Page 6 of Black Flag

“I can’t believe this.”I voiced leaning my elbows on the table dropping my head. I was almost afraidto lift my eyes at that point.

I broke out in tearswhen Spencer narrated how he found Jameson. Spencer apparently saw Darrin pullout of the pits after an argument with Frank.

Kyle, Jameson’s crewchief, and Spencer were the first ones to Jameson after the safety officials.His car was pinned against the outside wall, while he was a mangled messinside. It appeared that he must not have seen Darrin coming because his leftarm took a hard hit. It would have been easy if the bones had just broken butinstead they splintered in a way that now required surgery. And beingleft-handed, this would be a difficult recovery for him.

Jameson was unconsciouswhen they arrived and never regained consciousness until hours after he arrivedat the hospital. The worst of his injuries appeared to be the punctured lung asthe doctor said.

“What’s going to happento Darrin?” Emma asked putting her make-up bag away when she realized Aiden wasabout ready to cunt punch her if she didn’t stop trying to apply foundation.

Tommy, a childhoodfriend and mechanic for his sprint car teams, in particular found this amusing.Milk was now coming out his nose. Spencer snapped a picture with his phone forfuture blackmailing.

“I’m sure NASCAR will finehim but that’s the least of his worries.” Kyle added. “He was police escortedaway from the track and booked in the county jail for reckless endangerment.Phillip won’t let him get away with this. Not after the conversation Alleyheard in the bathroom.”

“What conversation?”Emma, Spencer and I asked in sync.

Alley sighed. “I heardMariah on the phone in the bathroom. She said Darrin had enough of Jameson’shaughty disregard for his warnings. Mariah told the person he was going to takecare of it during the race, whatever that meant...apparently now we know what that meant.”

For months now,everyone had been warning Jameson Darrin would come after him. No one thoughthe’d do it on the track though. And I had a strong feeling Darrin’s girlfriendMariah still had something to do with it.

“Did you warn Jameson?”Emma asked dubiously, her features distorted.

“Of course I tried...he didn’t want to hear it and then I letit slip about Axle.”

Axle Taylor was alittle boy who had leukemia that Jameson had been visiting for the last fewmonths in Memphis at the Children’s Hospital.

“You told him beforethe race?” Emma was now shaking her head in disbelieve. “Why would you dothat?”

“I wasn’t going to butI started crying. I never cry.” Alley looked ashamed. “He knew something wasup.”

I was confused as hell.“Wait,” I interrupted them throwing my arms up. “What happened to Axle?”

Alley and Emma bothlooked at me with poignant expressions. “He passed away...Saturday morning.” Alley whisperedlooking down at her coffee cup, tracing the outline of the handle delicately.

And then I startedcrying...hysterically. I was amess. My only option at that point was to blame the hormones.

Later that afternoon, Iwas back in Jameson’s room with tissues surrounding my emotional state of mindand staring at the paper.

I read and re-read andthen read again the article over and over again...it wasn’t nearly enough punishment for what he had done toJameson. I glanced over at his motionless sleeping figure again and then readthe paper once more. It was nowhere near enough.

Torressuspended for post-race incident

LONG POND, PA. – Darrin Torres, along withfive Gibson Racing crew members from the No. 14 team, and Frank Rudd, crewchief for Torres, received a range of penalties for his involvement in analtercation following Sunday’s NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at PoconoInternational Raceway, NASCAR officials announced Monday.

Winston Cup drivers Jameson Riley, driverof the No. 9 Simplex Ford and Darrin Torres, driver of the No. 14 Wyle ProductsChevrolet, battled throughout the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500. Around laptwo hundred, Riley pulled away to a two and half second lead when Bobby Cole,Riley’s teammate clipped the left rear of the No. 14. The remainder of the racewas quiet until the last lap. Riley took the checkered flag and was currentlymaking his victory lap when Torres left pit road and made another lap. The twocars collided right outside of the tunnel turn. No word was released as to whyDarrin Torres went back out on the track. Gibson Racing has declined tocomment.

Riley was reportedly unresponsive whensafety track officials got to him. He was later air lifted to Pocono MedicalCenter where he is listed in critical but stable condition and expected to makea full recovery.

Following the incident Darrin Torres wasescorted to the NASCAR hauler and later police escorted away from the track.Crew members from Gibson Racing, Riley Simplex Racing, and Banner Racing wereinvolved in a pit road altercation after Riley was transported. It was reportedthat members from Riley Racing and Banner Racing, entered the pit of GibsonRacing where the altercation took place.

Fines issued as followed:

Torres, driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet, wasfined $50,000 and suspended until Dec. 31 for his role in the post-raceincident. He was in violation of Section 12-4-A (Actions detrimental to stockcar racing: damaging another competitor’s car after the completion of the race,use of improper language) of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rule Book.

Frank Rudd crew chief for the No. 14, wasfined $10,000 for violation of Sections 12-4-A (Actions detrimental to stockcar racing) and 9-4-A (The crew chief assumes responsibility for the actions ofhis or her driver, car owner and team members).

Crew member for the No. 14, Peter Fowler,was suspended from NASCAR competition until Sept. 17, placed on probation untilDec. 31, and fined $5,000. He was in violation of Section 12-4-A (Actions detrimentalto stock car racing: Involved in an altercation on pit road after thecompletion of the race, damaging another competitor’s car following thecompletion of the race, use of improper language).

Crew member for the No. 14, KevinHenderson, was suspended from NASCAR competition until Sept. 17, placed onprobation until Dec. 31 and fined $2,500. He was in violation of Section 12-4-A(Actions detrimental to stock car racing: Involved in an altercation on pitroad after the completion of the race, throwing an object at anothercompetitor, use of improper language).

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