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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 17
Roman Speedway, Rome, Italy; Saturday, Race day: 1400
The Beretta 500 garage

Bobbie stood quietly fuming as the other drivers of MRI stood off to one side. The fact that Bobbie had been pissed off for the last hour was the main reason. Not that she didn’t have reason. The two drivers in of motorsports that could piss her off like there was no tomorrow had shown up at introductions. The fact that they were here just to drive this one race pissed her off even more than normal.

“Robert Lee McGuire you will get that scowl off your face this moment.” Jewels, her mother scolded her then softened her voice. “You’re scaring the other drivers.”

“Fuck that shit mom. If they think I’m mad now. Wait until we’re on the track and racing.” Bobbie snarled. Not caring that she was pissing off her mother. “Just how in the name of Hell did Monitore Doro and Danilo Olmo get approved to race Stockcar?! Don’t give that bullshit about them being fucking Italian citizens either.”

“It was done for political reasons, Bobbie. One of the conditions for the ISA to hold the race here was that they be allowed to run in the inaugural race.” Bob McGuire answered her with a heavy sigh. “Look kiddo, there is nothing we can do about it. Besides the two drivers they’re replacing are so low in the standings it won’t affect the Drivers’ points race.”

“That’s where you’re wrong dad. Them driving here for Prototype Outcast is going to throw the whole points race off. I don’t care about the Drivers’ Championship; it’s the Manufacturers race they’re fucking with.” Bobbie grunted. When she saw the looks of confusion on everyone’s face Bobbie knew she needed to explain. “Until now we’ve all been in an almost dead with Prototype, Reynolds Racing, King Night, and our friends over at Red Star. Those two can shift that Championship Race majorly.”

“How? They’re not stockcar racers. The best they’ll be able to do is place somewhere in the top fifteen.” Jewels told her thinking that there was no way for the two men to place anywhere near the top 10 and threaten their lead in the Manufacturers’ Race. “Even then they need to come last place.”

“Didn’t you hear what that fuck tard Grayson said. They’re not starting the race. They’re only finishing it. All Raniero Accomando and Gerino Rosetta have to do is drive one warmup lap, then pull onto pit road and swap out with Doro and Olmo.” Bobbie almost snarled with pure frustration. “Don’t you get it yet daddy?! Accomando and Rosetta are both on the second row. Doro and Olmo won’t have to come from the back of the pack. At most they’ll lose one or to positions before the flag drops to start the race. As for them not being a threat in Stockcars think again. Those two shitheads spend all of last season running Touring cars. They have a major advantage over most of the other teams’ drivers.”

“They’ll understand the track and the conditions faster thanks to their time driving those touring cars.” Bob McGuire grunted as he snapped his fingers. “Damnation. I hadn’t thought along those lines. It’ll be a major feather in Prototype Outcast to win this race. Not too mention major promotional points with their home consumer base. No wonder they’re pulling this stunt.”

“Okay I hadn’t thought about that angel, but I can see it. I was only thinking about the Manufacturers’ Points race. The big problem we face is those two chuckle heads have major beefs with both me and Sam. Not to mention every woman on the circuit. They’ll be gunning for us all.” Bobbie sighed.

“What the hell happened with them Bobbie?” Sam asked.

“It all started back during their first year in Formula One. You see when Beth and Bobbie were signed to Mercedes-Benz those two shitheads were part of the old team. They had been on a four-year losing streak and the COWWs wanted a fresh start. Monitore Doro and Danilo Olmo felt that my daughters had wrongfully taken their places for the old Mercedes-Benz team. What they forgot was their contracts were up and the bosses weren’t going to renew them.” Jewels told the gathered drivers. “When Bobbie and Beth showed up out of nowhere and started winning. Those two tried to say that the changes they suggested for the cars was the reason for their wins. When word got out that our cars had none of their suggestions in our design. Teams pulled away from them and started to distance themselves from potential trouble.”

“Oy vey did they ever. If they hadn’t switched to Touring, they won’t have had rides last year. Even then the teams that picked them up kept an eye on them. Nobody and I mean nobody wanted anything to do with a pair of troublemakers.” Tony chuckled evilly. “It was well know that they held grudges against the McGuire Furies.”

“Okay that explains a lot. What I want to know is why Bobbie has her panties in a twist?” Jim asked as he fixed himself a large cup from the cooler of Gatorade.

“Nothing really.” Beth waved her hand airily. “They just made the stupid mistake last year of threatening to put Bobbie in the wall if they ever got the chance.”

“WAIT! WHAT? SERIOUSLY?! Someone said they would put Roberta McGuire into the wall?! What are they fucking stoned, stupid, or crazy?” Jim asked in surprise.

“All of the above.” Bob answered him with a straight face. Then busted out chuckling.

“Now they have the chance to carry out their threat. While not having to work their way through the field. It’s bad enough that I have to fall back to the rear of the pack because of the engine swap.” Bobbie bitched then kicked the stack of tires she was standing next too. “Now I have to deal with those two fucktards as I work my way to the front.”

“Bobbie do you really think they’ll screw with you?” Jewels asked calmly.

“I know they will mom. This is their only chance to come after me and Beth. After today they’re back on the Touring Car circuit. We’re at the perfect track for their ‘revenge’. Two miles of nonstop concrete with Turns one and two sitting at twenty-seven degrees and turns three and four at twenty-five they’re just like Darlington. Then you add in the straightaway’s banking at eight degrees this track is one nasty self-cleaning bitch.” Bobbie spat out a wade of tobacco juice into a cup. “She’s going to eat both tires and powerplants like there’s no tomorrow.”

“More than that kiddo. This is going to be a real marathon race. Me and your crew chiefs have been going over the numbers from practice. This race is going to come down to fuel management. More than tire management.” Bobbie gave her father a strange look. He never gave out information like this before a race. “We got five-hundred miles to cover people. If you go balls out from the start, you’ll burn through your fuel faster than everyone else.”

“Wait a minute dad. Are you saying that we don’t have the fuel mileage the other teams have?” Beth asked him quickly.

“Sadly, this is one time that we don’t have that advantage. Prototype, Thunder valley, and Red Sun are going to be our biggest competitors on this track. Especially if it comes down to fuel milage. I hate to say this as both an engineer and mechanic those three teams have had the best fuel management for the whole season.” Bob sighed as he looked out at pit road. “We’ve been lucky that none of the other teams have twinged to our biggest weakness yet.”

“You’re saying that our engines suck down fuel like a drunk coming off a forty-five day at an open bar. Not good dad.” Bobbie grumbled. “When were you going to fill me in on this ‘little’ problem?”

“Until now we haven’t had to worry about it too much. There has been a major gap in the experience level of the other teams. Only a few of them had a concept of what fuel management at the beginning of the season. We’re on race nine of twenty. Those gaps are now gone. The drivers that didn’t start out in Stockcars are no listen to those of their teams that did. Last week was the last race where MRI had a clear advantage in Stockcars.” Bob held up his hand stopping Bobbie and Beth from commenting. “I know you girls got your start in Formula One. But you’ve both been test driving Stockcar designs for your mother and me for years now.”

“Dad that may have been the case.” Beth started to say only to be stopped by Tony.

“Honey, you have to quite this downplaying of yours and Bobbie’s natural talents. I doubt there is more than a handful of drivers in the ISA that can match you two. Even Jim and Sam have problems keeping up with the both of you. Over the last eight races they have had to step up their game to keep from falling too far behind in the point chase. The same can be said for the other Stockcar drivers that came over from NASCAR.” Tony told her as he wrapped his arm over her shoulders. Then he looked over at Bobbie. “If you doubt me just look at the points standings.”

Bobbie and Beth could only chuckle at Tony’s comment about the Drivers’ Championship Points race. Bobbie was on top with 13056 points. Beth was right behind her with 1303 points in second place. Sam and Jim were tied with 1302 apiece. Their next nearest competitor was Nathan Watson with 1256 points and the highest placed of the Touring Car drivers. Behind him came Hitarashi Sukejuro and Kuno Junzo each with 1238. They were currently the highest placed Rally drivers. After them came the first of the former F1 drivers with 1236 points, Marc Wimmer. After Wimmer came the first of the former NASCAR Drivers not on MRI, Ben Baldwin with 1235 points. After that, the field was dominated by the Stockcar drivers. The rest of the field was a steady mix of Touring, Rally, and F1 drivers.

“That may be true, Tony. The problem with those drivers from the other fields are now figuring out how to truly race as Stockcar drivers. The Touring drivers had the easiest time in making the transition. After them comes the Rally drivers. The former F1 drivers were still struggling with the transition but they won’t be down for much longer. They’ve already figured out how race in a pack and the draft. Like I told you all after Rockingham. They’re getting their acts together.” Bobbie warned she team as she looked out at pit road. “Just look at the starting grid. Five of the top ten positions are held by F-one drivers this week.”

“The remaining top five are a mixed bag of Rally and Touring drivers to boot. The first Stockcar diver is back in eleventh place.” Bob told his gathered drivers with a nasty chuckle in his voice. “The one advantage the former NASCAR drivers have is simple. The Rally, Touring, and F-one drivers haven’t completely realized that Stockcar racing is as much an endurance as it is about speed.”

“You’re wrong dad. They learned that back at Daytona.” Beth corrected her father. “Or haven’t you noticed that the other drivers have been running laps with us in the morning. Most have been doing it on their own without their pit crews. We’re the only team that has everyone busting their hump at oh-dark-stupid. We learned that winning races is about more than just skill. It also takes physical fitness. That is something we learned the hard way back in Formula One.”

“And thanks to our two High Priestesses of Pain. We’re currently the most physically fit drivers on the track. We know what it takes to win. The other drivers have tipped to this fact now and are catching up fast. Make no mistake about that. The only exception is the other Stockcar Drivers. They’ve known all long about what their teammates are just now learning. When I said that Indy will be the turning for the F-one drivers I wasn’t kidding.” Bobbie snorted then spit into her cup again. “Though I might be wrong. Today’s race could be that turning point.”

“What do you see that we don’t Bobbie?” Sam asked as he stepped next to her and looked out at pit road. “What is it really that has your panties in a twist about those two drivers? No bullshit this time.”

“Monitore Doro and Danilo Olmo started off as Stockcar drivers on the European Circuit, before making the jump to F-one. They couldn’t make the transition. That’s why they never won a race or even placed higher than fifth. The problem is they were fantastic Stockcar drivers. They could have easily gotten a ride with any of the NASCAR teams. Their only problem is they let their over inflated egos get in the way of driving.” Bobbie chuckled. “Now, they have decided to come play games in my favorite playground. Prototype Outcast thinks those two will knock us down a peg or two by using their hatred for me and Beth.”

“Then I guess it’s time to introduce them to the Darlington Two Step.” Sam chuckled.

“Not this time. I think it’ll be better if we Do Si Do and Roll Away To A Half Sashay, Sam. We’ll let the ladies waltz to the front and slam dance our way to third and fourth. When we get find our ‘dance partners’.” Jim chuckled evilly. “We put their assed in the wall and don’t look back.”

“That is just mean you two. Normally I won’t above of such tactics.” Jewels giggled but it had a nasty twinge to it. “But I approve boys. Don’t worry about the fines. We’ll cover any that come your way.”

“Not so fast Jewels.” Julie Manner’s voice drew everyone’s attention. “If what I have just overheard is even halfway true. Then Mercedes-Benz will pay all fines. I had not thought that Prototype Outcast would go so far as too pull this kind of shit. Then I want those two drivers in the damned wall. Understood gentlemen?”

The two South Carolina country boys just nodded their heads and grabbed their helmets. As they left the garage headed for their cars the two young men bumped their helmets together. Bobbie and Beth just sighed then grabbed their own helmets. As they turned to leave the garage Bobbie turned to Julie. “I hope you know what you just unleashed out there on the track.”

When they were alone Julie turned to Jewels. “What did she mean by that, Jewels?”

“Because those four drivers are going to turn this race into a paint swapping fender bending brawl. Those four cars that cost your company four-point-nine million dollars apiece, just became thirty-five-hundred-pound battering rams. We’ll be lucky if at the end of the race we can use them for spare parts.” Jewels snarled.

“If all it costs Mercedes-Benz twenty million dollars to teach the other teams a lesson in cheating. Then it is money well spent.” At the look of confusion on Both Jewels and Bob’s faces, Julie laughed. “I learned a long time ago. That one must sometimes spend money to drive home a point to the competition.”

“I have problems with assholes who think they can cheat and not face consequences.” Julie walked pass the two of them towards the open garage door. There she stood looking towards the Prototype Outcast cars. “Unfortunately, MRI has been targeted by someone that has gone out of his way to make trouble for me in the past.”

“Okay, Julie what are you talking about?” Bob asked her harshly.

“Carmelo De Salvo runs the racing department for Maserati. The two of us have crossed swords more than once in the Boardroom when I worked for Dynamic Engineering Investigations. Each time he has been the one come out the loser. I take no prisoners when confronting a flawed design. Especially one that will get people killed.” Julie took a drink of her coffee. “Carmelo has a bad habit of pushing his design teams. They turned out more than a few flawed designs that would have gotten an untold number of people killed.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Julie. Doesn’t DEI test more than just car designs?” Bob asked her with more than a little confusion.

“They do. The problem with Carmelo is the man never lets the people who actually know actually know their jobs do them without interfering.” Julie sighed. “I’m actually surprised that Prototype Outcasts haven’t had at least one fatality on their team with him as their manager.”

“Put that down to blind luck on the part of the Crew Chiefs and the drivers’ skills. They’re the only ones that have kept that team alive and viable.” Bob grunted harshly then spat on the floor of the garage. “Today is going to get nasty Julie.”

“Bob is telling you the truth Julie. You have no idea of what you just unleashed on that track today.” Jewels told her as she pointed out at pit road. “When that green flag drops. Those four youngsters are going to live up to their nickname. Woe be onto those who get in their way.”

“What nickname would that be Jewels?” Julie asked with a sly yet knowing smile. “Are you talking about the one the press calls them or that lovely name the other teams call them behind their backs?”

“The one behind their backs.” Jewels answered coldly. “The Asphalt Demons have come out to play. Only today they’re out for blood and sheet metal.”

Pit road #5 car

Bobbie looked over at Chief Hailee as she neared her car. “Good news old man. My old ‘friends’ Doro and Olmo have shown up to play.”

“Then it’s a good thing that was able I reinforced the corner and side panels with a heavier grade of sheet metal before this race. It may be pushing the limits for the framework and body design rules but screw the Commissioners.” Chief Hailee chuckled. “I’m tired of banging out the dents.”

“Don’t really care Chief. I just want to know if this beast can take a hit and keep on rolling?” Bobbie almost snarled as she set her helmet and gloves down on top of the car. “I know those two fuck nuts are gunning for me.”

“Then it’s their funeral.” Chief Hailee chuckled nastily. “What I want to know is how did those two were able to get a ride for this race.”

“It’s simple. This the heart of Italy, Mother Rome. Prototype Outcast are sponsored by Maserati. They the only Italian car company in the ISA. That team needs to win here as a matter of National Pride. To that end they’ll do whatever it takes. Even going so far as to bring in a pair of ringers just to handle me and Beth.” Bobbie sighed. “Unfortunately, the rest of our team is going to pay the price.”

“Then drive like the Devil himself is hot on your ass, Speedy.” Chief Hailee told her with real feeling and heat as helped Bobbie into her car. “If He gets near put his ass in the wall. Use turn four for the bastard’s graveyard.”

“Understood Chief. How much did you leave me under the hood?” Bobbie asked as she started strapping into her seat. She knew that Chief Hailee had a habit of throttling back her engine for practice and qualifying runs. He always returned her engine to full power on race days. Just to give her an edge. It may have been skirting the rules, but it was a gray area. There was nothing in the rules that said she had to use the full power of her engine to qualify.

“You got an extra ten percent throttle Bobbie. With the draft and down force your car is pulling on this track that’s all I dare give you.” He told her honestly as he handed her gloves and helmet. “Remember, this isn’t a restrictor plate race. If you were to run at full power the car or tires would break long before the first stage ended. That’s a lousy fifty laps.”

“I know that Chief. This race is going to come down to tire and fuel management.” Bobbie told him as she put her earbuds in, then pulled on her Nomex balaclava. Chief Hailee said nothing as she pulled on her gloves. Then just before pulling on her helmet Bobbie looked up at her. “Chief let me know what the cans tell you after the competition yellow. I’ll need to know if I’m to win this race.”

“Just drive like I told you. Let me worry about the fuel and tire situation.” Chief Hailee ordered her as he raise her window safety net. With his driver secured Hailee headed for the pit box so he could observe the race and pit stops.

Bobbie just chuckled to herself as she flipped the battery switches on then pushed the play button on her iPod. As she locked her iPod into the pocket of her specially design steering wheel the soulful sounds of ‘Lonely Feather’ began to fill her ears. To say the anime song caught her off guard is an understatement. Then she remembered that her mom had been playing around with her iPod earlier that morning. “Okay mom what do you have in store for me today?”

Her question would have to be answered throughout the race. Not that it matter anymore. Bobbie no longer needed the music to calm her nerves and steady her racing emotions during a race. The only thing she needed now was the beat to judge her timing. It had become a game between her and the rest of her family to see who could upload her newest race mix. This time it was her mother who had won. That put her mother in the lead with two wins over the rest of the team. Then the four words she was waiting for finally came.

“DRIVERS! START! YOUR! ENGINES!”

Bobbie mashed the starter button and waited for the monster V-8 engine to fire over. As the deep throaty rumble answered to her command Bobbie finally felt the rush of adrenaline come. This was what she lived for. As the pack slowly rolled of pit road an unseen nasty grin came to Bobbie’s face. As she rolled onto the track in eighteenth place on the outside of row nine Bobbie was already planning her attack on the rest of the field. With 250 laps Bobbie knew she had all the time in the world to reach first place.

She knew the driving style of every driver in front and behind of her. Unlike the rest of MRI, she had spent hours studying videos of the other drivers. It didn’t matter what their original field. She studied them. She knew their strengths and weaknesses. All those long hours of recovery from her accident had been put to more than one use. The biggest of which was studying the other drivers.

Study that she would now put to good use. At first the field slowly rounded the track building up the heat in their tires and warming up their engines. The field made five laps around the track before the pace car turned off its lights on the back straightaway. As they rounded Turn 3 it dropped off the track on the exit of Turn 4 onto pit road. The field exited Turn 4 and the green flag dropped just as the opening notes of Eternal Story began to play in her ears. Bobbie giggled to herself as the theme song for her favorite anime played. As they crossed the start/finish line the field was already splitting into three lines.

By the time they hit Turn 1 the field was three wide and pushing 189mph. They carried that speed all the way through turns 1 and 2. Bobbie knew that by the time they reached turn 3 the field would be pushing 198mph at both ends and over 210mph on the straightaways. As usual Kathy was on the ball calling out her position and the positions of the other members of her team. As they came down the front straightaway Kathy called out her speed. Even at 85% throttle she was still pushing 215mph. At this speed it won’t be long before the ‘big one’.

Much to Bobbie’s amazement no one wrecked, and the race stayed green until the competition yellow on lap 25. As she pulled down pit road Kathy informed her that she was in now in 15th place. Bobbie was a little disappointed that she hadn’t been able to clear more cars during those 25 laps. David and the rest of her pit crew turned in a record-breaking pit stop. Bobbie rolled back out after 13.4 seconds passing 4 cars on pit road. Her pit crew had been able to give her four fresh tires and two full cans of fuel in those 13.4 seconds.

After forming up behind the pace car Bobbie knew that the field had changed radically. “Kathy what the hell happened? Where are the lead cars? Where the Hell is half the damned field?”

“They’re still on pit road Bobbie. Everyone is making massive changes to their cars. From the looks of things only you, Beth, Sam, Jim, and a few others didn’t suffer from having their handling falling off.”

“Okay what are you talking about Kathy?” Bobbie snapped.

“The others teams were all fighting for control the faster and longer you ran. If I had to guess the concrete is eating away at the tires. This is a concrete track.”

“It has to be more than that Kathy. I mean I’ve been running just as hard as everyone else. I should be having the same handling problems. Something else has to be going on here. Talk with the spotters from the other teams.” Bobbie ordered her as she held her place behind the #44 of Nazarova Grigorievna from team Red Star. “Tell me something Kathy how did Grigorievna get in front of me?”

“He only took two tires on the last stop. Him along with Joseph Lachman and Seth Fisher all short pitted. They took position over tires. Figure they’ll short pit again around lap forty or so. Heads up Bobbie time to get back to work. We’re going green this lap. Yup the pace car just cut his lights.” Bobbie looked towards the front of the pack and chuckled. “Okay pull ‘em tight and grab the stick one more time Bobbie. Time to go racing.”

The pace car dropped off the track the pack entered the restart zone and the green flag waved. Bobbi shift into third gear and hit the play button for her iPod. The last song she had heard before her pit stop had been Judas Priests’ ‘Victim of Changes’. What she got wasn’t what she was expecting. Instead of ‘Ripper’ she got ‘Chronos’ the opening theme song for ‘Food Wars’.

“What the Hell? Mom!” Bobbie didn’t realize that her mike was open, and she just transmitted that last comment across the airwaves. The only sign Bobbie had done so was the sudden laughing that came from her mother. Releasing the transmit button and began to swear up a blue streak. “Mother fucking stupid god damned setup.”

“Bobbie, I hope you like my gift. Kelly told about you watching all those anime videos while recuperating and watching the kids for her. Maybe next time you’ll keep your eyes on the kids the next time she asks you to take of them while she’s working.” Jewels chuckled evilly. There was a problem with her assumption though. The anime videos that Kelly found Bobbie watching were in truth a cover for the real videos she was studying at the time.

As the field entered turn 3 Bobbie felt the pull of the side draft. It was pulling her towards the car in the outside lane. A thought flashed through her mind. ‘If the side draft is this heavy at this point in the pack. It must be murder at the rear. Hope like hell Alexa and Violet can handle it.’

For the next 52 laps the field continued to run cleanly. When the end of the first stage came it was anticlimactic. Bobbie had been unable to break out and make a run for the front in those 52 laps. The only members of MRI that had been making any headway were Sam and Jim. They had worked the way up through the pack to hold the 17th and 18th positions. It was amazing how fast the other drivers learned to get out of the way for them. In many ways the reputation and nickname of the MRI drivers was well deserved. Though none of the other teams dared to call them Asphalt Demons to their faces. Mostly because three of the four would happily punch someone out. The fourth had no problem in removing body parts at highspeed.

The next 28 laps the race ran smoothly. Until Hitarashi Sukejuro went into the wall in turn 1 taking his teammate Kuno Junzo with him. They were in 37th and 38th place when it happened. Fortunately, Alexa Peters and Violet Knight were both able to miss the wreck. Hitarashi had blown out his right front tire entering turn 1. The real downside to his wreck was that he took his teammate with him. Bobbie actually like the two men from King Night Racing.

Bobbie started breaking the second the yellow warning lights started flashing. She noticed that more than a few of the other cars were having a hard time controlling their braking. They were still able to get their cars slowed down to pit road speed but this still worried Bobbie. She quickly keyed her radio. “Chief when I bring her in have the girls double check my right-side brakes.”

“What’s wrong Bobbie? Talk to me here kiddo?”

“It’s not me but the other cars. A few of them are having problems with braking. I got a bad feeling that rubber is building up on the brake pads.” Bobbie told her Crew Chief. The fear Bobbie had behind the wheel was not being able to stop her car in time if she had to. Being able to stop was as much a part of racing as speed.

“Understood. Brake check the second the tires are off.”

The field did 2 more laps before pit road opened. When Bobbie stopped in her pit box the crew was already clearing the wall. Bobbie felt her right-side bounce into the air as the air guns screamed. She felt the first of two fuel cans slam home at the left rear corner panel. As the seconds ticked by Bobbie kept count. She reached 7 seconds before the right-side came back down. She noticed that Sherry was carrying a rag in her offhand as she rounded the front of her car. It took another 7 seconds for her pit crew to change out the left-side tires. When Danny dropped the car, Bobbie took off. Her count had reached 15. Before her pit stop Bobbie had worked her way up to 12th place. As she joined the pack, she knew she had dropped a long, long way back in the field.

“How far back did that stop drop my ass Chief?” She asked over the radio.

“Still waiting for the rest of the field to shake out Bobbie. But it was worth it.”

“Was my hunch, right?” She asked quickly. Hoping that she just avoided a major problem in the long run.

“We dodged a major bullet, Bobbie. You were right about buildup on the brake rotors. If you had slammed on the brakes. You would had to deal with one of two outcomes. Neither of which would have left you in control of the car.” Chief Hailee grunted then sighed. “They would have either caught fire or failed to grip.”

“Shit not good, Chief. If we have to wipe down the rotors on every pit stop. We’ll end up dropping even further back in the field.” This was a real worry for Bobbie.

“We should be fine wiping them down with a Kavaler rag every other time, Bobbie.”

“Okay Chief I’ll trust your judgement. Not like I need the win here anyway.” Bobbie was being honest with the man. She flipped over to the net she used for Kathy. “Okay Kathy give me the bad news. How many positions did I lose?”

“Not as bad as you would think Bobbie. You’re back to where you started. I know that doesn’t sound like a good thing, but it could be worse. There are still teams working on their cars. By my count there are still five cars with their left-sides still on the jack. From what I’m hearing up from the other spotters. The other Crew Chiefs are just now figuring out what we already have about the brakes.”

“Fine by me. If we can void a wreck by sharing information, then great. If the other teams don’t want to listen that’s they’re problem. I just hope like hell they don’t take someone else with them into the wall.” Bobbie sighed as she knew that wish was nothing more than blind hope.

Kathy knew that there was nothing she could say at that point. All she could was stand there and watch her driver’s back. All while trying to keep her out of the big one when it came. Unlike the spotters for the other teams. Those who worked for MRI knew and understood the risks of racing at over 200mph. They knew that their luck would runout sooner or later. They could continue to run at such speeds without paying the price in either sheet metal or blood.

When they finally went back to racing Bobbie slowly worked her back up through the field to 10th place. On lap 140 and the end of the second stage Bobbie was happy to see that they had avoided the big one so far. They had only 110 laps to go. During the second stage the had only one yellow flag pit stop. The other had been a green flag. Bobbie started doing the math in her head as she rolled down pit road to her stall. IF the race stayed green for the last stage, she would need at least two or three more green flag pit stops. Yet that could go as high as four depending on tire wear and fuel consumption. Bobbie needed more information if she was going to try to win this race or just place in the top ten.

While sitting in her pit stall Bobbie keyed her mike. “Chief what are the old tires looking like? Can I still push it out there or do I need to hold back?”

“That’s a flip of the coin Speedy. This is a damned if you do and damned if you don’t situation. I’ve talked with our other Crew Chiefs and they’re all saying the same thing. This damned track is eating tires like a cop in a doughnut shop giving out free samples. Either the contractor skipped flouting the surface or they broomed the whole damned track. That’s all we can figure out.”

“Well damnation, shit fire and save the matches.” Bobbie grumbled as Danny dropped the left-side of her car signaling the service was complete. Bobbie pulled out and worked her down pit road. As she was passing the number 1 stall, she noticed that Sam was hot on her ass. With Beth and Jim right behind him. As they lined up for the restart Bobbie was surprised to find that her whole team now held the 3rd through 6th positions in the field. With six cars out of the race to wrecking, engine and other mechanical failures Bobbie knew it wouldn’t be long now.

As the field rounded turn 3 on lap 235 the pace car turned off its warning lights and dropped to the inside lane. Bobbie knew that they were seconds away from restarting the race. Without thinking she hit her play button one time. When she went in for her pit stop the last song, she heard was Metallica’s Fuel.

She was expecting another anime theme song so was surprised to hear Sabaton’s ‘Bismarck’. This was quickly flowed up by Rammstein’s ‘Engel’. Bobbie began to chuckle as she rocked out to the German lyrics of the two groups. “Mom must have let the COWWS get in on the fun. If I hear ‘99 Luftballons’ by Nena, I’ll know she let them in on the fun. Not that I’m complaining. These are some rocking tunes.”

While the next song wasn’t ‘99 Luftballons’ it was still prefect for Bobbie’s style of driving. Then again Bobbie always had a love for the hard pounding rhythms of the 80s rock bands like the Scorpions with their ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’ and ‘Blackout’. Yet when Bobbie heard the next song, she couldn’t hold back any longer. She had to go for first place. As the sounds of Trooper by Iron Maiden filled her soul Bobbie dropped to the inside of Stijn Bargboer of Northern Alliance Racing. Bargboer never even saw Bobbie’s move until it was too late. The problem for Bargboer was the rest of MRI were hanging off her ass as they blew past him on the back straightaway. Only they weren’t able to exploit their lead for long.

On lap 197 the field was split into two packs. That was when it happened and Bobbie’s worst fears about Monitore Doro and Danilo Olmo came true on the front straightaway. Kathy started yelling just as Bobbie and the lead pack exited turn 4. “OUTSIDE! NOW! HUG THE WALL! STAY THERE!”

Bobbie didn’t even think twice as she pulled up next to the outside wall. She stayed there as she drove through the smoke obscured tumbling, spinning, rolling, and flipping cars that made up the back of the pack. She had just cleared the wreckage and entered turn 1 when the yellow flag came out. Once Bobbie saw the yellow flashing lights that told drivers of a wreck somewhere on the track she started to slow down. She knew that the red flag would becoming out soon. It had too. With what she was able to see as she drove through the wreck site. There had to be at least eight to ten cars involved.

“Okay Bobbie listen up. The pace car is going to take you around the track for three laps before pit road opens. That’s the bad news. The good news is only seven cars were involved. None of the drivers are hurt. All window nets are down, and drivers are getting out on their own. The wreckers and track sweepers are rolling out now. It could have been a lot worse Bobbie. Only nine cars total. Two of which can still move under their own power. Not that it matters all nine are out of the race. Do you want the really great news?”

“Okay give it to me Kathy?” Bobbie knew something was up if she was asking that.

“You won’t have to deal with Doro, or Olmo for the rest of the race. They got caught up in the wreck. Let me correct that. They started the damned wreck.”

“What the hell happened Kathy?”

“Doro and Olmo tried to bull their way through the second pack. They made the mistake of tangling with Abdulov Germanovich and Rokossovsky Aleskeevich from Red Star. You know how those Russians get when somebody plays dirty.”

“And our comrades from Red Star decided to teach those two chuckle heads a lesson in manners and Stockcar racing by trading paint.” Bobbie sighed as the pace took them by the wreck site on the front straightaway. She noticed that Doro and Olmo were nowhere in sight. “Hey Kathy, where are our troublemakers?”

“The ISA commissioners hustled them into the ambulance before any of the other drivers could get their hands on them. It seems that you weren’t the only one who were displeased with them driving in this race. And more than a few of them wanted to show that displeasure by handing out an attitude adjustment.”

“That’s not surprising. There are more than a few F-one drivers who remember them from their days in Formula One.” Bobbie chuckled as she thought about some of the stories she had heard about Doro and Olmo.

“Bobbie this time around get ready for your pit stop. They just opened pit road. Any changes you want done for the setup?” Chief Hailee asked her.

“Four fresh tires, two cans of fuel, a fast wipe down of the breaks, and a tearaway Chief.” Bobbie called out as they entered turn 3 from the back straightaway.

“Understood Bobbie. How’s the car holding up?” Chief Hailee asked.

“I still good but the longer we run the harder it’s get to hold the turn. The side g-forces are a killer on this concrete. It’s not so bad when I’m running signal file but the second someone pulls up beside me things gets harry. The side draft in the turn is absolutely nuts. I’ve never seen anything like it, Chief.” Bobbie told her Crew Chief as she entered pit road. Even as she was pulling to a stop in her pit stall Bobbie was wondering if she would even finish the race without a dent or someone else’s paint on her side panels. “I think this little lady can give our dear Lady in Black a run for the title of Too Tough To Tame.”

“That’s a first coming from you, Speedy. I didn’t think there was track in the world that could unsettle your nerves. Or even one you would compare to Darlington.”

“Trust me, Chief. This lady is hiding a mean streak two miles long, three lanes wide, and made of reinforced concrete.” Bobbie called out over the scream of air guns and idling engines. “I swear by all that’s Holy, Chief. Rome must have sent one to Darlington to measure every last inch of the Lady and correct her little quirks. Only they failed miserably.”

This last comment was greeted with a grunt as Danny bounced the left-side of her car into the air. Carry and Sherry’s air guns were screaming once again. As Greg slammed the second fuel can home in the fuel intake. Bobbie always marveled at the speed which her pit crew could service her car. More than a few of the other pit crews challenged their times and speed. Not even the other MRI pit crews could match her five-member pit crew. They were the best of the best bar none. Danny dropped the jack signaling her service was done and Bobbie pulled out.

While her crew turned in a 15 second pit stop, she still hadn’t lost any positions in the field. Kathy came over the radio before she even cleared turn 1 behind the pace car. “Heads up Bobbie. The next four laps are going to be under yellow. The track sweepers are still trying to the clean up the quick dry.”

“Damn. How much did they put down?” Bobbie asked her.

“If I had to guess. I would say ten to fifteen bags. Trust me, Bobbie. They needed that much. There was five ruptured radiators, two lost oil pans, three smashed master brake cylinders, and one punctured fuel tank. The whole inside lane was covered in some kind of fluid.”

“Wow. It’s a miracle that no one caught fire.” Bobbie chuckled with real relief.

“Thank God for the new fluids we’re using. The only combustible is the fuel. Everything else is based off new nonflammable bases.”

“True. How many laps do we have left Kathy? I kind of lost count.” Bobbie admitted.

“When we go green, you’ll have forty-four laps to go Bobbie. That’s the good news.”

“What’s the bad news Kathy?” Bobbie asked her spotter fearing the answer.

“Unless you get eight more yellow flag laps. You’ll need to make at least one green flag pit stop for fuel. I’ve run the numbers up here and Chief Hailee is off on his calculations. Without those eight yellow flag laps you’ll run out of fuel on lap two-forty-four. Even then if you get one overtime run you won’t have enough to make even one green-white-checkered. Sorry.”

Bobbie wanted to pound her fist on the steering wheel but knew that would do no good. That was racing. Sometimes no matter what you do you still lose the race. All she could do now was hope for those caution laps. If they didn’t come all she would make her green flag pit stop on lap 135 and roll the dice hoping that other drivers would follow her in for a green flag pit stop. On lap 205 the pace car turned off its warning lights and dropped to the inside shoulder. Bobbie grabbed her straps with her right hand and tightened them down one more time.

As the field came off turn 4 onto the front straightaway the Flagman dropped the green flag from the stand. He either lost his grip on the flag staff or was just clumsy but the man grabbed the yellow and waved it. Bobbie couldn’t believe what she just saw. “What the hell? That is going to be a YouTube and TEVO moment for years to come. I mean how the hell does a flagman drop the green flag.”

The pace car quickly reenter the track from pit road with its warning lights flashing keeping the field from running away. Bobbie knew that they would get at least one maybe two caution laps thanks to the flagman’s goof. Once the field was on the back straightaway, she looked over towards the front straightaway. There she saw a man running across the track towards pit road. As they entered turn 3 the man was running back across the track carrying the green flag. The man reached the outside wall and was going through the gate as they exited turn 4. They field passed under the flag stand still under yellow headed for turn 1. They exited turn 2 the pace car turned off its lights and dropped to the shoulder once more.

“Well, that’s two caution laps down. Now all’s I need is for someone to blow a tire, spinout, run out of fuel, or just have a stroke of bad luck.” Bobbie said into the empty air of her car. “Come on Luck be a lady today.”

The pace car dropped onto pit road and Bobbie looked towards the flag stand as they rounded turn 4. This time the flagman held the green flag in both hands. When Bobbie noticed this, she started laughing. It was so distracting that she missed her shift. This allowed Jim and Sam to blast past her taking the lead. Bobbie quickly got her head back in the game. She may have been in third place now. That didn’t mean she was out of the race. She had 42 laps to make up for her mistake. That was when she realized that she hadn’t hit the play button on her iPod. Once she had corrected this oversight Bobbie began to make headway in her race against her teammates.

It took 10 laps before she in position to make a run on the two men when the yellow flag came once more. “Kathy what happen?”

“Oscar Johnson, Rosie John from Reynolds Racing and Sabina Altimari from Prototype Outcast tangled on the exit of turn two. No ones fault. Sabina had a tire go down and spun-out. She clipped Oscar who then went into Rosie. Hold on. Yah there goes their window safety nets. Here comes the wreckers and ambulances. Oh man! We just got another YouTube and TEVO moment. I guess chivalry isn’t dead among the European drivers. Damn talk about being smooth.”

“What? What’s going on?” Bobbie really wanted to know what was going on.

“Oh, nothing much. Oscar is just helping Sabina out of her car. Oh man he just kissed her hand. I guess there won’t be a fight this time.” Kathy went silent for a few moments then giggled. “Opps. I was wrong. Rosie just popped Oscar in the back of the head. Now she’s screaming in his face. If I didn’t know better, I swear was she was calling him a pervert or something.”

“Good for Rosie. That playboy teammate of hers has been chasing every female driver on the circuit. The only females that he hasn’t chased after are me, Beth, and Rosie. The crazy part is if he ever pulled his head out of his butt. She would give him more than just the time of day.” Bobbie chuckled. “Any idea of how many laps we’re going to be under yellow?”

“We’re still waiting on word from the Marshals. But I would say that we’re looking at seven to nine laps. Hopefully ten to eleven.”

“That would give me the needed fuel to make it to the end. If we stayed green all the way. I know this sounds cold, but we could use another four of five yellow flag laps. Just to cover two green-white-checkered over times.” Bobbie had already been doing the math in her head. She still didn’t like her odds. “Are they going to open pit road any time soon?”

“Just got the word on that. Unless they go to five caution laps pit road is staying closed for now.” Kathy answered quickly then after a pause came back of the radio. “Listen up Bobbie next time around pit road is going to be open. What do you want to do? Chief Hailee needs to know now.”

“Right-side tires only and a full can of gas.” Bobbie didn’t even think twice about what she wanted on the pit stop. This was going to be her last chance to make up position on put road and still be able to win the race. It was a gamble.

As they rounded the track and headed for pit road Bobbie noticed that eight of the cars at the back of the pack stayed out. This was not a good sign. If those eight cars were gambling on having enough fuel to go the distance, then her strategy just got blasted. They would be out in front of her, along with the rest of MRI. It also meant that they would be able to block her and her team for the rest of the race.

“Kathy who stayed out. Talk to me.”

“Panos Kontotis from Prototype Outcast is now in first place. In second place we have Bobby Parker from Reynolds. Going back from there its Abdulov Germanovich and Rokossovsky Aleskeevich for Red Star, Sakurazaki Mashai and Mori Unkei with King Night, Seth Fisher and Violet Knight from Bisbee Snider rounding them.”

“Not good. Those are all great drivers. Especially defensive drivers. They’ll be a problem.” Bobbie called back to Kathy as she pulled into her pit stall. Danny lead her crew over the wall. Nine seconds later Bobbie was down and away with two fresh tires on the right side and one full can fuel. As much as she was hoping to gain a few positions Beth, Jim, and Sam beat her off pit road. Thanks to the pit spot and the 8 cars staying out on the track Bobbie fell back to 12th place.

The flied did four more laps under caution before going back to racing on lap 227. With twenty-three laps to go Bobbie knew there was no way she could win. She hit the play button as they crossed the start/finish line with grim determination. She may not have a chance at winning the race. That did mean she was just going to give up. Her professional pride as driver was on the line. As hard as she drove her car the ten drivers in front of her weren’t making any mistakes. Even as they went two wide in the turns at close to 200mph nobody was flinching. Bobbie knew that the gap she and MRI had over the drivers who had come over from the other sports was now gone. There rest of the season was going to be a nonstop battle at every track.

Instead of angering Bobbie this thought thrilled her. Thrilled her in a way she hadn’t expected. For the second time this year Bobbie was having fun. Real honest to god fun. Ever sense Daytona racing the other drivers had been boring her. Now the other drivers were racing she and not just the track.

Then on lap 247 on the back straightaway the first car of the eight that had stayed out for track position ran out of fuel. As Bobbie passed them on the shoulder Bobbie knew that Abdulov Germanovich’s gamble failed to pay off. She knew that Rokossovsky Aleskeevich won’t be far behind. She was right as she too join her team on the shoulder at the bottom of turns 3 and 4. Bobbie expected for the Marshals to wave the yellow flag then remembered something from the Drivers’ briefing. They were on lap 448. Three laps below the threshold for the yellow flag. Unless there was a wreck the Marshals weren’t going to wave the yellow flag.

Two cars running out of fuel wasn’t a reason to slow or stop the race. Bobbie wanted to push the other cars to go faster but Panos Kontotis was able to block both the inside and outside lane perfectly. Before Bobbie realized it, they were passing under the checkered flag. She had gotten so caught up in trying to get around Jim and Sam she had forgotten about trying to win.

As she pulled of the track with the rest of the field Bobbie radioed Kathy. “Kathy can you tell me who won?”

“Italian pride has been upheld Bobbie. Panos Kontotis won by two seconds. That’s the good news. The bad news is Doro and Olmo are already making claims that he won because they helped to clear out the trash.”

“Kathy do me a favor. Get with the other spotters and make sure that Jim and Sam don’t find out what those two are saying.” Bobbie pleaded.

“Too late. Though I doubt it will be a problem. The Marshals are going to hand them both a major fines for their part in the wreck earlier. Prototype is also getting nailed with both fines and point penalties. In short Prototype Outcast well have to win eight of the last eleven races to get back into the running.”

“You just made my day girlfriend.” Bobbie chuckled. “I don’t even mind coming in tenth place. It was worth it.”

-----tbc-----