Page 88 of The Legend
“Didn’ttake long for what?”
“Axelknocked his wife up.” Grandpa blurted out to my complete horror.
“Grandpa,” I looked at him with wide eyes, “Itold you thatinprivacy!”
“Well shitkid...” he nudged my shoulder nearly knocking meover. “You should have said that to begin with.”
Right
Tommyjetted off, to tell the entire pits I assume leaving us along again. “Sorrykid.”
“Ah...don’t worry about it.” I shrugged it off andlooked over at my dad who was laughing at something Justin had just said.
“Have youever second guessed yourself?” Grandpa asked leaning against the hauler again,his eyes focused on my dad now signing autographs off in the distance.
I thoughtfor a moment, watching dad, and then looked up at him. “At times,” I couldn’tlie, anytime I pulled myself inside the car, I questioned whether or not Icould do it.
“Your daddoesn’t,ever. Even when he was young; I think around eleven when hefirst ran a full size sprint, he was as confident as he’s always been.”
He wasright. My dad had more confidence in his ability than anyone I’d ever seen. Hiscombination of speed, grace and poised aggression mixed in with all-out ease onthe track, put him in a class by himself, no one could touch him. Not even JimiRiley—the King of the Outlaws—had nothing on him.
Not manyracers, okay none, could shift focus from each different series and still becompetitive like he can. He could race a truck race, move to aNationwidecar the next day, a cup car the following andthen hop inside a sprint car and pull away with a victory in all four in thesame weekend. I’ve seen him do it countless times like it was nothing. Histrick was to feel the car and feel the track. He claimed it had nothing to dowith him, he was just steering. It was bullshit but he was being humble.
I hadnever seen another driver be able to feel grip the way he does. It took meyears to really understand his talent and even longer to realize I had thesame.
“I’venever seen another driver like him before...” Grandpa paused and smiled, “Until you.”
“Whatabout you?”
“Like Isaid...I’ve never seen a driver like him before. Ican’t do what he does.” He waved his arm around. “Sure, I can push a sprint carto its limits but look at him. He’s got it all. Stock cars are an entirelydifferent mentality and he can do without hesitation. He’s legendary.”
We watchedas dad joked around with Justin and Tyler while more fans crowded around them.
“Don’tlive too fast kid.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Before you know it,you’re heading toward seventy and wondering where the hell all the time went.”
I knew thefeeling. It felt like just yesterday I was racing USAC and now here I am racingwith my dad and grandpa and apparently going to be a dad soon.
Thinkingof that again made me think of Lily so I sent her a text.
Thinking of you.Justwanted to say I love you.
She repliedinstantly.I love you too. Good luck tonight.
I satthere in the back of the hauler watching the fans linger through the pitslooking for autographs and examining the sprint cars. Most would stick theirheads in, take pictures and occasionally ask for an autograph, while othersjust wandered around taking in everything.
Lanestrolled past at one point. “Do you think this fog will clear up?”
“I don’tknow.” I said looking out at the track. “I’m not sure we can get the race in ifit doesn’t.”
The nightfelt strange to me. A low cloud cover had come in, a thick layer of fog hadsettled in turn two. We’d never raced in the winter here; usually the groundwas too frozen to do so.
Tonightwas different though, could have been the temperature of the whopping 39º.Maybe that’s why everything felt strange to me.
The moonwas full and shined through the fog with silver streaks of light that hovered.A thick ring formed reflecting the light.
“What areyou looking at?” Tommy asked as the gravel crunched beneath his feet.
“Nothing,”I looked over at him sighing to myself. I didn’t get up though. Instead Istayed there sitting on the loading ramp.
