Page 67 of Trading Paint
“It happens,” I shrugged running my hands through my hair and then adjusting myself. Sway giggled of course and pushed against my shoulder.
“We should get back to the hotel. I’m tired.”
After that kiss, I was not tired and in definite need of a pressure valve release.
I laid awake most of the night trying to decide what it was that I wanted from Sway.
Did I cross the line?
Sure, I wanted something physical, look at her! She’s beautiful but I wasn’t willing to give up anything. There’s a reason why I kept her at bay. It wasn’t that I thought I was happy alone; it was because what if it all fell apart, then what?
I shook my head infinitesimally at the thought.
I rolled over and watched her sleeping only she wasn’t sleeping, she was staring at me. I knew something was wrong with her just by the sighs that broke through over the humming of the air conditioner. I was on the verge of asking her what was wrong when she sighed again, our eyes meeting. Even in the dark, it was easy to see the glowing of her eyes.
I smiled hoping it would ease whatever was frustrating her but it didn’t and she turned away facing the wall.
It annoyed me that she didn’t return my smile to the point where I didn’t sleep at all that night and was left with my own annoying thoughts.
I was not taking any chances with her. I needed her and for now, I would get what I could. Even if it was drunk kisses and groping here and there, was that enough?
I had no solutions to this; no easy answers, and nothing was simple because nothing is ever simple. Just when you think something, life throws you a curve ball and you’re stuck looking for that next perfect pitch to hit your home run.
So was it enough?
Not really, but it had to be. Anything more wasn’t an option.
I wanted one thing and one thing only: That USAC Triple Crown title.
11.Chassis - Jameson
Chassis – The steel structure or frame of the car.
By September, with two months to go in the season, I was driving anything I could but still focused on the Triple Crown title.
USAC ran on both dirt and asphalt tracks and the schedules were usually split evenly with thirteen races on each in the midget and sprint divisions. Some teams would only run the pavement tracks where other teams only ran the dirt.
Then there were teams running both and only managed to be competitive on one, never both.
We ran them all with the help of Bucky Miers and Bowman Oil.
Between fighting the changing weather conditions throughout the season, we dialed in set-ups for each surface that worked well for us.
With the way the set-ups changed so much, it’s not unusual for a team to be better on one or the other but not both.
Because of that, we stood-out as did Justin, Ryder and Tyler. They were all winning but I was holding my own with the beasts from the east and feeling good about it.
The thing you don’t realize when you’re running all these races, fighting to make it to each town and a different track each night of the week, was how draining it was.
It’s different from the stock car tours because NASCAR usually raced on Saturday nights or Sunday afternoon.
The USAC divisions and The World of Outlaws raced multiple times throughout the week and at different tracks each night.
I went a step further and raced anything and everything I could. It wasn’t uncommon for me to get into a midget, sprint and late model all in one night. It was all about seat time to me. Wherever there was a seat, I was in it, learning.
That’s not to say there wasn’t a transition period between each series though.
Midgets are lighter than sprints and Silver crown cars are heavier than sprints. Then you have a modified or a late model whichare an entirely different beastweighing in at about 2400 pounds and handle completely differently from any open wheel car.
