements -- 75 head measurements and 85 body measurements. They took about 200 photos.

The sculptor said the photos and measurements were used to construct Petty's "skeleton." About 330 pounds of clay were used to form the figure over a 350-hour period.

Wax, heated to 167 degrees, was poured into the head mold.

A cast of Petty's teeth was taken. The team needed 28 hours to replicate the teeth in dental acrylic.

Hair samples were taken at the sitting and matched to real human hair. Baker's team took about 140 hours in London to insert each strand of hair into the wax head by hand.

Key to the success of the figure, Baker said, is the costuming. Las Vegas custom boot maker Gary Tucker, who has made boots for Petty, sent Baker a pair of black and blue alligator skin boots with Petty's car number, 43, clearly visible.

The size 11 boots, Tucker said, cost about $4,000.

Kaci Riggs, a designer for Charlie 1 Horse cowboy hats in Garland, Texas, provided Petty's hat.

"The Petty people all wanted me to make sure I put rattlesnake rattlers on the front of his hat like I usually do," Riggs said by telephone.

"They say if the figurine ever moves, they'll hear Richard coming just like they do."