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Total number of drivers 40. Number of company teams 10. Number of tracks 20. Number of countries 12. Time frame 6 months. Number of Fallen Angels hooked on speed 2. The McGuire sisters are and they’re out for blood in the newly founded International Stockcar Racing Association. After two years driving the Formula One circuit Professional Drivers Roberta Bobbie McGuire and her sister Elisabeth ‘Beth’ McGuire have made real names for themselves. The two young ladies took the world by storm in their first year by placing 3rd and 4th in the Championship points race. Now their plans and dreams of starting in the International Stockcar Association have come to fruition. The Fury twins plan to prove to the world they belong in Stockcar Racing. And they don’t care who they have to put into the wall to bring home the inaugural championship.

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Chapter 24
The Black Lady of Warsaw: Race day

“My God! They really did supersize Darlington. Expect for its size this place is exactly like home. Right down to the turn four minnow pond at the west side of the property. Talk about paying attention to detail.” Beth whispered as she stood next to Bobbie on top of her tailer looking out at the track. “How are we going to crack this big ass mother fucking bitch Bobbie? We sure as hell can’t handle her like Darlington. We learned that the hard way yesterday.”

“We race the track not the field, Beth. We race the same way we do back home. Low on the straightaways high in the turns. The only turn we really got to watch out for is turn four and that stupid kick out of the wall on the exit. We might only have forty laps here, but we got thousands of laps at the real Darlington.” Bobbie grinned. “That gives us the edge. No matter how you slice it.”

“YO! BOBBIE GET DOWN HERE!” Robert McGuire called out.

“Coming dad!” Bobbie yelled to her father. “Let’s go see what pop wants sis.”

Once the two McGuire sisters were down off the trailer Bob McGuire smiled at them in pride. “Okay you two. Time for the prerace safety meeting.”

“Sure, thing dad.” Beth sighed as the two headed for the drivers’ safety tent. They knew that no matter how the race ran today. This meeting would set the standers for safety. Safety was something neither girl would ever take for granted. Even in their illegal street racing days they never took their safety for granted.

As the gathered drivers listened to the safety briefing Bobbie let her mind drift back her practice and qualifying runs. She ran every inch of the track over and over in her mind. She could see Turns 1 and 2 with their 25° banking. At the other end sat the much tighter Turns of 3 and 4 with a slightly lower banking at 23°. Every inch of this track had some banking. Even the Front Straightaway had 3° Banking while the Back Straightaway had 2° of banking.

This track was almost twice the size of Darlington but held no real mysteries for her. For Roberta McGuire the Black Lady of Warsaw was the oversized younger sister of the Lady in Black, Darlington Speedway. There is a reason drivers call it the Track Too Tough To Tame. That track was one of the reasons why her mother and father started their business there. It was the prefect platform for testing any and all of their designs. It was also the reason why the drivers of MRI were so damned good no matter where they raced. The only deference between the two Speedways was their size. She and her team had already found the sweat spot for draft racing. The one and only point around the track they had to worry about was the exit to turn 4. That slight kickout of the wall at the exit comes out of nowhere. One misstep and bang. You’re spinning out of control down the front straightaway. When the prerace safety meeting broke up the drivers headed for their cars on pit road Bobbie looked over at her sister and teammates.

“Guys when you get out there I need you all to remember something. We’re going to be running on the ragged edge out there, even when you’re out there by yourself. Forget what you did during qualifying. During the race, you have to lift a little off the gas going into Turn one. Do everything you can to get your left tires on the inside line. The second you get the chance. Get on the throttle hard and let the car drift up towards the wall. If you got it right you can drive it up there for a second or two. Stay up against the wall until you get to the late apex, go full-throttle and turn left to point the nose straight down the backstretch.” Bobbie knew exactly what she was talking about. Of the four MRI team drivers she was the real Mistress of their home track Darlington Speedway.

“If your car is handling well. Take the entrance to Turn three low or in the middle and let it drift up just a little. You point it straight going into Turn three and get on the throttle a little before turning back left for the front stretch. You’ll be going into something of a controlled slide through both ends of the track. Just like back home this track is going to test your drifting skills like no other track.” Bobbie warned her sister and friends.

“This place is just like home. You have to race the track more than the other drivers. If you get over aggressive and you’re going to get in trouble here. We have to be very patient, take our time, and strike only when the time is right. This place is nothing more than Darlington’s stupid oversized little sister. Just like at home sometimes, going slower will actually help you run faster because you won’t slip and slide as much. That is going to be the key to winning here guys. Control.” When Bobbie finished her team briefing Beth, Sam, and Jim chuckled.

“Once again our little racing genius has cracked this nut before the race has even started.” Beth snarked as she gave Bobbie a one arm hug. “I still can’t believe they copied Darlington Speedway down to almost every detail with the exception of size. Everywhere I look. I see a large scale replica of home.”

“No shit. They even have the grandstands set up the same way.” Joe grunted as he held up a map of the track. “They even copied the names for the grandstands.”

“No shit. What’s up with that crap?” Sam wondered aloud.

“The owner of this place spend ten years in South Carolina as a hotel manager before winning a seven-hundred-eighty-five-million dollar lottery in twenty-fifteen. He invested half that into the stock market. The man is a mastermind of finance.” Wit Zoladz told them as he walked by them. “Around here he is the local hero.”

“You’re from around here aren’t you Wit?” Beth asked him.

“I was born and raised in the area of Warsaw that was once the old Jewish Ghetto. When Aleksy Markiewicz returned home five years ago he started his own construction company. Within three years he was the number one public works contractor. When he first proposed building this track. The city council told that him that it had to be modeled after an American track. That is why he chose Darlington. Markiewicz got tickets to every race at Darlington he could during his time in America.” Wit chuckled as he told the story of Aleksy Markiewicz. “By the way Bobbie. I overheard your talk with your teammates. You’ll find that you have greatly underestimated this track. She is not the stupid big little sister of Darlington. She is a force of nature all on her own.”

“Wit let me be clear about this. This tack holds absolutely no secrets for me or my team. You get in our way out there during the race. We’ll run over your ass. Not even we could conquer the Track Too Tough To Tame. We all grew up racing around that little Lady. Alisky Markiewicz made one mistake with his track.” Bobbie chuckled as Wit gave her a lopsided look. “He copied our home down to the last detail. The only exception is the size. That one change makes no difference to someone who has raced on the real track.”

“If you say so comrade. Though I believe that the Black Lady of Warsaw still holds secrets that even the vaunted skills of you and teammates have yet to face.” Wit chuckled as he turned and head for his car. As he walked away his called back over his shoulder. “Best of luck Yankee. You’ll need it.”

“What an asshole!” Jim snarked.

“Hate to say this but he’s right guys. There may still be a few surprises out there. After all we haven’t actually raced here yet. The track could very well change throughout the day as the race progresses. We only know how Darlington will act. This place could change on us in the blink of an eye. Remember this place might be a supersized copy of the Lady in Black, but she is still a cold hearted bitch with a steel strap on.” Bobbie snarled as she looked out at the track. “And she is just looking for someone to get stupid. Just so she fuck them up.”

“Damn Bobbie. This place really has you on edge. Not like at home either. What’s on your mind?” Jim asked her sharply.

“This place may feel like we’re racing at home, but its not. Remember when I told Wit that Alisky Markiewicz made one mistake?” Bobbie asked them as they all nodded their heads yes. “Well, I lied.”

“What do you mean Bobbie? You’ve never lied about a track in your life.” Beth snapped. “Time to come clean little sister.”

“Simple. If I told Wit the truth. We would have lost our edge. Alisky’s engineers copied Darlington down to the last detail with the exception of size. They took their time and did it right. They even got the asphalt sealant mix down correctly. The second we turn our backs on this big bitch she going to fuck us in the ass with a vengeance.” Bobbie snarled as she explained the situation with the track. “We race the track today not the field.”

“Damn. I thought it was just my imagination.” Sam whispered. Then explained his comment when he saw the looks on Jim and Beth’s faces. “During our practice runs this morning it felt like the ass end was trying to slide out from under me in turns two and four. It was even worse going over the tunnel in turn three.”

“Damn just like back home. With that fresh sealant the track will be even slicker than yesterday during qualifying.” Jim grunted in disgust. “I know that we should have the edge here but why do I have the feeling that we’re racing with a handicap?”

“Because we are, Jim. Like Bobbie said earlier when she was talking with Wit. Even we couldn’t fully conquer the Track Too Tough To Tame. Sure, we know all of her little quirks and faults, but this place is a totally new beast all together. I have a feeling that she’ll soon be known as a more than the Black Lady of Warsaw guys. We can’t let our guard down for one second today.” Bobbie warned them.

“You four! Get your asses over here now!” Jewels McGuire shouted at her team of drivers with some heat. As they ran to the team manager and co-owner of MRI the four drivers chuckled. To see Jewels McGuire down on pit road near the cars was a rare and singular sight among the race teams. As they gathered around Jewels they gave her, their, under dived attention. “Alright you sorry assed lot. Time to get down to business. This track is a rattlesnake waiting to strike.”

“Mom we know that already.” Beth giggled as she pointed her thumb at Bobbie. “Little sister pointed out all the nasty points of this beast for us on our walk back from the drivers’ safety briefing. What we don’t know yet is how are we going to win.”

“The same way you would back home Elisabeth. Take your time and race the track. Forget about the rest of the field. Let them pass you. Give them all the track they want to take. Sooner or later, you’ll reel them back in and overtake them. That or the track will take care of them for you.” Jewels chuckled. “Remember just like the Lady in Black the Black Lady of Warsaw has a nasty side to her.”

“Drivers! To your cars!” The announcement over the load speakers drew a smile from the four MRI drivers. “Drivers! Report to your cars at this time!”

“You heard the man kids. Time to mount up!” Jewels shouted as she held out her hand. “Put them in here kids.”

Once all their hands were overlapping Jewels counted down from three and shouted at the top of her lungs. “Three, two, one. Go Tigers!”

All four drivers chuckled as they headed for their cars. With Beth and Bobbie on the poll. Jim and Sam knew they were racing for third. The rest of the field had no idea of who and what they were facing off against today. Jim and Sam had already figured out that no matter how fast they drove. They weren’t equal to the task of beating either Beth or Bobbie on their best of days. Especially on a track that was nothing more than the little big sister of Darlington.

As Danny helped Bobbie through the driver’s side window her thoughts turned towards her children and Kelly for some reason. She knew that they were safe at home as much as she wanted them here. Bobbie knew it was for the best. Her son was running a fever right now. Her thoughts were brought back to the here and now as her father handed her, her iPod, and earbuds. “Get your head in the game kiddo. This track might not be OUR Lady in Black, but she can still be a nasty bitch.”

“Gotcha dad. Take each turn one at a time. Don’t look more than one lap ahead at a time. Never take my eyes off what is in front of me. This track may be supersized, but she has all the earmarks that made Darlington infamous.” Bobbie told as she put her earbuds in and hooked up her iPod.

“That’s the idea kiddo. Remember she’s a stone cold bitch waiting to strike.” Bob told her honestly as he stood up straight. He handed Bobbie her gloves next. “The tunnel turn isn’t as dangerous here because the slope isn’t as sharp but it’s still a threat to a tired or unexpecting driver.”

“I know that dad. That turn is just as nasty as turn three back home. It’s turn four that worries me.” Bobbie told him as she pulled on her gloves. “That inward kick of the wall is slightly sharper than the one at home.”

“It’s the straightaways where you need to stay alert, Speedy. They’re not as smooth as they look or feel. Just like home those two straightaways are the hidden danger here.” Bob warned her as he handed Bobbie her helmet. “This place is more than just a supersized Darlington, but you know this already.”

“Gotcha dad. Race the track and not the field.” Bobbie sighed as she pulled on her Nomex balaclava. As she put her helmet on Bobbie closed her eyes and visualized the starting lineup. On the front row in the pole position was Sakurazaki Mashai and Mori Unkei from King Night racing. The two Japanese drivers were some of the best. They were able to handle the track far better than everyone else during qualifying. The next four rows were a mix of the European teams. In row six where Jim and Sam. The next seven rows was a mix of all the teams. Finally in row fifteen Beth and Bobbie sat side by side. The last five rows were a mix like the rest of the field.

Bobbie didn’t brother with waiting for the call to start her engine before queuing up her race and hitting the play button. She needed to get her mind on this race not worry about her son. She knew that one moment of distraction could put her in the Infield care center if not the hospital. She had already had one trip this season to the hospital and wasn’t looking for a second trip.

“Listen up Bobbie.” Kathy ordered over the radio. “The field is stacked against you in more ways than one. There is no way for you to work your way through the field without taking undo risks. Every driver in front of you is out to keep you from reaching the pole position. They all know that if you win today there’ll be no stopping you from taking the Championship.”

“They can fucking try, Kathy.” Bobbie snarled as the opening notes of Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone played in her ears and over the radio. The sounds of Kathy’s laughter reached Bobbie over the music. “What the Hell? That’s not what your dad loaded up!”

“Sorry but I set up a hidden secondary file just for racetracks like today!” Bobbie cackled over the radio. “I got one for Tally and Atlanta as well.”

“OH man! I should have seen this coming.” Kathy moaned and switched over the team frequency. “Heads up people! Bobbie’s got her OWN SOUNDTRACK!”

A collective sigh from her teammates let Bobbie know they all understood the meaning behind Kathy’s warning. But it was Beth who put their feelings into words. “Gab onto your assess and hold on guys. Bobbie is going to take us for a ride.”

“You have a gift for understatement Beth.” Chief Slowcome chuckled over the radio.

“DRIVERS! START! YOUR! ENGINES!” Bobbie had already flipped the two battery switches that would power the starter. Bobbie grinned as she mashed the starter button with a vengeance. As the cars pulled off pit road Bobbie let her emotions fall away. Over the last few years, she had been able to train herself to become a purely technical driver. Gone was the wild and unpredictable driver who first roared onto the Formula One circuit. Oh, her emotions would sometimes get the better of her, but they no longer ruled how she drove.

The field made three trips around the track to warm up their tires and to get into their final starting positions. None of this mattered to Bobbie. She knew in her heart that at the end of the day. She would be crossing the finishing line first. Nothing the other drivers did would change this fact. Bobbie started to chuckle as she thought about an old legend from her childhood.

“If the Devil’s Bounty hunter wants my ass today. He better have more than eight-hundred horses under his ass to catch me.” Bobbie knew that she was racing more than just the track and field today. She was racing the Ghostrider himself. She just needed to get to the front of the pack and stay there.

When the green flag dropped, Bobbie shifted gears and dropped to the inside apron of the track. No one expected the move so far back in the pack. Not even Beth expected Bobbie to go to the inside like she did. Instead, Beth went to the outside of the track. Before the rest of the field or fans realized what was going. The McGuire sisters were racing four wide going into turn one at full speed. Neither woman let up on the throttle as they rounded turns one and two for the first lap.

As they rocketed out of the turn two exit the sisters had moved to the seventh and eighth places in the field. Jim and Sam had fallen behind them as their friends passed them at full throttle. The two men knew that the McGuire sisters were headed for the front. If they want to be there at the end of the race. Then they had to be on their assess all the way around the track. The drivers of MRI were going to put on a show for the world to see. They had been cheated out of a race last week because of the weather. Today they were going to regain their honor.

As the field rocketed down the back straightaway the four members of MRI pulled even with the front row. As they pulled along side the front runners Bobbie smiled. She knew that the Japanese drivers would collapse under the pressure of the four wide racing before they reached turn four. As they entered turn three the Japanese drivers let off the throttle. This allowed the MRI team to rocket pass them into the lead. When they first pulled out of line with to go four wide. Bob and Jewels McGuire were screaming over the radio. They wanted them to hold back but Bobbie and her crew were listening. They had one thing on their minds. They were going to race the Warsaw Lady the way they raced the Lady in Black. All out, no holds barred, balls out, throttle to the floor. Trading paint the enter way around the track.

As they exited turn four Bobbie stood on the throttle as she keyed her mike. “Are we clear Kathy? I need to know.”

“The only people around you are Beth and the boys. Drop the hammer Speedy. Forget what you were told earlier. Screw your mother’s prerace briefing.” Bob called out.

As the radio went silent the opening notes of Judas Priests’ Turbo Lover blasted over her earbuds. Bobbie’s smile grew with each note and her lead stretched out even further. By the time they entered turn one for the second lap. Bobbie had dragged her sister and the boys into a single four car pack. A lead pack that had a two second lead that was growing. Just like they had done at Daytona. The drivers of MRI knew they were the ones to beat.

What Bobbie and the other drivers of MRI didn’t know was the effect their sudden rush to the front had on the rest of the field. As they roared around the track MRI laid out the correct path for racing at Warsaw. Sakurazaki Mashai and Mori Unkei from King Night racing, were the first to take advantage of their race line. They may be three seconds behind the leading pack, but they could see the line that they took around the track. They may have seen how the MRI drivers were attacking the track, that didn’t mean they could do the same thing. They were the first ones to realize that trying to follow the MRI line would lead to their destruction.

On lap five Unkei hit the kickout of the turn four exit. This one mistake caused a massive chain reaction. First he spun out of control into Mashi. This in turn turned the two Japanese drivers sideways to the rest of the oncoming field. The resulting wreck quickly claimed an additional fifteen cars. If it hadn’t been for the quick reactions of the former NASCAR drivers the carnage would have been far greater. Of the fifteen additional drivers only one had been a former NASCAR driver. The other fourteen were a mix of Formula One, Indy, Rally, and Drift drivers. The red flag came out just as Bobbie exited turn two onto the back straightaway. The wreck was so bad that the ISA officials didn’t bother with a yellow flag. They could tell that is was going to take the rescue crews a long time to clean up the wreckage.

“That was some wreck Bobbie. Did you except that to happen?” Kathy asked over the radio as Bobbie pulled to a stop.

“I was but not this soon. I figured that if I could force the rest of the field into attempting to follow our line someone would screwup and wreck. I just wasn’t expecting the wreck to be on this scale. I thought that we might lose four or five at the most. Noting like this.” Bobbie answered over the radio. “How many involved?”

“Seventeen in total. So far most of the window nets are down. Only Bobby Parker hasn’t dropped his window net yet. That’s because he’s upside down on his roof. The rescue crews are working to get him flipped over as we speak. So far he is the only one not out of his car yet. Hold on Bobbie.” Kathy’s pause let Bobbie know that something important was happening on the front straightaway. “Looks like the rescue crews are going to remove him now instead of righting his car. What’s up with that?”

“If I had to guess. I would say that Parker is injured Kathy. That is the only reason they would attempt to remove him with his car still on its roof.” Bobbie answered her with just a touch of fear in her voice. “Kathy get with the other spotters. I want up to the minute reports on their drivers.”

“We’re already on it Bobbie. I got Joey working with the Formula One teams. Mom is working with the rest of the teams. Though from the looks of things all the safety measures worked as advertised. That is the good news. The bad news is the medics are going to be busy as hell for the next thirty to forty minutes.” Kathy explained.

“Ouch! How bad are we talking here?” Bobbie asked her.

“There’s at least two broken or sprained legs, three maybe four broken or sprained arms, and one pulled back. By my count any way.” Kathy answered. “I’ll know more once they’ve all cleared the infield care center.”

“Thanks Kathy. Now what can you tell me about the cleanup?” Bobbie asked.

“They’ve got all ten tow trucks and six wreckers the working the cleanup. The street sweepers are rolling out now. It won’t be long before they give the signal to restart engines. Hold on Bobbie.” The long pause made Bobbie wonder who Kathy was talking to. “Okay Bobbie restart your engine and fall in behind the pace car as it comes around. We’re under yellow flag conditions as of right now.”

“Roger that Kathy!” Bobbie called out as she flipped the battery switches and mashed the starter button for her engine. Once the massive V-8 engine roared to life once more her father was on the radio to the whole team.

“Okay people there’s a change in plans. When you pit you’re getting four fresh tires and a full tank of go-go juice.” Bob explained for them. “The competition yellow has been canceled. So don’t hold back.”

“Gotcha dad. We got one-hundred-forty-five laps to go. They still going to hold to the standard fifty-lap stages?” Beth asked over the radio.

“Everything but the competition yellow at lap twenty-five is still in play. In other words, we’ve got a whole new ballgame people.” Bob told his drivers.

“Ah shit! They just had to go playing around with the lap schedule.” Bobbie bitched.

As they rolled onto pit road Bobbie looked for her pit sign. With fifteen of the cars out of the race already. As Bobbie slide to a stop in her pit box she found that the two boxes in front of her were empty. Only Beth’s pit box was filled. Danny and the rest of her pit crew were over the wall the second her car came to a stop. Twelve point eight seconds later Bobbie felt her driver’s side slam down signaling her to pull out. With a screech of her tires Bobbie was gone.

As she drove the length of pit road Bobbie smiled. She was the first one on pit and the first one off. She could tell that everyone else was also taking four new tires and packing their fuel cells to the overflow mark. It would now be a race to see who ran out of fuel first or blew the first tire. Bobbie let her smile turn into that of an apex predator. She and the rest of the MRI drivers were the sharks in this fishpond. Beth was their Great White, Jim was their Tiger shark, and Sam a Bull shark. There was no doubt that Bobbie was the Mako among the sharks. The fastest and most unpredictable of all sharks.

“Kathy let me know who comes off pit road last. I need to know so I can plan how I attack the rest of this stage.” Bobbie radioed.

“That’s easy Bobbie. The last man off pit road is going to be Nathan Watson. His pit crew is having air gun problems. Though how that’s going to of help is beyond me Bobbie.” Kathy told her honestly.

“How many laps do you think it’ll take before we start lapping other drivers Kathy?” Bobbie asked her with a giggle.

“If you can regain and keep the pace that you set before the wreck. It would take you six to seven laps before that happens.” Kathy answered before grunting. “Oh man. Why didn’t I see it? You’re going to use Watson as a blocker for the rest of the field. That’s just wrong on so many levels, it’s not funny.”

“Yeh. All’s far in love, war, and racing.” Bobbie chuckled before turning her attention back to the pace car. “Looks like we’re going to make another few laps under caution Kathy. Have you heard back on the other drivers yet?”

“So far only Sakurazaki Mashai and Mori Unkei have already been released from the infield care center. They’re still checking out the rest. Though they’ve already sent Parker and four of the others to the hospital. Still working on getting the other drivers’ names. Joey and mom are doing their best.” Kathy told her.

“Kathy tell Joey and your to forget about the updates. We need them concentrating on their spotter jobs.” Bobbie ordered her.

“Don’t worry about that Bobbie. Me and Specs got the four of you covered for now. Once we go back to racing Joey and mom will be back to work.” Kathy told her before pausing. “Bobbie just the word from the ISA. They’re going to keep the field under yellow for another four laps. You’ll be going green on lap ten. That’s the plan for now anyway. It all depends on the cleanup crews.”

“Thought they would have the wreck site cleaned up by now. What’s the hold up?” Bobbie asked her bluntly.

“The speedy-dry they put down for the oil and other fluids is taking longer to sweep up than expected. It seems they had to put down more than expected.” Kathy explained what she saw through her field glasses.

“Fine. Nothing we can do about now.” Bobbie grunted then signed off to let her music to calm her down. Even though the song that was playing was anything but calming. After all Ozzy Osborn’s Crazy Train did not promote peaceful contemplation. This was followed by Bat out of Hell by Meatloaf. On lap nine the opening notes for Guns and Roses’ Welcome to the Jungle sounded in Bobbie’s ears as she exited turn two onto the back straightaway. Bobbie smiled as the caution lights on the pace went dark signaling her that they were about to go back to racing.

“Heads up Bobbie. They’re dropping the green this time around.” Kathy warned.

Bobbie’s predatorial smile returned with a vengeance as the pace car dropped onto pit road. Reaching over she grabbed the stick shift and downshifted to second the second the flag dropped. As she crossed the start/finish line she shift into third pulling away from the pack. Bobbie’s sudden move took the entire field by surprise. Not even Beth, Jim, and Sam were expecting her rush of speed.

Bobbie took turn one with no one around her. Not even her teammates were close to her. Only after she cleared the apex of turns one and two did Beth and the boys catch up to her. Because of Bobbie’s unorthodox move at the start/finish line the others were forced to step up their game. They all knew that the only way they were going to catch up to Bobbie was to push the limits of their skills and their cars to the very ragged edge of their performance envelopes. They couldn’t hold nothing back when Bobbie was in this mood.

The next twenty laps went just like Bobbie expected. At lap thirty the performance of her car started to fall off. She knew there were two things working against her at this point in the race. The first was tire wear. With each lap more and more of her tires rubber was being worn away. The second thing working against her was her car was becoming lighter with each gallon of gas her engine burned. As she rounded the exit of turn two Bobbie keyed her radio. “Chief I need tires and fuel.”

“Bring her in this time around Bobbie. I know it’s a green flag stop, but there’s not help for it. Nobody’s gotten stupid enough to blew out a tire, run out of fuel, or spinout.” Chief Hailee told her bluntly.

“Trust me Chief Hailee. I know. I was expecting at least four yellow flag stops before now. Pass the word to the rest of MRI. Four tires and two cans of fuel this time around Chief. We all come in together.” Bobbie ordered over the radio. Only to have Kathy overrule her just a few seconds later.

“Negative! Stay out! Do not come this time! GO HIGH AND STAY THERE!”

“WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT’S GOING ON KATHY?” Chief Slone demanded over the radio.

“Single car wreck in turn four! Elle Harbert from Northern Alliance blew a tire and went into the wall. The yellow flag should come out any second now.” Kathy answered just as the pace car pulled onto the track and the caution lights start flashing.

Bobbie started braking and downshifting the second the caution lights started flashing. She had barely cleared turn four when the pace car pulled in front of her. “Okay Kathy talk to me here. How long before they open pit road?”

“The Officials are waiting until the next time around Bobbie. That’s two laps. You got enough go-go juice?” Kathy asked her.

“That’s up for debate Kathy. I might have enough for three or four caution laps. More than that it is a flip of the coin.” Bobbie told her honestly.

“That’s not good Bobbie. Why are you pushing the edge so damned hard?” Kathy asked.

“Because if I don’t push the edge. I’ll lose this race. The only thing out here that I’m racing is the track. This place is Darlington on steroids.” Bobbie told her as the exited turn two onto the back straightaway. “I got more on the line than just an inaugural win today.”

“What are you talking about?” Kathy asked her.

“My pride as the Mistress of Darlington is on the line.” Bobbie snarled. “There isn’t a driver out here that doesn’t want to take that away from me. They all believe that if they can win here. They can win at Darlington. I’m going to crush that belief. I’m going to grinned it under the heel of my Dover Saddlery Field Boots and let Storm Dancer stomp on their dreams of victory.”

“Damn girl! That’s harsh on whole another level!”

“Like I said at the start of the race. Nothing and no one is going to get between me, the finish line, and the win.” Bobbie chuckled as they entered turn three.

“Pit road is open Bobbie.” Kathy called out quickly as they reached the apex of the turns. “Four tires and fuel right?”

“Give me a tearaway as well. I can barely see out the windshield.” Bobbie complained.

“Heard ya load and clear Speedy. Four tires, as much fuel as you can hold, and a tear away. Anything else?” Chief Hailee asked her.

“I’m good Chief. The car is handling like a rocket sled on rails.” Bobbie chuckled.

“Understood. Any idea why Beth is asking for a half turn down on her sway bar?” He asked her quickly as she rolled to a stop in her pit box.

“If I had to guess. I would say that she’s losing grip in the apex of the turns. That’s the only reason I can think of Chief.” Bobbie answered as Danny raised the right side of her car.

“That explains why Sam and Jim are asking for the same thing. What I want to know is why aren’t you asking for the half turn?” Chief Hailee asked her.

“Because the loser I run the better the car handles for me.” Bobbie cackled as the right side slammed down and the air guns screamed from the left side of the car. Less then two seconds later the left side was in the air and Joseph Chamberlin was ripping the tear away from her windshield. Greg was on the second can of fuel by this point. “Don’t worry Chief. This place is my kind of track.”

“Ah shit! You would love this place. Okay Speedy. Just keep your head on a swivel out there. This place may not be Darlington.” Chief Hailee began.

Only to have Bobbie finish for him as Danny dropped the jack signaling her to leave her pit box. “But she can still bit me in the ass.”

Chief Hailee turned to a chuckling Bob McGuire as his driver took off headed for the exit to pit road. “When we get this race in the books, Bob. Do me a favor and take that daughter of yours off to the side and have her head examined.”

“Don’t need to Chief. I already know that she’s batshit crazy. Why do you think we have a shrink on our payroll?” Bob asked his old friend with a chuckle.

“You know something, Bob. I’m getting too old for this shit.” Hailee sighed and turned his attention back to the race. “One of these days those kids of his are going to drive me to drink.”

“I thought that would have happened already.” Jewels wisecracked causing the rest of the pit crew to chuckle. “By the way did someone get a few bottles of Vodka?”

“Fifteen bottles are chilling in the carriers as we speak ma’am.” Greg Smoke answered with a small chuckle. Greg’s wife and rear tire changer, Sherry Smoke held up a Gold corporate credit card. “We put them on the card.”

“Just make sure the receipt gets to accounting Gregory.” Jewels chuckled. Then turned serious. “Okay people let’s get that gear squared away. I got a feeling that our drivers will be making green flag stops for the next seventy to eighty laps. The rest of the drivers have started to figure out the trick to racing here.”

As her pit crews got to work carrying out her orders Jewels McGuire turned her attention to the track. “Okay baby girls. Keep your heads in the game.”

As Bobbie rounded turn four on lap thirty-five the track went green, and they were back to racing. Once again Bobbie surged ahead of her teammates taking the lead. Beth, Sam, and Jim could hear her music playing over the team network and had to laugh. Beth keyed her radio and called the boys. “Only Bobbie would be crazy enough to play Wagner’s Ride of The Valkyries.”

“Hell! I’m surprised she waited this long!” Sam chuckled.

“Screw that shit! I’m waiting for her to play John Fogerty’s Fortunate Son.” Jim cracked as they rounded the exit to turn two at full throttle.

“All I can is hang onto your ass people. Bobbie is taking you all for a ride.” Kathy warned them all as she chuckled. She knew that once Bobbie was out front playing her music the race was all over except for running the laps. No one could touch her driver now. Not even the NASCAR greats could come near her level when she was in the zone like today. Kathy knew that unless Bobbie blew a tire. Bobbie would blast across the finish line first.

“We got this race in the bag people. Just hit your marks and race the track. Forget about the rest of the field. They might be figuring out how to race here but it will be too little too late. By lap seventy-five the track will start changing as the sun goes down. It’ll start to cool down and get tighter with each lap thereafter. By the time they figure this out we’ll be ahead of the game. We know how to race this type of track. They don’t.” Bobbie told them all over the radio.

For the next fifteen laps everything played out just the way Bobbie said it would. The MRI drivers crossed the start/finish line taking the top four positions of stage one. When the competition yellow flag came out Bobbie led the field once more down pit road. Once again she got four new tires, two cans of fuel, and a tearaway before pulling out of her pit box. When the green flag dropped on lap fifty-two Bobbie was once again pulling her sister and the boys away from the rest of the field in single file by the time they cleared the exit of turn four. With one-hundred laps to go. Bobbie pulled out all of the stops.

On lap seventy the yellow flag came out once more. This time it was a two car wreck between Léonard Carrell and Lilian Picard of Les Ailes de Justice that wrecked on turn one. Lilian Picard blew a tire and clipped the left rear Leonard Carrell causing the teammates to spin out of control into the infield. On lap seventy-two Bobbie led the field once more onto pit road. Even as she pulled onto pit road she was calling for four tires, two cans of fuel, a tearaway on her windshield, and a half turn down on her sway bar. This slight change was enough for Chief Hailee to realize that the track was changing faster than expected.

As she pulled out of her pit box Bobbie started counting the remaining cars in the field. She was surprised to realize that they were down to nineteen remaining cars out of the forty they started with. Keying her mike Bobbie asked her mother what happened to the rest of the field.

“Most were taken out during that wreck back on lap five. Over the last seventy laps the rest blew a tire and wrecked. The downside is the rest of the field have figured out the track and are now racing it instead of either other.” Jewels explained.

“Gotcha mom. How do you see this playing out for the rest of the race?” Bobbie asked as she fell in behind the pace car.

“Between now and the next green/white checkered flag the race is going to be run under green flag conditions. At lap one-twenty to one-twenty-five there’ll be one more major wreck near the middle of the pack. It’ll be a big one Bobbie. I figure there’ll be between seven to ten cars involved.” Jewels told her youngest daughter. “That’s if we’re lucky. With half the flied out of the running already this race has been one of the most costly so far this season.”

“Any word on Parker and the four that were sent to the hospital?” Bobbie asked her.

“Parker is out for the rest of the season. He got his left leg caught between the roll cage and the steering wheel somehow.” Jewels explained for her. “It’s bad Bobbie. They’re already having to operate to fix his leg. From the looks of it he might not race again. The other four drivers are also out for the rest of the season but only because of minor breaks that’ll heal with time.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. At least no one got other than Parker got hurt badly. I feel sorry for him but he’s a tough bastard. He’ll be back next year and will be a much tougher opponent.” Bobbie told her as the pace car turned off its lights and drooped to the bottom of the track. “Got to go mom. Time to get back to work.”

“I see sweetheart. Watch your ass and keep an eye on the gages. I’m worried about the water temp. You’ve been running hot the ten laps.” Jewels warned her.

“What are you talking about mom? My gages are all showing in the green.” Bobbie told her bluntly as she studied the gages before her.

“Are you sure Bobbie? Because our display is showing your water in the high yellow.” Jewels told her honestly. “Either your gage is off or there is something wrong with the feed from the car.”

“Okay mom. I’ll add twenty degrees to the readout.” Bobbie told her as she down shifted and took the lead once more crossing the start/finish line.

For the next twenty-five laps Bobbie pushed her car to its limits. Every turn was taken at the highest possible speed. Bobbie let her soul go to that place where she was nothing more than an extension of the car. There was only her, the car, and her music. Only the track existed for Bobbie. All else no longer existed. Those twenty-five laps would set the tone for the rest of the race for Bobbie. Nit even Beth could match her once she reached this level of emotion and concentration. Bobbie took the second stage win two full seconds ahead of her sister and teammates.

When Bobbie rolled back out onto the track at lap one-oh-two she was listening to the opening notes of Judas Priests’ Free Wheel Burning. The song was still playing when the green flag dropped signaling the start of the final stage. As she crossed the start/finish line Beth, Sam, and Jim knew they were all racing for second place. Kathy had already told her mother, Joey, and Specs that Bobbie had left the track. That the only way Bobbie was going to lose the race was if she wrecked.

On lap one-eighteen the yellow flag came out one more time. Louwrens Hartman from Northern Alliance blew his engine on the back straightaway. Thankfully he was able to cost around the rest of the track to pit road on the inside apron. Bobbie flew passed him at 222mhp before the yellow flag came out. Hartman was the twelfth driver she had lap in the last seven laps. As Bobbie pulled to a stop in her pit box Danny and the rest of her pit crew cleared the wall. Thirteen point seven seconds later Bobbie felt the driver’s side of her car slam down. With a screech of tires and roar of her engine Bobbie left her box. Once again she won the race off pit road. Only this time she barely beat out Jim as they as they crossed the line. Beth and Sam were scant seconds behind them. As they lined up behind the pace car Bobbie keyed her radio on the team frequency.

“Looks like the fastest pit crew belongs to Jim this time around people. This is the second time his people have gained him at least one spot on the field. The beer is on me this time people.” Bobbie laughed.

“You’re wrong sister dear. I’m buying this time. I have the slowest pit times this whole race. My team just wasn’t on the ball today.” Beth gripped.

“Nope. I got the slowest times Beth.” Sam corrected her. “If we go by total times my pit crew was nine tenths slower than yours and Bobbie’s team. A full second slower than Jim’s pit crew.”

“Damn. That still means our people were turning in thirteen second pit stops across the board on average!” Bobbie told them all in shock. “What the fuck they been doing? Training in their damned sleep?”

“Nope. They’ve gotten faster with every race.” Beth answered honestly then asked. “Haven’t you been paying attention to their overall times?”

“To be honest not really. The only thing I’ve been paying attention to is when Danny drops the driver’s side. I know that the time has been getting faster but I never really paid attention to my time in the pit box. I’ve been too busy concentrating on my job during pit stops. I’ll be honest. I’ve been too worried about screwing up and stalling out the engine.” Bobbie told them honestly. Only to hear a round of chuckles from her friends and sister.

On lap one-twenty the green flag waved, and Bobbie drove away from the rest of the field. This time only Beth stayed with her. Sam and Jim stayed back with the field. They blocked the other drivers from gaining on the two sisters. Kathy came over the radio with a nasty chuckle. “Looks like the race is down to just you and Beth, Bobbie. Sam and Jim are blocking the rest of the field.”

“What the hell is going on here Kathy?” Bobbie her harshly.

“Sam and Jim worked this out earlier this morning. They both know that the only one who can challenge you for the win is Beth. They’re just making sure that the rest of the field stays out of the way. Now drive like you stole the damn thing.” Kathy ordered her with a chuckle. That was all Bobbie needed to hear.

The announcers in the press box couldn’t believe what they were seeing. They had expected the Russian and Swiss drivers to be the ones leading this race. The fact that MRI had taken the lead at the start of the race and never let go was a total shock. If the announcers had paid attention to where the MRI drivers called home. They would have realized that they were the ones to beat from the start. Of those four drivers the winner would come down to the McGuire Sisters.

The sisters ran nose to tail for the next twenty-seven laps. While they were doing that Jim and Sam blocked the rest of the field. On lap one-forty-seven things changed. Beth pulled along side Bobbie trying for the win. Only it was too little too late once more. Bobbie’s music changed once more. This time when Bobbie became one with her car it was to the sound of Bruce Springsteen’s Darlington County. If Beth had known what song Bobbie was driving to, she would have given up. Whenever Bobbie hears Darlington County her skills reach a whole other level. It doesn’t matter what car she’s in. Bobbie will take that car to the edge and beyond. Then take it across the finish line in one piece for the win.

As always when motivated by this song Bobbie was beatable. As she crossed the start/finish line for the final lap Bobbie used the last of her throttle and pulled away from Beth. Beth couldn’t believe what she was seeing at first as Bobbie went high against the outer wall on purpose. Not knowing what Bobbie was doing Beth followed her up against the wall letting her speed and the centrifugal force slingshot her around the turn. As Beth exited turn two she found that she was gaining on Bobbie. That was when she realized what Bobbie was doing.

For the whole race they had stayed low enough to avoid gaining their ‘stripes’. Now that they were out front there was no need to hold back. It was time to earn their Warsaw stripes and leave their paint on the outer wall. Beth was laughing as she followed her sister around the track for the final lap. Instead of racing the two McGuire sisters were having fun and letting it all hang out.

They would take home the inaugural win for the Black Lady of Warsaw. As the blasted across the finish line the roar of the crowd was drowned out by the nose of their engines and laughter. They had done what everyone else said couldn’t be done. They had clenched not only the win but the manufacturers championship as well. All they had to do was show up at the next four races and not wreck.

“Way to go kids. The manufacturers championship is ours. Now all we have to do is see who wins the drivers championship.” Jewels told them all over the radio. Jewels was laughing as she turned to the four Crew Chiefs and her husband. “Well gentlemen. Any beats on who takes the drivers’ championship?”

“Sorry but that race is already won Jewels.” Slow Jake Slone told her bluntly. “As much as I would love to see Jim win that won’t be happening.”

“The same thing can be said for Sam Jewels. The boys are good, but the girls have them beat hands down.” David Slone sighed then grinned. “It’ll be decided between them at home. The only place where they are on equal footing.”

“So you honestly believe that the final race will be the deciding factor. Well I hope you’re wrong gentlemen. Because if it comes down to Darlington. It’s already decided who the winner will be.” Chief Marks told them all. “As good as Beth is, she doesn’t hold a candle to Speedy at the Lady in Black.”

“I hate to say this but I hope like hell Beth pulls out at least one win between now and then. Because if they have to use Darlington as the tie breaker. The bookies are going to forget about the odds. They’ll put everything on Bobbie to win.” Chief Hailee said bluntly. “They all know thanks to today’s race. That Bobbie is the true Mistress of Darlington and might be the first driver to ever truly tame. The track that is too tough to tame.”

“I have to agree with you Hailee. Sometimes I truly fear that Bobbie is just too comfortable on our home. This place confirmed that fear.” Bob McGuire told them all as he watch his youngest daughter take her victory lap. “I hope that today’s win doesn’t go to her head.”

“Why do you say Bob?” Jewels asked with real worry.

“Because Darlington is unpredictable enough to kill our daughter.”

-----tbc-----

PS. Sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter. Real life has kept me busy to the point that I haven't had time to write. Now that the weather has let up I have more time to write. The next chapter in The Black Sword coming soon.