Webster’s dictionary defines Speed as the fallowing: the rate of change of position along a straight line with respect to time over a set distance. In other words, the quicker you can get from one place to another. The question is what do you, when your family has spent the last two generations in search of ways to accomplish this goal faster and faster. Would do you do when the family business is the search for more Speed. For Robert ‘Robby’ McGuire the answer is easy. You grab your sister and strap on a pair of Formula One racecars then go for broke.

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Chapter 28
Budapest Hungary, Saturday

As much as I wanted our next race to be at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy that wasn’t going to happen. Nope, we were off to Budapest, Hungary instead. Not that Kelly really minded. The ancient city was on her bucket list of places to see. I chuckled as she practically giggled with excitement at the thought of seeing Budapest before she was even twenty. Hell, she wasn’t the only one that wanted to see Budapest. To me it was more than I ever even dreamed of seeing. For that matter, every country we’ve been to this season is more than I even dared to dream of seeing.

Then there have been the tracks themselves. Some of the oldest and most modern high-tech racetracks in the world. I have had the privilege of racing on them. Racetracks that demand nothing but respect. I know that NASCAR has some of the fastest Super Speedways if not the fastest. I would love to try my chances at places like Dega, the Tricky triangle, the Brickyard, and Daytona simply because of the speeds that can be reached at those tracks. Because as fast as Formula One tracks are reaching 200 mph on the straightaways for most of these tracks is impossible. Sure, we reach speeds of 200 kilometers per hour, but never miles per hour.

No, the challenge of these tracks is the constant changes in design. The sudden turns followed by half-mile to three quarter-mile long straightaways that end in hairpin turns. The changes in road level heights inclines and declines with a slanting turn that comes out of nowhere. No two Formula One tracks are the same. They all may share similarities, but none are exactly the same. I have to take each track one at a time. The only thing that Beth and I have to our advantage is our time as rat-racers.

We may not be the moonshine runners of old, but we have many of the same skills. Only difference between us is the way we approach the tracks. Just like those old moonshine runners. We may have similar setups for our cars but they each have individual customizations. Chiefs Hailee and Marks takes what they learn from me about my car and tweaks it for Beth’s car. Just like the moonshine runners did in the early days of NASCAR and Prohibition. Our races on the F-1 tracks were more like the rat or street races back home.

The one thing that I have come to really appreciate during my time as a F-1 driver is the many countries that I’ve gotten to see. Kelly pointed this out to me the other night. She sat down with her laptop and brought up a list of all the countries we’ve been to so far. The list was amazing. Even at a little over halfway through the season I’ve already been to twelve countries and three continents. Then she did something really crazy. Kelly listed everything we’ve seen and done in those countries.

We’ve done things like dive the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Visited Buckingham Place and seen the Changing of the Guards. Visited a real working French vineyard in Le Castellet France. In Baku Azerbaijan we went to the Heydar Aliyev Center and saw the Mini Azerbaijan exhibition. The list went on and on. The only place that didn’t have an activity next to it was Hockenheim Germany. I know why. Kelly wasn’t there with me. All I wanted to do was work on the car. I hadn’t taken the time to see the country. Something that I’ve done at every place we’ve been and that is my fault.

On Wednesday I took Kelly and the other members of the pit crew to see the Hungarian National Museum. Talk about making our home country’s history look like a drop in the buck of time. The Hungarian National Museum has seven permanent displays. The general history of Hungary is covered in two sections. The archaeology from prehistory to the Avar period ending in 804 AD on the ground floor or ‘On the East-West frontier’.

The history from 804 to modern times on the first floor. This display covers topics such as the age of the Arpads, the long Turkish occupation, Transylvania and royal Hungary. More modern and Contemporary history covered begins with the Rákóczi War of Independence, showing different sections of his military attire and various coins. The history section then ends with the rise and fall of the communist system in Hungary.

In another hall on the second floor one can find out about the Scholar Hungarians who made the twentieth century. A room on the first floor displays the medieval Hungarian Coronation Mantle. The ground floor's permanent exhibit is focused on Medieval and Early Modern stone inscriptions and carvings. This exhibit looks at various stone relics and the carvings that have been made into them. The majority of the items in this collection were discovered during the 1960s and 1970s, since they looked for more relics post World War II. The final permanent exhibit is placed in the basement of the museum. This is the Roman Lapidary exhibit, which is a collection of ancient Roman stone inscriptions and carvings.

We must have spent the enter day there. And must likely could have spent the whole of Thursday there and still not have seen everything. I may not be a big fan of history but Kelly sure is. That night back in our hotel room I asked her what she wanted to do after we got married. I wasn’t surprised when she told me that she wanted to become a teacher. Something that I had pretty much always known. If it wasn’t for the practice runs, I know she would have dragged me back there. As much as I hate to say this, I really need those practice runs this time.

The Hungaroring racetrack is actually in Mogyoród, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtain. Bernie Ecclestone wanted a race in the USSR, but a Hungarian friend recommended Budapest. They wanted a street circuit similar to the Circuit de Monaco to be built in the Népliget one of Budapest's largest park. But the government decided to build a new circuit just outside of the city near a major highway. Construction works started on 1 October 1985.

It was built in eight months, less time than any other Formula One circuit. For that matter any NASCAR track ever. The first race was held on 24 March 1986, in memory of János Drapál, the first Hungarian who won motorcycle Grand Prix races. The circuit has FIA Grade 1 license. According to a survey put together by the national tourism office of Hungary, Mogyoród ranks third among Hungarian destinations visited by tourists, behind the Danube Bend area and Lake Balaton, but ahead of Budapest.

The bitch about this Grand Prix it’s held in the middle of summer, which is usually extremely hot and dry in this region. Its first wet Grand Prix race was in 2006. Because of this the circuit is normally dusty due to underuse throughout the rest of the year and its sandy soil. The really nice thing about this circuit is that it sits in a valley. About 80 percent of it can be seen from any point.

Normally, an underused circuit becomes faster over the weekend as the track surface gathers more rubber residue; however, with the Hungaroring this generally does not happen, because the track can get dusty so quickly. The track frequently becomes faster during a qualifying session, which leads competitors to try for their best lap as late as possible. The twisty and bumpy nature of the circuit makes passing difficult in the best of conditions. Some smartass gave the circuit the nickname of “Monaco without the buildings” for this simple reason. In many ways this circuit is almost tailor made for the style of racing that Beth and I grew up with.

Then again most of the F-1 tracks that we race are this way. We know that it’s not the same as street or rat racing. Yet it is close enough to give us just that little bit of an edge. The edge that had kept us in the winning or top five positions at almost every circuit. The test runs on Thursday and Friday proved that to us both. Monaco had been one of our worst performances of the whole season. With more than just a little luck and a shit load of hard work we’re both hoping to put in a better performance here. Of all the circuits this one track is the closest to Monaco.

Hopefully today’s Qualifying runs will give us just the needed edge for the race. I was brought out of my thoughts by Kelly’s arm wrapping around me from behind and the kiss she placed on my ear. “You about ready love?”

“About as ready as I can get Kelly. Today is going to be a make or break moment for this race. The higher we can place in the field the better.” I sighed before turning to get dressed in my racing leathers. I had held off until now because of the heat. “I just wish that it wasn’t so damned hot. I thought that Europe was supposed to be cool.”

“Bobbie the average summertime temp for Hungary is right around seventy-seven degrees Fahrenheit. And right now, we’re way over the average for this time of the year. Just be thankful that when we hit Austin it’ll be in November. Can you imagine how hot it would be if that race was held in June or July? We would sweat off more than three pounds a day in our leathers.” I couldn’t help it. I chuckled at Kelly’s description of the heat and her comparison to the America’s Circuit in Austin, Texas.

“I just wish that I didn’t need a set of long-johns under my leathers. It gets hot enough in all this leather without the additional layer. If it wasn’t for the threat of fire in an accident, I won’t wear them.” I bitched.

Kelly sighed as she steps in front of me and zipped up my racing leathers. “Shut the fuck up and deal Roberta. I would rather you sweat off a few extra pounds than burn to death.”

I just sighed and kissed her. After all she was right. I stood a far better chance of surviving a crash involving fire with the NOMEX than without it. “Okay love, I’ll quiet my bitching.”

“Good. Now let’s get this show on the road. Take your time and feel out the track for the first few laps. Then go for broke. I figure that between you and Beth the two of you should be able to lay down some decent times.” Kelly reached over and picked up my shoes. “Sit down and I’ll finish helping you suit up. And love when we get out there start drinking water. Forget the sports drinks and Gatorade. Those damned things will only dry you out faster. They got way too much caffeine and sugar in them.”

“Okay already. I know what not to do Kelly. Now what can you tell me about the track? I know that you’ve been studying the damned thing.” I smirked.

“There are only four true straightaways. The rest are too fucking short to gain much speed. The fourteen turns are spread out over the two-point-seven miles of track. None of them are close enough to be considered a real chicane except for turns six through nine. Turns one, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen are sharp enough to be considered straight up hairpin turns. That is about as much as I can give you. You’ll have to talk with Kathy to get any more information about the track. She and her mom have been running that track twice a day. The rest of us have only been running once a day. I will tell you this though. That track is dry, dusty, and green as hell.” I was slightly surprised at Kelly’s appraisal of the track. She leaned in close and gave me a hug. “Hold back on the throttle until after the first round of Qualifying baby. Let the track rubber up some before going all-out. That track is just like Copperhead Rd back home.”

“Shit. No wonder it felt so familiar to me. With the exception of looping back on itself it is exactly like Copperhead Rd. There is the same number of turns and straightaways. It also changes, from dirt to pavement to gravel and back to pavement. The only deference with this track is it doesn’t change surfaces. Its paved all the way around. But the heavy dust will make the track slick.” I quickly summed up that this would be one nasty track.

“You missed something love. Unlike Copperhead Rd back home this track is basically a self-cleaning piece of roadway. And don’t count on the turns banking for an edge in passing. Get down tight on the inside edge and hold the line. Don’t try the outer edges. The turns are just too narrow.” I was more than a little surprised by the way Kelly was talking about the track.

“When did you learn to read a racetrack like this?” I had to know exactly when and how she learned to read a track this way. For that matter who taught her. Because I sure as hell didn’t.

“Kathy and her mom aren’t the only ones who have picked up a few extra skills on this team.” Kelly giggles. “We all have been learning something new.”

“Okay what does that mean?”

“Well, your mom has been teaching the girls on the team how to read a track. Your dad has had the guys over in the garage learning about more than just the ‘heavy lifting’ of the sport. He’s been teaching them about the engines, transmissions, and just about every part of the cars. Then there’s what Coach Hall has all of us doing when we’re stuck in those stupid sponsor parties. She has the whole pit crew watching recordings of each track for each race over the last ten years. Coach ALWAYS has either Chief Hailee or Marks there to give a better technical view of the race for the team.” Kelly gave me a sly smile and a wink as she stood up. “You really need to pay more attention to what is going on around you Bobbie. There is so much more going on than just what is out there on the track.”

“I guess you’re right babe. It’s just that if I don’t block out all the craziness that is going on around me, I can’t focus on driving the car. I know that it takes a team to get me across the finish line. But when I’m out there on those tracks.” Place my hands against my chest. “It’s just me. I know that it sounds egotistical of me. I’m basically all alone out there except for Kathy or her mom. If I don’t tune out the world, I can get killed out there. No one’s luck lasts forever. I have to rely on my skills to keep me alive out there on the track.”

“Babe, we all know that. Everybody on the team knows what you do out there is just this side of crazy. You’re the soul of this team. We may be the muscle, blood, and bones of this team and Beth is the heart. But you’re the soul.” She took a deep breath. “I know who I’m marrying in a few weeks. A professional racecar driver. One of a select few athletes that place their very lives on the line for their sport.”

“Babe, if there was any other sport that I was good at I would gladly step away from racing. But this is all I know.” I clenched my fists. “It’s in my blood. It’s part of me in ways that I can’t explain.”

Kelly placed her finger over my lips. “Hush. I know who you are and what this sport means to you. The one thing, no the only thing you have ever been truly gifted at is driving. Your mom and dad have told you this more than once. You can take any car you’re given and perform miracles. It doesn’t matter what car or track. None of us can do what you can. Not even your sister can do what you do.”

“Bullshit, babe. I’m just highly skilled and extremely lucky. Nothing more than that. I don’t do ‘miracles’. I know where the edge of insanity is and always pull back just from the edge.” I know that I wasn’t wrong.

“No Bobbie. You’re wrong.” She chuckled. “You really are that good. Just ask any member of the team. No better yet when you get out there ask any of the other drivers or Crew Chiefs. Most of them will tell you the same thing.”

“What are you talking about?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

Kelly sighed. “Bobbie, once again you haven’t been paying attention to what is going on around you. Almost every Crew Chief and driver for the other teams have been asked the same question over and over. They all want to know where the hell you and Beth learned to drive.”

“Just how many of the other drivers have been in our pit area asking questions along those lines Kelly?” I really needed to know the answer to this question. It could be the answer to why the other drivers were starting to figure out mine and Beth’s driving styles.

“Almost all of them. Don’t worry about the answers they’ve been getting. You should hear some of them baby.” Kelly giggled. “Most of the time we just let Tony answer their questions. We all get a real kick out of it when he gets going. Right now, he has more than three quarters of the other drivers believing you two were trained at an ultra-top-secret driving school in the US. That the US has whole generations of drivers being trained in each automotive sport. All so, that the US can become the Automotive Racing Superpower for the world.” This last part was said with her arms raised above her head. Kelly really started to giggle even harder for some reason. “The really good part of the whole story is you and Beth were the test subjects for the whole program.”

I couldn’t help it. I started to laugh my ass of at the stupidity of the idea. I mean who would even buy into such a crazy idea to begin with. Then again, there have been more American drivers showing up in the other racing fields. And with the way that they have been performing it could be possible. When you take in all the rumors of such training centers for other sports of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s it’s no surprise that more than a few of the other drivers believe Tony’s bullshit story.

Then of course there was all those top-secret sports training centers leftover from the former Soviet Block Nations. Which just about every driver knew about. So, the idea of the United States or any Nation for that matter, putting together such a site is not that too farfetched. I don’t know where Tony comes up with half the shit he does, but I have to give it to him. He always weaves in just enough facts to make a line of bullshit sound real.

When I finally calmed down from the laughing fit, I gave Kelly my brightest smile. “I have to say that is one line of bullshit I never saw coming. How in the world did Tony ever come up with that bullshit?”

“I have no idea. He started handing that line out back at Silverstone. Right after you just took the lead and never once let it go. A lot of the other drivers started questioning where you and Beth learned how to drive after your first few wins. Not to mention all those top five finishes.” The smirk on Kelly’s face let me know that she approved of Tony’s deception tactics.

“You do know that Tony’s bullshit could come back to bite us in the ass?” I asked her with a knowing smile.

“I doubt that love. Most of the other drivers have already figured out to take what Tony says with a grain of salt.” Then she just giggled. “The problem is that they don’t know how to sift through the bullshit for the truth yet. And with each line of bullshit he always gives them a small truth to back up the bullshit.”

It took me a few seconds to realize what Kelly was getting at, but when I did, I started laughing again all over. It was just like Tony. He was a student of history and human nature. He would know what buttons to push and how to twist the truth just right to make a line of bullshit sound real for the masses. If this was 27 years ago, he would have made a prefect propaganda officer for either side of the Cold War.

“Just do me a favor. See if you can curtail Tony’s fun a little. Before it gets all of us in trouble. This could come back to bite us in the ass.” I figured that I needed to point out the basic problem we were facing.

“Okay love I’ll get a handle on Tony’s fun and games.” Kelly pouted her lower lip. “Shame though, he was just really getting started with screwing the other drivers’ heads. I figure that it would take maybe one or two more twists and they’ll be chasing their tails.”

“Just how bad has his tall-tails gotten?” I asked her.

“Let’s just say that things have just started getting juicy.” She giggled.

“Oh god. I just hope that none of those monkey nuts try some crazy shit out there.” I sighed. I just knew that one of the other drivers would try to prove something out there on the track during a race. That they were better than Beth and me. That our ‘secret training’ meant nothing in the real world.

“I doubt that Bobbie. You and Beth have made too big of a name for yourselves as extremely skilled drivers. Not to mention being unconventional in your driving style. The way that you two bring your street racing skills into the professional circuits is just too far out there for most of the other drivers to handle.” Kelly sighed then snarked. “You’re both kind of crazy when you race. Especially when you’re racing each other.”

“Wait a damned minute here. I’m not crazy. Especially when I drive.” I pouted my lip just the way she had. Kelly just smiled and kissed me.

“I know that you’re not crazy love. It’s just that the way you drive is so far out there on the edge. It scares the shit out of the other drivers.” Kelly explained as she hugged me. “We’ve all seen it, Bobbie. You’re just too close to see or understand what you and Beth do out there.”

I shrugged my shoulders and kissed her on the lips. “Whatever babe. For now, I have something else to think about. The track and putting up a decent Qualifying time. This is one track where pole position is going to be the make or break point the team.”

Kelly just smiled picked up and helmet while I grabbed my balaclava, and gloves. Kelly took a hold of my free hand and we walked out the team trailer. The guys and gals of my pit crew were already pushing the team’s cars out of the garage area onto pit road. As I neared the car, I could tell that dad and the Crew Chiefs had been tinkering with the setup. For some reason it sat lower than normal today and the rear wheels looked like they had pushed outward. Then there was the rear wheels themselves. If I didn’t know better. I would swear that they were wider than normal.

I walked over to stand next to dad. In a voice that was barely above a whisper. “How close are we pushing the limits here dad?”

“Much more and we’ll be outright cheating. We’re right on the edge Speedy.” Was dad cryptic reply. “What the Marshals don’t know helps us. Understood?”

“Gotcha dad.” I a bad German accent I imitated one of my favorite TV show characters, Sergeant Shultz. “I see nothing, I know nothing, I hear nothing.”

“I swear I’m going to cut off your access to our Amazon Prime if it keeps giving you such rotten material.” Dad bitched before chuckling.

I knelt down and held my hands in a begging manner. “Oh, please daddy! Not that! Anything but that.”

My antics had the desired effect. My whole pit crew broke up laughing. My parents just stood there shaking their heads. Mom finally looked over at my dad. “That’s it. She’s finally gone around the bend. It has to be all those chemo treatments. They did more to her than we knew. I’ll call Shelly the moment she comes off the track.”

“Speaking of getting her out on that track.” Chief Hailee said once he got his laughter under control. “They’re calling for drivers to take to their cars. Bobbie, it’s time to get down to business.”

“Gotcha, Chief. Any last words of wisdom?” I knew that the man was my best bet for inside information about this track. He had studied the track maps and films of every track on the Formula One Circuit.

“I got only one piece of advice Speedy. Stay out of the throttle until the final Qualifying laps. Give the track time enough clear off the dust and a get a heavy covering of rubber. You may not like where you end up in the pole positions, but it’ll be better than plowing in on one of the turns.” I could tell that Chief Hailee was worried about this run.

“Understood. You’re not the only one to tell me that today. Kelly said the same thing in the trailer. What I can’t figure out is why this track has such a heavy covering of dust?” I asked them.

“It was the way the tack was built and the fact that it gets little or no use for the rest of the year. Just remember that the turns on this track will come at you hard and fast. Just like at Monaco. And don’t take your eyes off the straightaways. They may be fast but they’re short and three of them end in a nasty ass turn.” I could tell that Chief Hailee was holding something back. The question was what? “One last thing Speedy. The turns are narrow and unforgiving. You turn your back and they’ll eat you alive.”

“Well, shit. You’re just full of good news aren’t you Chief.” As much as I wanted to avoid the first round of Qualifying, I knew that I couldn’t. Beth was already strapping into her car, so I headed for mine. Kelly moved to help me with my preparations for driving.

I put in my earbuds and pulled my balaclava over my head. Meanwhile Kelly tucked my ponytail inside of my leathers. I pulled on my gloves before stepping into the cockpit of my car. As I wiggled my way down into the seat Kelly moved the safety straps out of the way. Once in she quickly moved to secure the straps and me inside the cockpit. I pulled on my helmet just after I hit the play button for my I-pod. I let the music play as I signaled Chief Hailee that I was ready to roll. Hailee signaled David and he kicked the engine over. As the engine roared to life, I once again felt the demon that was chained to my will through the seat of the car.

With the engine running I knew that I was once more ready to do my job. Out there on that track is where I belonged. Out there chasing down my heroes. Out there chasing down my dreams. As the field rolled out for the first round of Qualifying, I come alive once again. It doesn’t take us long to weed out the bottom of the field. After the first six-minutes of the eighteen-minute Qualifying time both Beth and I were locked in for the top ten positions.

As we rolled back into pit road I could tell that we would be a shoe in for the top ten positions during Q2. As I pulled to a stop Chief Hailee gave me some good news. “I think you girls are going to want to hear this. The Marshals have placed grid penalties on four of the drivers ahead of you already. One technical and three driving infringements.”

“Holy fuck. Who got busted?” Beth asked.

“Doesn’t matter, sis. With those four grid penalties we’re closer to the front of the pack. As far as I’m concerned, the more of those that get handed out the better. So long as we’re not the ones getting nailed.” I smirked.

“Don’t go thinking like that Bobbie.” Mom snapped. “We’re already pushing the limits on your cars as is.”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s just that so long as we’re not having to fight our way through the pack during the race it’s better for us.” I countered.

“I understand, honey. But if the Marshals start measuring and double checking the specs on our cars. We could be the ones paying the penalties.” Mom whispered. “Trust me. Your cars are barely legal.”

“Okay, just how close to the edge are our cars?” I demanded of both my parents and Crew Chiefs.

“Let’s just say that we’re just under the edge with our specs. We’re legal but just barely. I did everything I could to give you the edge you need out there kiddo.” Dad answered for both him and mom.

“Damn. I didn’t realize we were that close to the edge. Why weren’t we told?” Beth asked them bluntly.

“We didn’t tell you because we know how you two think.” Mom told us. “Look girls. We know that you girls don’t like pushing things to the edge like this, but we had to do it. If you knew how close to the edge you really were, you would refuse to race the cars.”

As much as I wanted to deny what they were telling us. I couldn’t. “Fine. We’ll do things your way. But please don’t make a habit of keeping us in the dark like this mom. We really need to know the full specs on our cars if we’re too pull the full potential out of the cars.”

“We told you both all you needed to know before the first run. Now quit your bitching, Roberta.” Dad snapped and put his foot down. “This is one time where the less you know the better.”

“Bullshit dad. What we don’t know can get us killed.” I figured that I needed to get my point across about keeping secrets.

“Roberta, we would never put you girls in harm’s way. You know this. When we don’t tell you something it is to keep as few people in the know as possible. We do this to give you an edge for winning.” Mom snarled. “All you need to know is that the cars are on the edge of being illegal. That’s all.”

I got the hint and shut up about the cars. “Fine. I got another run to make.”

With that I turned and walked away swallowing my anger. I climbed back into the car and spend the next five minutes getting ready to run the second Qualifying set of laps. This was one track where runaway or out of control emotions would get me killed. As I climbed into the cockpit, I knew that the next eighteen minutes were going to be crazy. As I put my earbuds back in, I shuffled through my playlists. I knew that I needed certain playlist for the rest of the day. I found the one I wanted after a few seconds. I hit the play button and finished getting ready for my next run.

I let the opening notes of AC/DC’s ‘It’s a long way to the top.’ fill my ears as I rolled down pit road. As we pulled onto the track for the second round of Qualifying, I knew that Beth and I would have our work cut out for us. Not that I cared. I had already let the world fallaway and my mind go to that one place I needed to push my car to its limits. For the next five minutes and twenty seconds I rocked outed with each turn and straightaway. I knew that I could push my car further I just needed the right song.

And it came. Out of nowhere a sound that I didn’t even know I had loaded onto my iPod began to play. It reached deep into my soul and pulled out a part of me that I never knew was there. A desire to be the best there ever will be. It didn’t matter what I did. I would always want to be my best. The driving rock twang took me back to those days just after I found out about my cancer. The gut-wrenching fear. The uncertainty of life. Everything that drove me to be a survivor.

As I rounded the turn one the first lyrics of Steve Earl’s ‘Copperhead Road’ thundered in my ears and soul. I hadn’t even cleared the turn when I knew that I had found the song to take me to the pole position. Everyone else was racing for second position going down. This song spoke to me in ways that no other ever would. This song spoke to my roots. It spoke to the roots of my family. It spoke to the days of bootlegging drivers just trying to make a little extra money to feed their families. It spoke of the days when smuggling moonshine across state lines was a way of life for some people. Most importantly it spoke to me of second chances. Second chances at life.

With each turn I gained more ground on the leaders. With each lap I turned in a faster and faster time. Before long only four people stood in my way of the pole position. Beth, Robert McNairy, Joseph Kandinsky, and Oscar Carmike, Robert Campbell’s newest replacement. That team had fought to find a solid replacement for that young man. I think they might have found it in Carmike. He doesn’t have a fathead or overdeveloped sense of self-importance. The man has real skills behind the wheel and almost no fear. Those two factors made the man a truly formidable opponent.

Unlike the other jokers on this circuit. I won’t make the mistake of disrespecting either of those two men. They’re just too damned good to take lightly. Anybody who is stupid enough to take either McNairy or Carmike lightly is going to get a nasty surprise. That is something that neither Beth nor I have yet to do with any of our opponents.

When we finished the second round of Qualifying, I knew that we had snatched the top five slots. As we pulled onto pit road for the final break between Qualifying rounds, I couldn’t help but smile. I had left my anger out on the track. Mom and dad may be pushing the edge of legality with our cars, but they had given us the best setup they could for the race. One that fit our style of driving to a tee.

Once again, I climbed out of the cockpit to let the Marshals go over the car. Just as I knew they would. They would check the cars after each run. I didn’t really care. I knew that we were legal and that was all that mattered. After the mandatory break the top ten drivers headed back out for the last round of Qualifying. This time I knew that I would lock down the pole position. There was just no way for me to not come in with the fastest time.

Chief Hailee walked up to me just before I climbed back into the cockpit of the car. “Bobbie, you’ve been doing good out there. You’ve held back long enough. There should be enough rubber down now for you to turn in some hellish times. Just remember what I said about the corners.”

“I remember Chief.” I answered with a smile. Then I wondered about something else. “By the way where are pole wise?”

“As it stands right now. You’re in fifth place. Kandinsky and Carmike are tied for fourth. Beth has second place locked down tight. McNairy as you figured has the pole. You got a lot of ground to make up Speedy.” Chief Hailee told me with a smile. A smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Like I said Speedy. It’s time to quit holding back.”

“Understood Chief. I finally figured out what you and parents did to the cars. It took me both of the first Qualifying rounds.” This time I was the one whose smile didn’t reach their eyes. “You set them up as close to our cars back home. You pushed the edges of engineering to get the cars as close to ‘street legal’ as possible.”

“Now, you’re catching on, kiddo. Time to get nasty.” Chief Hailee chuckled.

With that I pulled out my iPod one more time. This time I shuffled through my playlists until I found the one that I wanted. The one that I always used back home when rat-racing. I held off on hitting the play button until the Marshals signaled for the last ten drivers to take to their cars. It was time for me to put an end to who truly owns the pole position.

As we pulled out of pit road, I slipped my hand off the wheel and hit the play button. Nickelback’s ‘Burn it down’, ‘Animals’ filled my soul to be followed by AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ and ‘Who made who’. With each song the faster I drove. I soon past both Kandinsky and Carmike as if they were standing still. I slipped pass Beth on turn 13 by hugging the inside curb for all I was worth. I knew that she would be hot on my heels the second we cleared turn 14. Not that I cared. I had McNairy in my sights.

He was the last opponent in my way to the pole position. I had already figured out that the only way to truly control this race was from out front. The only way for me to insure that was to be there from the beginning. And the only way to insure that is to take the pole position and keep it. I’ve only one problem. Try as I might I just cannot catchup to McNairy. I didn’t really care I just knew that I was turning in faster track times.

As I pulled in at the end of the final lap, I knew that I had secured the pole position. I had no idea of where Beth placed. I knew she had to place somewhere in the top five positions. I would just have to wait for the Marshals to announce who got what position.

As I climbed out of my car, I saw mom and dad waiting for us. I didn’t wait for them to come to me. I went to them. I didn’t give my parents a chance. I just grabbed mom in a rib cracking bearhug. I did the same for dad once I let mom go. As I stepped back, I had a mile-wide smile on my face. Beth was right behind me with her own hugs.

“We see that you finally figured out what we did to your cars kiddo. How do you like the setup?” Asked dad with a matching smile.

“It took Chief Hailee explaining things for me to finally figure things out. Why didn’t you just tell me that the cars were as close to bootlegger specs as possible?” I really wanted to know his to this one.

“We kept it from you girls for a reason. We want to see if you could figure out the setups on your own. You girls have to know more than just the specs of the cars. You have to know how they affect the way you drive.” Mom answered me with a smile. “Just out of curiosity how many gallons of shine do you think those two cars could hold?”

Beth looked over at our two cars and frowned. “Maybe ten gallons each. We would have to hallow out all the sections of the bodies to get any more in.”

“No way, Beth. The best they’ll hold right now is just five gallons.” I countered. I had already figured out the total number of gallons of shine that could be smuggled by these cars. “With the right mods the best we could stuff into those cars is fifteen gallons.”

About that time Chief Hailee and Marks walked up to us. Chief Hailee had a thin smile on his face. “Got good news and bad news, people.”

“What’s the good, Chief?” Mom asked him quickly.

“Beth and Bobbie will be on the same line for the starting positions.” Hailee explained for us. At the same time, I got a very unsettling feeling.

“And what is the bad, Chief?” Dad asked him.

“Even though Bobbie and Beth turned in some of the fastest times on record they were not the fastest.” I felt my gut drop. I knew that we had the top two positions. I just knew it. What could we have done wrong? “McNairy and Carmike both turned in record breaking times.”

“Damn. Looks like we’re going to fight our way though to the end. I know that we needed the top two positions. With those two holding the top slots we’re going to do good to take home third and fourth on this track.” I bitched for everyone to hear. “We’ll just have to deal with it.”

“Bobbie, sweetheart. When are you going to realize that you can’t win them all?” Kelly smirked as she hugged me.

“Can’t blame a girl for trying.” I blushed.

Off to one side Tommy and Beth started to chuckle. “That’s our Speedy for you. Never satisfied with just placing in the top five.”

-----tbc-----