“Promise you won’t ever leave me? You won’t leave like Dad does?”
Mack waited until the thickness had cleared from her throat before speaking. “I promise I will never choose to leave you. Someday, you may want to go out on your own adventures, but I will always, always be right there waiting for you when you want to come back to me.”
They sat quietly, ignoring time and urgency, as Mack smoothed Shaw’s soft waves with her uninjured hand the same way she had since Shaw was an infant, focusing on the soothing, repetitive motion. Notnearly enough time had passed when Shaw sat up and wiped her face. “I like watching you race against all those boys.”
Mack grinned, not knowing she’d needed to hear those exact words from this exact person. “I like doing it. Are you going to be okay if Mama goes to the track and tries to beat all the boys again? Today, and maybe other times?”
Shaw nodded and hugged Mack again, and her heart filled and broke at the huge, easy faith children put in their parents.
Minutes later, Mack held Shaw’s hand as they walked toward the garages, followed by Billie and Wes, with Laurie marching next to her carrying a giant white paper bag.
“Finding a primary sponsor has been a nightmare, not because of you but because the men who hold corporate marketing wallets are arrogant asses. If you want to beat the tycoons at their own game, you have to think like a wealthy person. The rich get richer by investing. I’ve been looking for people—women, specifically—to invest in your career. Angel investors, butyouare the product. There are some back-end ramifications—interests to be paid—but I protected you, don’t worry. I’d been working my connections but yesterday pushed us into a now-or-never situation. I asked Janet what number she needed and managed to raise enough to pull it off. The crew worked through the night and Janet said they’d have it done by the time qualifications opened up. Blah blah blah, technical stuff that made no sense to me, so you’ll have to ask her about that. But there’s a car, it’s waiting for you, and if anyone can figure out how to make it go fast, you can.”
Mack jerked to a stop. She thought of the light leaking from the garages last night. Had that been her JJR team? Laurie took a few more steps before she realized she’d lost Mack. She turned, breathing heavily from talking as she walked at a furious pace. Mack noticed for the first time that her perfectly put-together sister wore leggings and a rumpled T-shirt.
“You . . . invested . . . in me?”
“Not me exclusively. A group of investors, including me, provided funds toward your career, like repairs on the car right now and some extra support cash, and in return, you’ll owe us a small percentage of your future earnings. It’s a gamble. If you don’t qualify, we get nothing. But when you do”—she looked pointedly at Mack—“we’ll get a return on investment.” For the first time that morning, Laurie looked nervous, even a little timid, as she glanced at Mack. “I promised that even if you don’t have a career in IndyCar, you have strong prospects in other future races. That you’d have winnings, Indy or otherwise.”
Mack studied Laurie, unsure what to say. Still unsure that she was headed back to the track for another shot at making the Indy 500. “How long have you been working on this?”
“I’ve been making calls, taking meetings, working to find any cash at all since you told me you were coming to Indy. I’ve pitched sororities, women’s funds, book clubs.” Mack thought of all those hours Laurie spent on her phone and computer, and how she’d disappeared yesterday. Mack had assumed it was all legal work, but Laurie had been working for her, too. “Turns out, lots of women are willing to support another woman trying to make it in a man’s field. The Women’s Bar Association was particularly keen to help. It’s high time I used my law degree for good.”
Liquid welled in Mack’s eyes. She’d shut Laurie out, punished her for years without allowing any explanation, and yet Laurie had spent her time and resources on Mack. Her sister had faith in her long after she’d stopped believing in herself. Mack shook her head, knowing she couldn’t speak without breaking into sobs.
Her sister waved a hand as if it was all inconsequential and motioned for Mack to keep walking. “I did it for you, obviously, but it felt good to do something more than making rich people more money. I don’t know ... maybe I can keep working with angel investors for causes I believe in. For you and for other women in sports. We can do a second push to fundraise for a sprint car, if that’s what you choose.” She glanced at Wes, who was laser focused on the conversation as Billie,in four-inch platform pumps, guided him across the uneven grass. “You know Dad will help us make some calls, find some old connections to get you into races.”
“Laurie, hon,” Billie cut in, pointing to the track with a bejeweled nail. “Let’s focus on what Mack needs for today, mmm? There’s lots of time to talk about what comes after, but Mack needs to focus on the here and now.”
Of all the things Laurie had said, the ones Mack heard loudest were simple:weandus.
Above them, a flock of purple martins swirled, individual birds turning and swooping in one mass. Mack’s thoughts were like those birds, lifting and swinging from side to side and moving forward at a pace that made her dizzy. Sponsorship. Another shot at Indy. Other races. Shaw holding on to her hand for dear life. She’d been prepared to say goodbye to it all and now she was getting a chance to resurrect a life she’d hardly dared to dream of. Maybe even create a better one.
Mack was going to get another chance, and for the first time in years, she didn’t feel alone.
She was getting another shot at the Indy 500.
At living.
@Enginestarters
May 17
We are pleased to announce Engine Starters, an alliance of angel investors dedicated to advancing women in sports. We are Indianapolis based but plan to grow into a national network of women supporting women across various disciplines.
Our first venture is with @MackWilliamsRacing, the only woman competing for a place in the Indianapolis 500 this year. If she qualifies, Mack will be only the tenth woman to start the world’s most famous race.
Too often, women are excluded from motorsports opportunities, not from lack of talent, but from lack of funding. 90% of sponsorship dollars in racing goes to men. By pooling investments of individual donors, we hope to overturn some of the financial barriers faced by women in racing.
We are proud to be part of Mack’s chase for the checkered flag!
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Chapter 34
1 week until the Indianapolis 500
Mack hovered in the entry to the garage, balancing a tower of white donut boxes in her arms. Laurie had the good sense to purchase Long’s donuts for the crew, a mea culpa in the form of sugar and yeast. She stood unnoticed for a moment, watching the team work on the machine she’d shattered yesterday. Everything looked shiny and new, even if it was ... a bit patchwork. Pre-wreck, Mack’s car had been classic JJR red, white, and blue, but this car was a mishmash of mismatched carbon fiber. Lines and logos cut off at odd intervals and some pieces lacked any vinyl paint. The crew worked quietly and efficiently, but Mack noticed several rub their eyes, blink rapidly, or shake out their hands. Along with the usual funk of new rubber tires and grease, the odor of burnt coffee permeated the garage.
