Page 133 of Happy Hour

“Twenty seven last time, even with the leader,”

My heart was pounding vigorously battling with Harris for ninth. My car was awesome but I couldn’t get out of the traffic and Tate wasn’t giving an inch of room beside me. Not that expected him to.

“The ten is outside—keep low,” Aiden advised me as we came out of three. “At your door, still there, still there,”

“What the fuck is his problem?” I grumbled when Tate once again bumped me coming across the backstretch. “I give him room and he just pushes right back.” I glanced over as he flipped me off.

Real mature Tate.

“He just flipped me off.”

“What did you expect him to do?” Kyle asked. “He thinks you’re messing around with his girl. Just drive through the windshield, bud. Don’t pay any mind to him.”

“Cole...you got me? Am I lifting?” I felt like I was lifting too soon allowing him to catch me in the corners.

“Yeah, 10-4 Riley, wait longer coming out of four. He’s holding back but when you lift he’s right there.”

“I can’t wait any longer...I’ll be hung out to dry.” I huffed.

“GET DOWN, get down, fourteen spinning in turn two, stay low.” Aiden cut us off. “Cautions out,”

I saw Darrin in the wall as I drove past, smiling to myself.

Darrin’s car was junk which made me smile wider. He was walking towards the aide car when I passed by and like the child I could be at times, what did I do?

Flipped him off.

Now who’s immature?

“What do you think, bud?” Kyle asked. “Any changes?”

“I’m tight coming out of two and three. Maybe free it up but other than that, I’m good. If I could get past Tate I could get up there with the leaders.”

“All right, let’s do four tires, air pressure adjustment, down a round, and fuel.” Kyle ordered. “Pit roads open...watch your speed, keep coming...keep coming...here you go. Three...two...one...wheels straight, foot on the break.”

It seemed silly for him to say that, I knew to do all those things but in the rush of everything on pit road, those little reminders were appreciated.

The crew went to work as I watched the rest of the field come by in the pits. I had an excellent pit stall right before the entrance to the garage, leaving the stall directly in front of us open—it made it easier on the exit.

“Spencer, watch the right rear. Gentry tear the tape off the front...” Mason shouted orders at the crew as I took a drink of my water. The inside of these cars easily reached over a hundred during a race leaving you incredibly dehydrated towards the end.

The front left tire changer reached over the windshield yanking the tear-off and then scrapping along the nose of the car to brush away any debris that gathered. If kept there, it raised the engine temperature by creating less fresh airflow in through the vents on the bumper.

Keeping my right foot securely on the clutch, my left foot slipped from the break when the jack let go and moved to the throttle revving the RPM’s in anticipation.

“One lane, one lane...hard, dig dig dig!” Kyle yelled as I jostled out of the pits, other drivers doing the same all trying to avoid a collision that could ruin our day. “Nice job! That’showyou do it!”

“Fuck yeah guys.” We gained four spots on the pit stop. “That’s how you do a pit stop—you guys are awesome!” I told them feeling hopeful.

No doubt about it, I was amped. Not only did this put me ahead of Tate, but I had only six cars in front of me and I knew none of them hadanythingon my car today.

“Coming to the green this time by,” Aiden announced.

“How many laps left?”

“You’ll have forty to go when you take the green.”

Forty to go and six cars to pass...I could do that.

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