Page 191 of The Champion
My dad stopped in the middle of the infield, just like hedid when I won this event back in 99 and ran over to Axel.
Axel was the youngest driver in the history of the ChiliBowl Midget Nationals to win. Three generations of drivers had finally beenplaced on the wall.
The party in Axel’s pit was similar to the one that tookplace when I won back then. Axel had his first beer. Casten told everyone hisbrother won while Lane and Logan took advantage of all the girls swarmingaround.
There was a smile plastered upon everyone’s faces thatnight, including mine and my dad’s.
“He was strong out there.” Dad said drinking a beerbeside me as we watched Lily congratulate Axel with a kiss that made me alittle uncomfortable.
“He had patience.” I agreed slinging my arm around him.
Dad smiled, “Something you still don’t understand attimes.”
“I resent that.”
“You would...nowgo party with your son. I’m exhausted.”
I knew I had patience. He was full of shit. I sat backout of the spotlight that night. This was Axel’s time, not mine. I declined tosign anything for the fans only to push them toward Axel. “He’s the talent.” Iwould tell them. No one seemed to be overly offended by it. I just wanted themto understand what this meant for him. It meant everything.
I knew this because when I won, it meant everything. Allthe hard work was rewarded in a way that only a racer understood; victory.
The next morning was the first real conversation I wasable to have with Axel without someone around.
“How does it feel?” I asked him over breakfast before weheaded home. Sway was already planning a party with Emma for when we got backto celebrate his win. Now just might be my only time to talk to him alone for afew days.
“I’m not really sure...”he smiled wide. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
Pushing the front page of the Tulsa World toward him, Ismiled. “This might help.”
Spread across the front page was a picture of Axelstanding on the roll cage, his fist in the air with my dad beside him. Thetitle read:Thekid dominates the legend.
He smiled while reading it and then pushed it asidelooking up at me. “Thanks dad.”
“For what?”
His eyes stayed focused with mine as if he was trying tomake me see before shrugging.
“For everything,”
25.Poppet - Jameson
Poppet – Valvemechanism that continually opens and closes in response to variation inpressure.
Not long after the season began that year, my sponsor,Simplex, was promoting a driver challenge at Eldora with a few Cup, Outlaw andtruck series drivers.
Simplex had been promoting the event for months and we’dfinally strung up twenty three of us to race in the event the weekend after theAll-Star race during the bi-week before the Coca-Cola 600.
After doing press on Charlotte Motor Speedway, Casten andI were on our way to Eldora for the 2-day event with Spencer, Bobby and Tate.Axel, and most of my sprint car team were already there waiting for us with ourcars. Now we just had to get there.
About twenty minutes outside of Eldora, my phone startedringing.
Most of the calls were from Alley. When I didn’t answer,she then called Tate and then Bobby.
Casten, who was sitting next to me in the front seat,turned down the stereo and looked back at Tate who shrugged. “What’s up?”
“I’m not sure. Here,” I handed him my cell phone andtried to keep the truck on the road. “Check the messages for me.”
He did and immediately turned ridged. His face lost allcolor and his eyes widening further, the alarm shining back at me.
