“Jordan’s out.”
It was now up to Chris. He had one job—protect Colby at all costs since Asher was doing his own thing. “I always knew I’d have to take you to the dance.”
“My hero,” Colby said sarcastically.
“Got a pileup ahead. A big one,” Cyrus said.
Seconds later, Colby and Chris maneuvered around it.
The pace car came out onto the track, and drivers slowed.
“When the race resumes, Team Lockwood will be in the eleventh position,” Cyrus said, trying to contain his excitement.
“Where’s Asher and Lorene?” Colby would be excited after she’d handled her business.
“Stay focused, Ms. James. Your goal is to finish top ten,” Cyrus responded.
“I’ve been nothing but focused. What position?” Colby asked again.
“Asher’s out from the crash. Lorene is in fourth,” Ben answered.
Time to go on the attack. “The track has opened up for me, but what do you see, Mr. James?”
Cyrus quickly analyzed his data. “Matt DiBenedetto is your number ten. Car’s been topping out at 220.”
Finally, the track was cleared of accidents. The pace car turned off its lights, and the drivers began to line up in twos. The pace car exited, and the green flag dropped, signaling the resumption of the race. Colby had one goal—finish stage two in the top ten.
In this placement, she was racing against the best of the best—Bubba Wallace, Kurt Busch, and more, but at the moment, the only car that mattered was Lorene Greene. Before she could get to him, she had to make Matt a nonfactor and do it in the next two laps.
“Shit!” Chris shouted.
Smoke was coming out from underneath the hood. “Engine’s gone. Bring her in.” Ben responded as he looked at the dashboard, monitoring all of their cars. He muttered to Gonzo, “Damn.”
Colby was on her own.
She accelerated. The speedometer clocked in at 205 and was steadily climbing—210, 215. Colby was on Matt’s ass. He saw her and began to maneuver his car so that she couldn’t pass him.
He zigged-zagged.
Every time Colby went left or right, so did Matt. Nothing she did worked. “Shit! I can’t get around him!”
“There is a bend coming up. Edge him as you come around it. Your car is faster than his. That should give you the space to go ahead,” Cyrus instructed.
If the bastard weren’t going to get out of her way, Colby would push him out. Colby remained close then did exactly as Cyrus said. She edged Matt’s rear bumper as they entered the bend. Just as Cyrus predicted, their cars separated as they came out of the small curve, giving her the tiniest bit of space she needed to go around. And just like that, Colby moved into the tenth position.
She had made it all the way from the back of the pack to the front. Colby was flying. She was truly living out her dream! She finished the final two laps feeling confident but knowing the last stage was going to be hell.
There would be no Chris or Jordan to keep other drivers off of her. Colby was alone with just her skill as a driver, and it was going to be on full display.
Chapter 31
Stage three.
It was the final leg of the Atlanta Cup, and Colby was in the mix. For many folks, she had already made history, and that was enough, but not for her.
Colby felt the impact of being target number one almost immediately after completing the first lap. Other drivers figured she would be the easiest to move out of the way.
Her car was sideswiped hard, pushing her into another car. The other car then swerved hard, sandwiching her between them. Colby managed to keep control and not panic.
They thought she was caught.
Cyrus didn’t have to say anything. Not unlike other kids practicing their Kobe Bryant jump shot, Colby had done the same with racing. From her days of playing pole position as a child, and later in real life, she had practiced this maneuver for a moment just like this. Colby dropped the gear into fourth, then third. She slowed her car considerably, putting a sizeable distance between the drivers who thought they would be the ones to take her out. They weren’t able to slow their momentum fast enough. They ended up colliding into each other as she drove around them, moving Lucky #12 into seventh place.
Colby put every driver on notice that she was not there to play. They could come for her if they wanted to, but she had a few more tricks up her sleeve. Colby would be ready for each and every one of them.
For the next several laps, the race remained relatively steady, but as they entered the final ten laps, Colby realized whatever she was going to do . . . now was the time to do it. Lorene was two cars ahead, and she had to catch him. Even if she didn’t win the race, Colby had to beat him.
She had been driving closer to the apron–the paved portion of the racetrack that separates the
racing surface from the infield. Colby had the fastest car on the track, but moving closer toward the outside wall would give her the extra burst of speed she needed to get past Lorene. Colby was able to get by the other drivers and was right behind him.
She was drafting Lorene’s car. “I’m going to slingshot around him.”
Suddenly, Colby steered around the air draft left behind by the speed of Lorene’s car, breaking the vacuum, giving her another extra burst of speed.
Like a bullet, her car continued to pass everyone until she took the lead. However, Lorene wasn’t about to lose, not to Colby James.
Not only did he have experience, but he also had a few tricks up his sleeve too. And in a matter of seconds, it
