The Champion (Racing on the Edge) (18 page)

I agreed only because Andrea agreed to come along as well
but I did sit the twins down prior to boarding the plane. “Okay, if you are
going to come with us we have to set a few ground rules. First off no asking me
any questions. Second, if you do anything besides look at Axel, I will strangle
both of you. Third, I have duct tape—if you fuck with me—I will use it.”

“Got it,” They both said together nodding with wide
smiles before running toward the plane.

I had a feeling this was not going to be a positive
experience.

Van looked over at me and reached for the bags. “You
actually sound worried.”

“Spend more than five minutes around them and you’ll
understand.” I told him adjusting my bag on my shoulder.

The plane ride was a complete disaster, as usual. The
twins never stopped talking. Sway spent the
entire
time soothing Axel who
cried the
entire
two hours, and Emma and Aiden fought the
entire
trip.

I had a feeling they didn’t want to tell anyone why they
were fighting but I was beginning to think it might actually be something
serious by the way she was crying.

“What the fuck is going on between you two?” I asked
Aiden once we got off the plane and loaded our bags into the waiting
Expedition.

“You should talk to her about that
...
she’s made it pretty fucking evident I have no say in any of
this.” He grumbled walking away from me.

Besides the time in Eldora last year when another spotter
got in Aiden’s face from something I did on the track, I’d never seen Aiden
worked up or angry. Now he actually resembled me.

I just blew it off. I had way too much on my mind with
the race to be trying to solve other people’s problems.

Once we were at the track the reporters and fans had some
sort of obsession with Sway and Axel, wanting pictures of all of us. I didn’t
mind but I also didn’t want Axel in the spotlight so soon. This newfound fascination
left Sway and Axel camping out in the motor coach most of the weekend with Van.

“How’s the car today?”

“It’s really fast.” I smiled. “Yesterday we had the car
in race trim so we’ll see. It’s not just having a fast car
...
it’s tires, it’s fuel and more importantly,
position on the track.” I told the reporter.

I enjoyed racing in Vegas as I loved the 1.5 mile tracks.
With the asphalt surface and twenty degree banking it made for some exciting
racing. I also loved the fact they had a dirt track there.

Who wouldn’t?

“Now Justin West drove your car last weekend and pulled
off a win for you in Rockingham. Do you think Justin has what it takes to make
it in the cup series full-time?”

“Without a doubt I do
...
but
that’s not what Justin’s interested in. He’s a sprint car guy. If he wasn’t—I
know Jimi would be hiring another driver by now. Both Justin and Tyler are
incredibly talented drivers.”

“Midway through last season everything seemed to take a
turn for the worst after your wreck. Was there ever a point where you just said
this may not be the season for me?” Neil, a reporter with SPEED asked me while
I stood next to my car before the race.

“Yes and no. I wanted to say it
...
I felt it but everyone was pushing me to continue on and I’m
glad they did. That’s why I was able to come back from it and win. We don’t
give these behind the scenes guys enough credit for everything they do. It was
because of them I was able to do it.”

I didn’t want to come out and say who helped me, only
because it was none of the media’s business.

“It looks like this season may be a repeat?”

“I don’t know about that but I’m sure gonna try.” I told
him wrapping my arm around Sway who stood next to me holding Axel.

Neil turned looked at Sway. “You recently lost your
father. Is it hard being around racing so much, knowing the impact he had on
the racing community?”

Sway smiled softly looking down at Axel. “No
...
it is what it is. Charlie will always hold
a special spot in a lot of people’s lives but especially mine. He was more than
a father to me—he had to be. He raised me by himself.” Sway said. “He would
have wanted us to continue living our lives. That’s all anyone can do.”

I glared at Neil for even bringing up Charlie.

“Well, good luck today Jameson and congratulations on the
baby.”

Watching Sway before the race, smiling at Axel, I
couldn’t believe how well she’d adapted to all this. She just went with the
flow of everything. I mean Christ, she’d just lost her father a few weeks back
but here she was, supporting me and being a mother to our son.

“I can’t believe how well you just
...
go with the flow.” I said to her once Neil left.

“Is that supposed to be dirty?” she asked adjusting her
hold on Axel. His eyes peeked over her shoulder peering out at the line of
cars.

“No silly girl.” I laughed kissing the top of her head.
“I just
...
thank you.”

After the National Anthem, Sway left with Axel to go up
to the towers where they’d watch the race and I got inside the car.

“You copy Aiden?” I asked when I got my helmet on.

“10-4, loud and clear,”

Checking switches and adjusting my belts, I asked. “What
about you Kyle, you copy?”

“Yep, gotcha,”

“You got five laps to green, do you see your pit box when
you come around. Spencer’s waving at you.”

“Yeah I see him.” I laughed. “It’s hard to miss his egg
head.”

“Watch your RPM’s as you come by?” Aiden said. “That
should be pit road speed.”

“3900,”

“Okay so 3900, second gear when you hit pit road,
remember that.” Kyle reminded me. “We don’t need a penalty for that.”

“All right
...
let’s
have a good race here boys.” I said tugging on my belts.

“10-4; just take your time. It’s a long race, stay
focused.”

“Keep me calm.”

Once the race was underway, it was hard to think of
anything but the race.

I was battling for second place with Colin Shuman and
Paul Leighty was right on my ass.

“Is that legal?” I asked when Paul darted below the line
to pass me on the inside.

“Three wide
...
two
wide
...
all clear behind.” Aiden
announced. “Down on the line. Thirty nine on your bumper,”

“Yes, it is.” Kyle said with a laugh. It was rare for
anyone to pass
me
on the inside. I was known for hugging the line.

“Does that mean
...
?”

“Yes, it does.”

“Thirty four at your left rear
...
two-wide, clear,”

“Oh, goddamn it!” I slammed my fists on the steering
wheel and for good measure—I tossed my water bottle across the cockpit.

“Pretty much,” I knew I couldn’t win them all, but that
sure as hell didn’t stop me from wanting to.

Remember that saying “Say When?” I didn’t know when to
say “Say When.”

I’d always want more but the longer I raced, the more I
realized every other driver was exactly like me, always wanting more.

Blend Line – Sway

“Stop booing. Everyone is trying very hard.” Emma said
suddenly looking up from her TMZ magazine. Why she is looking at that was
beyond me.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I punched her shoulder
and ripped the magazine out of her hand. “Your brother just got his ass handed
to him on a pass that should have been illegal. Stop acting like a damn
cheerleader.”

“Sportsmanship. Try it.” She replied taking her magazine
back with force.

I went back to listening to the in car audio.

Next to me, Nancy played with Axel beside me laughing at
every little noise he made.

“The bottom is good
...
I
just can’t arch it in like I did yesterday.” Jameson said as he battled again
with Colin Shuman, the new driver that took Darrin’s place.

I met Colin on Saturday and didn’t think too highly of
him. I quickly put him in his place when he winked at me.

“No, no!” I told him pushing him against the wall of the
media center before Jameson saw. “You fuck with me or Jameson and I will rip
your balls off.”

I must have been intimidating because he apologized and
had been racing Jameson clean today, so far.

“We can do this, just be patient and charge to the
front.” Kyle said after they fell back to tenth when a lug nut stuck on the
right rear during a pit stop.

“Cautions out, cautions out
...
smoker
in turn two,” Aiden told him around lap two hundred.

“Who is it?”

“Forty-two, stay high.”

“Pit road is
ooopppeeen
.” Aiden exclaimed. “Watch
the ten car
...
he’s taken fuel only.”

I was surprised he was returning to a normal mood. All
weekend he and Emma had been fighting, and refused to tell anyone why. I
decided to try again.

“What’s with you and Aiden?”

“Nothing
...
why?”
she responded without looking up from her magazine.

“Well for one, you two have barely spoken these last few
days and two, you haven’t stopped crying.”

Emma finally looked up from her magazine and glanced over
at Axel, then back to me.

“Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Emma was the type of girl that cared so much about
everyone else she put her own feelings aside. She was crazy, yes, but she was
probably the best friend and sister anyone could ask for.

I didn’t mind crazy people for two reasons: If not for pure
entertainment value—they made you feel slightly better in regards to your own
sanity. For this reason, I surrounded myself with them.

“I never did thank you for everything you’ve done lately
...
thanks.” I said slinging my arm around her
tiny shoulders. “With the wedding
...
the
baby shower
...
all of it, thank you.”

She burst into tears. “You’re
...
welcome.” She wailed clinging to me.

“Okay
see
...
something’s
wrong
...
what is it?”

As the race continued, Emma poured her heart out to Nancy
and me. She explained that Aiden was feeling neglected by her spending all her
time planning the wedding and then Charlie’s funeral and on top of that
...
she was pregnant.

The worst part was that Aiden told her they weren’t ready
for kids and the she should have talked to him about it before she went off her
birth control pills. Which she didn’t.

Emma was so excited by everyone having babies or becoming
pregnant, she stopped taking them—without his knowledge. This wasn’t the first
time Emma did something without thinking clearly—she had a tattoo on the back
of her neck that would make most men blush.

As the race neared the end, so did our conversations.
There really wasn’t much advice I could offer Emma besides being there for her
if she needed to talk. Nancy was too focused on the fact that there would once
again be another baby for her to love
...
and
knit for.

When the caution waved, Jameson came on the radio. “Whew
...
it’s incredible how fast this thing is
now.”

“I take it that means no changes?” Kyle laughed.

“You touch anything besides my tires and I’ll kick your
ass, Kyle.” Jameson teased.

“I’d like to see that.” Aiden added.

“How many tires did Paul take?” Jameson asked once they
were back on the track. Paul must have only taken two because he beat Jameson out
of the pits to land himself in first place.

“Two.”

“Fuck!”

“We can still catch him.”

“Glad you’re so positive.” Jameson let out a chuckle, the
radio cracked.

“You should try it sometime.”

“Nah
...
I’ll like
being real.”

Around lap two-fifty Paul did the same move he pulled
earlier to pass Jameson for second again.

“Did he just
...
?”
You could hear Jameson groan over the radio. “Man, that sucks.”

“Yep,”

“Didn’t see that one coming,”

“Neither did I
...
”
Kyle replied.

It seemed as though Jameson had some competition this
year between Bobby, Tate and now Paul.

“Jesus Christ,” Jameson yelled. “It feels like I’m doing
twenty-five miles an hour compared to him.”

Near the end of the race, Colin Shuman had made his way
back up to the front and was battling with Tate and Jameson for second and
third. There was no way anyone was going to catch Paul now, he had a two-second
lead on Jameson with just eight laps to go.

Colin nudged Jameson from behind causing him to fishtail
going into turn four. Jameson corrected it and kept the spot but that didn’t
stop my hothead from reacting.

“I think he did it on purpose!” he yelled.

“No, he didn’t do it on purpose
...
” Colin pushed against him again, Kyle laughed. “Okay maybe he
did.”

NASCAR waved the furled black flag at the two of them and
Colin backed off leaving Jameson to finish second.

I kept thinking that this new rivalry might turn into
what it did with Darrin but I also knew that was racing. With Darrin Torres, it
was more than just a rivalry between them. It was an obsession to constantly
outsmart the other. In the end, I can only guess Darrin got what he deserved.

There would always be someone trying to prove themselves
and someone getting in Jameson’s face. Like it or not, it came with racing. The
difference needed to come from Jameson. He needed to walk away at times but he
also couldn’t let other drivers walk all over him. He needed balance and maybe
therapy. It was becoming evident there would be no way around not seeking out
anger management for him.