3: Drag Racing

The Ford F150 pulled alongside the elementary school's flagpole. Harvick shifted into park, and reached for his #29 Goodwrench cap. Flipping it backward, he pulled the cap over his crown. He glanced to his left, as DW pulled up beside him in the forest green Dodge Ram. Harvick revved his engine. When Darrell looked over, the young gun nodded a smirk.

"Oh you may think you look smart, boy!" DW hollered over the engines. "Just wait 'til you're passing the poll behind me on lap ten!"

Harvick widened his grin. Pumping the gas, he watched his RPM gauge spike. "You just keep telling yourself that, old man!"

"Ready?"

Harvick clenched the steering wheel with both hands, and rubbed his palms into it. Narrowing his sights on Darrell, he bared his teeth and nodded.

DW laughed. "Man, I wish you could see your expression! Okay, let's do a nice, even count…"

Harvick slipped his right hand off the wheel, and drew it to the stick shift.

"One…" DW nodded with the number.

"Two…" the drivers voiced together. Kevin ripped into first gear.

"Thr…" The F150's squealing away from the flagpole cut off DW, who shoved the Dodge's stick shift into first and tore off after Harvick. A smile overtook his face. "Boogity boogity boogity! Look at him go!" Darrell threw the truck into second through fifth gear, and caught up with the tailgate of Harvick's borrowed Ford. He hung onto it as he downshifted to third around their makeshift turn one. The Ford picked up speed. DW took the Ram into fifth, then back to third around the next turn. Rounding the corner a few seconds faster, Harvick slid to the inside, close to the white parking lines.

"Woo!" Kevin hollered out the Ford window, slamming the stick shift to fifth, and shooting through their backstretch, through the expanse between turns two and three. Speeds climbed through the 60's and 70's, and pressed against 80. Harvick smirked at his speedometre. Returning his sights to the road, he saw turn three fast approaching, and shifted to fourth gear. He took the turn at 45 MPH and cornered too wide. Skidding away from the lot lines, he left space for the Dodge to rumble through. DW shot past the Ford.

"Damn it!" Harvick hissed, smacking his wheel. Narrowing his sights on the swishing tailgate ahead, he threw the Ford into fifth and slammed his foot into the gas. He rode DW's bumper around turn four, and hung on past the flap pole. Around turns one and two, Kevin sneered at the Dodge logo as he tore along the backstretch. Eying the rear tires, he tightened his grip on the wheel. The Ford drifted from the white lines. Harvick slowed from DW's back bumper, sights fixed on the next turn. Swallowing hard, he took it at 50 MPH, along the outside. He clenched the wheel and tugged it left. The truck swayed to the right but held its traction. Harvick ripped past the Dodge as DW was switching back to fifth gear.

Kevin snickered to himself, taking turn four at the same speed. He shot past the flag pole several seconds before DW.

Darrell's jaw dropped open. "Man, that boy's reckless!" He took turn four in fourth gear, shifted to fifth, and thundered after Harvick. He got up to 90 through the front stretch, slowing and jamming the stick shift into fourth around turn one. He scowled as Harvick rounded the second. Slamming into fifth and back to fourth, he took that corner at 45 MPH. The Dodge bucked to the right.

"Whoa, Nelly!" DW exclaimed, soaring across the backstretch. 60, 65, 70… Darrell watched the gauge climb to 95. He held onto Harvick's tailgate around turns three and four. The two ripped past the flap pole.

"Three down," Darrell mumbled. He rounded turn one and two on Harvick's rear fender, then shot alongside the other on the backstretch, going 95. The two rode side-by-side, heading into turn three. Both slowed down. Harvick shifted into fourth; DW didn't. The older driver gritted his teeth as he swerved around the corner at 65. The sensation of driver's side tires spinning on air hit Darrell's gut, and he hooted. He pulled past and ahead of Harvick, taking turn four on the inside. Darrell laid into the front stretch doing 100 MPH.

Harvick snorted. Smirking, he shook his head. "The old timer's feisty!" he spoke with a sing-song tone. He squinted at the Dodge's tailgate, and matched DW's speed on the front stretch. The Ford clung to the Ram around the first turn, then hung back. "Come on, DW!" he cackled. "I dare ya!"

Laying into turn two in fifth gear, DW strayed from the white lines. Harvick's smile broadened. Downshifting to fourth, he slid into the space. The Ford drifted into the Ram, slamming a dent into the driver's side front fender. Jerking the wheel, Harvick drew nearer to the white lines. The two raced side-by-side along the backstretch, but Kevin took the lead when rounding turn three on the inside. He coasted around turn four and ripped into the front stretch.

"Halfway home!" he smirked. The headlights of DW's truck on his tail glinted in the rearview. Squinting, Harvick flicked the mirror down, then shot around the first turn…

Too wide again. He scraped against the Dodge; the two trucks traded paint.

"Damn!" DW exclaimed, roaring along the outside of Kevin around turn two. Gripping the wheel, he took Ward's Ram up to 95, and shot past Harvick. DW rounded turn three at 70 MPH, the Dodge's gate fishtailing behind. "Steady, girl!" he chided the truck.

Harvick stared after the loose Ram, saucer-eyed. "He's gonna get himself hurt if he keeps that up!" he muttered, laying into the third turn going sixty-five. He laughed and shook his head. "If NASCAR had heard me say that, they'd have pulled me from racing Talledega!" He shot around turn four, ripping up the parking lot in pursuit of the "retired" Winston Cup driver.

Darrell shook with adrenaline, and with the realisation of his speed around that last corner. Shallow, uneven breaths wracked his lungs. The Dodge slowed along the front stretch. Shifting into fourth gear, DW rounded turn one.

Harvick furrowed his brow. "'The hell's he doing?" Taking turn one at 60, he drifted to the outside. At 75, he was fast approaching DW. He drove alongside the other, and his sights shot inside the cabin. Harvick's eyes bulged at his panting rival.

DW waved him on. "Go!" he huffed. "We're racing!"

Gulping, Harvick passed his friend and rounded turn two. He flicked down his rear view and glanced into it. The Dodge was on his tail. Harvick released a heavy breath with a smile. Gripping the wheel, he climbed to 80 MPH along the backstretch, rounded turn three and four at 65, and tore past the flag pole.

DW hung onto Harvick's tailgate around turn one, watching as the other took it fast and wide. The older driver grinned. Shifting to fourth gear, he took turn two along the inside, which Harvick had left unprotected, and snatched the lead.

Kevin smirked. "I knew you had it in you, old man!" He shot after the other, and passed the tight truck along the inside of turn three. Harvick thundered around the corner before the front stretch, and ripped into their eighth lap.

"Just gotta hold it two more," Harvick assured himself, as DW caught up with him along the outside. Side-by-side, the two took turn one, then DW shot past him on the second.

Glancing at the speedometre, DW watched the gauge rocket from 65 around the corner, to 105 along the backstretch. Turn three fast approached. The Ram's tires brushed across the pavement, going 70 around the fourth turn. Harvick caught up to DW's 85 on the front stretch.

"Better not be tired," Harvick mumbled, glancing at the Ram as he slid alongside it. "I still need a lap out of you!" The two trucks soared around turn one side-by-side, before Harvick pulled ahead in turn two.

"Yeah!" he grunted his cheer. He laid into the gas and shot across the backstretch at 105. The parking lot cornered before Harvick knew it. The tires squealed as he jerked the wheel to the left. The Ford skid, and barreled into a tree.