By SCOTT ADAMSON, Scripps Howard News Service

I knew I was going to hear someone say it, so I braced myself.

Then it happened.

"Michael Phelps is the greatest athlete of all time."

Every four years when someone does something remarkable in the Olympics, he suddenly becomes the greatest athlete of all time.

After some exhaustive research (well, not necessarily exhaustive, but I did look pretty hard) I've determined that history will be made Aug. 30 in Baton Rouge.

When many people think of NASCAR, they think of moonshine runners turned racers, rowdy fans and "The King."

When Billy Mauldin thinks of NASCAR, he thinks of the same things -- but likes to put it all in the context of the "King of Kings."

It all began a half century ago when a son, determined to follow in his father's footsteps, crawled into the cockpit of a stock car and decided to go racing.

And race he did, winning 200 events, capturing 127 poles and finishing in the top 10 more than 700 times.

A photo that ran on the sports front of my paper this week was telling. It showed a whole lot of empty seats at Daytona -- and Daytona doesn't normally have a whole lot of empty seats at a NASCAR event.

A lot of folks will agree that Mark Martin is probably the greatest NASCAR driver to never win a Sprint Cup championship. And when the diminutive pilot from Batesville, Ark., decided he was going to become a big league part-timer to spend more time racing pickups, it appeared his "close, but not quite" legacy was secure.

Maybe not.

Running side-by-side at close to 200 mph, he'll give you a nudge.

Sometimes he'll run up behind you and take precious air away, causing you to wiggle and him to wiggle to the front.

The phrase "rubbin' is racin'" is more than a mantra, it's a way of life. And when it gets down to wet behind time, he'll do whatever it takes to get the win.

A reader who calls in frequently about NASCAR topics bent my ear last week with some concerns about his favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"When's he gonna win?" he asked. "I'm starting to get a little antsy."

"A week from Sunday," I answered.

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes I do."

At 63 years of age, South Carolina's Steve Spurrier has earned the right to walk away from football and spend his time walking over the hilly landscape of a golf course.

With a national championship on his resume and a well-earned reputation as an offensive genius, there is nothing more to prove.

Or is there?

Things I'd like to see in NASCAR but never will ...

-- A senior circuit. On select Saturday afternoons (or Saturday nights) on race weekends, bring back the old-timers for a 100-mile race. Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson -- let 'em squeeze into the cockpit and go racing for cash and prizes.