“Ready to have your ass handed to you, Brady?” he quips.
“You’re the one who needs to keep up, Hicks. I’m surprised you can fit your head inside your helmet with your giant ego.”
His eyes narrow at me. I don’t like the way he’s looking at me. It’s like I’m back trapped behind Leslie’s RV at that party. I want to retreat, but my feet keep me planted. Ian’s nostrils flare; he knows he only has a chance at the championship because he got Dean suspended. If Dean were here, he’d never stand a chance. It’s sad that he’s stooped to this level. I always knew he was shady.
“Watch your back, Brady. I’m coming for you.”
I force an eye roll. “I’m shaking in my racing shoes, Hicks.”
He balls up his fists. I’ve hit a nerve by acting like I don’t care, though inside, I’m fighting the urge to run. With the raceabout to start and so many people and cameras around, he turns on his heel and storms off. I release a breath and line up with my team for the anthem.
Green flag waves and the race begins. Dover isn’t called the Monster Mile for no reason. She is a tough beast to tame, and I need to stay in the zone. I find my mind wandering through these opening laps. The radio comes to life, breaking me from my thoughts.
“How’s the car feeling?’ Dad asks.
“A bit loose, will need some adjustments on the first stop.” With this being a really small track, lap traffic starts to become an issue fairly early, and I can feel it affecting the handling of the car.
“Ten-four,” Dad confirms.
Thirty laps of green flag racing and a caution is called right before the start of green flag pit stops. I come down pit road with the rest of the leaders and receive the adjustments I asked for plus four tires and fuel. As we are lining back up for a restart, my spotter calls and says Hicks got a speeding penalty. Hopefully that will keep him permanently out of my hair for this race. I’m not holding my breath.
Most of this run, I’m in the top ten, making it up to eighth position, and I haven’t made any more progress than that. Another caution slows the field, making a perfect opportunity to get some more adjustment. I may not need a win today, but the further up I can get, the more points I can put between me, Dean, and Hicks.
Back up to speed around this short track, and I’m finally moving up again and into the sixth position. With this being the second to last race and as the laps are winding down, everyone is beating and banging on each other, causing a chain reaction. Chase spins right in front of me. I go high up the track as Chase spins low and into the grass. That was a close call.
“You good?” Dad asks.
“I may need a new pair of underwear, but yeah, I’m good.”
Slowing down once again, others are coming down for another round of pit stops. Not a lot of the top fifteen come in, choosing to stay out on the track, myself included. We’ve only run about fifteen laps since the last caution, and we don’t want to lose the positions I’ve gained.
The unfortunate part is, Hicks is able to get his lap back, meaning he is back in this race and back to being a problem for me and Dean, should he gain too many points. He’s in the top twenty, and in order to gain enough points to pass Dean, he needs to finish in eighth or better. I plan on doing all I can to ensure that doesn’t happen.
As the restart, the race commences and all I can think about is where Hicks is behind me. My spotter is keeping me updated on where he is, and he seems to be moving through the field quickly. I’m still holding onto my sixth spot and Hicks is encroaching on the top ten.
“Focus on what’s in front of you. We will tell you if Hicks gets any closer,” Dad says. I suck in a breath and release it, doing my best to focus on the cars in front of me and less on the ones behind me.
I’m able to push into the fifth spot, and I’m starting to get close to passing Greyson for fourth, when yet another caution comes out with only fifteen laps to go. This time, almost all the leaders come down pit road. We take a risk on two tires and fuel to keep our track position. Hicks’ crew has the same strategy we do, and we line back up for the restart side by side in eighth and ninth.
I need to keep Hicks behind me at all costs.
There are ten laps left once the race restarts. Hicks and I are side by side going into the first two turns and down the backstretch. Neither one of us is letting up. I get a run and I’m able to slide up in front of him to keep him behind me. Fivelaps to go and I’m driving with my eyes mostly in the rearview mirror.
“Hicks is still close behind you, stay vigilant,” Dad says as Hicks taps my rear bumper.
Three laps to go, two and final lap. Hicks jumps out of line and we are back side by side, battling it out for this eighth spot. Our quarter panels bounce off each other multiple times as we take the checkered flag. He’s able to inch in front of me just enough to claim eighth, taking the second points position away from Dean.
Fuck!
I’ve barely climbed out of the car before Katarina is once again in my face. I know it’s her job, but after all that, I’m in no mood for an interview. Not after I’ve failed to do what little I could do to help Dean. I do my best to school my features so at least I don’t look pissed.
“Regan, with Ian claiming that eighth position, he passes Dean in points. How are you feeling about your own chances for the championship and a spot in the Cup Series?”
I take in another breath to keep my cool, so I don’t snap this woman’s microphone in half. “We fought hard today, but in the end it just wasn’t enough. We will fight like hell next week to finish the season strong.”
“Now there is a three way battle for this championship. Does that change your strategy for Talladega next week?”
“We will tackle Talladega head on, and do what we can to come out on top.”
