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But Wheeler deserved so much more.

He’d spent most of his adult life working tirelessly to sell tickets for the centerpiece track in owner Bruton Smith’s showcase of speedways. It was never the sparkling showplace like the track Smith has in Las Vegas, the destination spot in Sonoma, Calif., or the action-packed Bristol Motor Speedway, where an opening on the season ticket list is like winning the lottery.

No, Wheeler had to work to push the nearly 50-year-old track. In doing so, he brought attention to NASCAR and its stars at a time when racing was still a sideshow to the stick-and-ball sports.

But Wheeler, 69, deserved to go out his way, on his terms, and when he was ready.

Yet something happened in the six months since Wheeler privately floated the retirement idea past his longtime boss. Smith was prepared to let Wheeler do it his way — as long as it was this coming Wednesday, long after the show had packed up and moved on to the next town.

Instead, Wheeler, a former South Carolina football player, pulled an end-around and announced it himself a full week ahead of schedule.

Conspicuously absent was Smith, 81, who later offered only backhanded compliments.