This one-shot is dedicated to MsThunderCunt and AdonicaSS for giving me the idea on twitter when I asked the simple question: If you drove for NASCAR who would your sponsor be? It is unbeta'd so all mistakes and misspelling is solely mine.
A Day at the Races
"Good afternoon and welcome to another great day of Saturday nights under the light short track racing her at Richmond International Raceway as we get set to start the Secret, Strong Enough for Man, Built for a Woman 400." Larry McReynold said from the Hollywood Hotel. It was NASCAR time in Richmond again, and the drivers were walking to their cars.
Bella smiled at her crew chief Rosalie Hale as they walked towards her pink Tampax Chevrolet. This was her first season in the big leagues; she'd spent the last two years proving herself in the Nationwide Series. She'd become the only female driver to ever win any NASCAR championship. She quickly surpassed any accomplishment that Danica Patrick had ever made in either Nationwide or Cup series. She'd had yet to win a race in the Cup series, but the season wasn't over yet and she'd put herself into the top fifteen in points. She was having a solid year and if she kept driving the way she was, she was sure her team would be in the Chase for the Championship at the end of the year.
Her car owner Richard Childress had taken her on initially as a favor to her dad. Her dad did private security for Richard Childress Racing now that he'd retired from the police force in Charlotte. He'd given her a car and let her run some of the lower NASCAR series, where she'd quickly proven to them all she could handle a car. So when she turned eighteen, Childress had put her into the nationwide series. She struggled for the first half of the season as she got used to driving in this type of stock car, but at her first nationwide race at Richmond, she'd proven that she could adapt to any kind of car and won her first race under the lights. It was the first of the two races she'd won that season.
The next season hadn't started out that well for her either, having been spun in turn two at Daytona by a cup driver who had entered the nationwide race for the practice. The one driver who didn't want her in the series, the one driver who even though she'd proven that she could drive a car, swears she got there because Childress was doing her father a favor, Hendricks Motorsports driver Edward Cullen. He'd only been in the sport a year longer than Bella, having come over from Indy. The man could drive anything with wheels and had taken the stock car world by storm, finally beating out Jimmie Johnson as the driver with the most wins for Hendricks. He'd come in second in the points both years he'd been in the series, finishing behind Dale Earnhardt Jr who had won back to back Sprint Cup Championships.
He was gorgeous as hell, but he had the ego to match the looks. He hadn't given Bella the time of day, while all the other cup drivers had welcomed her into the fold, he had ignored her. He was always acting as if she was just one of the Sprint Cup Girls and wore the fire suit just for show. She'd heard from her best friend and assistant Alice Brandon, that he wasn't surprised when she had gotten sponsorship from Tampax, and they made the decision to make the car pink, what Edward didn't realize was that the Susan G Komen foundation was Bella's main sponsor, hence the pink car. Of course his sponsor wasn't much better; he drove for No-Doze. Bella had laughed when she'd found out that was who his sponsor was. It was his main sponsor too; he had Pfizer, the maker of Viagra, as an associate sponsor, which was way worse than Tampax in Bella's opinion.
"You ready for this?" Rosalie asked as they approached the staging area where the drivers were going to be introduced. Bella was lucky enough to be starting in the top ten so she wouldn't have to ride around the track with anyone.
Smiling at her crew chief and friend she answered her. "I'm always ready."
"That's what I heard about you Swan," Bella heard a velvety voice say behind her. She didn't have to turn around to know exactly who it was. She always got some sort of shiver going down her spine whenever he was near here.
Turning slowly she leveled him with a glare. "Funny, I hear the same thing about you, a little extra incentive from the sponsor huh?" She fought a smile as she heard Rosalie and Alice start to laugh beside her along with his crew chief, Emmett McCarty.
"Good one," Edward said dryly as he took a sip of his water. "Enough Emmett, it wasn't that funny," he told his still laughing crew chief. "Sorry dude," Emmett said sheepishly before turning towards Rosalie.
"Awwww, why so sensitive Cullen?" Bella asked as she stared at him. He really was something to look at, especially with his fire suit tied around his waist showing off his toned body in the tight white t-shirt he wore.
Edward stared at her, he'd always found her extremely attractive, had even thought once of approaching her, until he found out she was a driver. He'd originally thought she was the new Ms. Sprint Cup when he'd first seen her walking around in a fire suit. He would have pursued her, but she was a driver for a rival team and he'd always sworn to never mix business with pleasure. No matter how hot that pleasure would be. See he thought being with a Ms. Sprint Cup would be easy, most of them never did more than a year as a Sprint Cup Girl, and then she would be free to be around him without other duties. Not like Bella, she had her own set of duties and obligations.
The other reason he hadn't pursued her was that he was afraid if they started something he'd be worried about her every time she got behind the wheel, the same way his mother worried about him. He didn't need that distraction. Not if he planned to outshine the rest of them, and become a legend like Earnhardt and Petty.
"Cat got your tongue?" Bella said with a laugh as she stared at a silent and contemplative Edward.
Looking down at the woman before him he gave her his signature smirk. "No, just thinking of the polite way to answer your question," he informed her. "No polite way comes to mind…and my mother did tell me if I can't say anything nice to not say anything at all. So I'm choosing to not answer, have a good race sweet cheeks, and try and stay out of my way, I'd hate for you to get hurt." Edward told her before winking at her and walking towards the stage.
Bella stared after him seething that he called her sweet cheeks. "That man is an ass, and absolute ass. I don't see why people like him, he's not even that talented, and his ego is the size of this entire track," she ranted as she made her way towards the stage for her introduction. "I mean who he think he is to call me sweet cheeks, how lame is that….."
"Calm down Bella, you don't need to be this riled up before you get in the car," Rosalie reminded her. "You need to be focused on the race, not on Asshat Edward Cullen. You can't afford to think about anything else, this is how wrecks happen." Bella agreed and made her way up the stairs for her introduction.
"Starting in the fifth position, driving the number 30 Tampax Chevrolet, Bella Swan, " she heard the announcer say and with a small giggle she made her way across the stage waiving to the crowd as she walked towards the waiting vehicle that would carry her around the track before the National Anthem.
"With five laps to go the race between Edward Cullen and Bella Swan heats up, Edward has a four point six second lead on Bella, but that Tampax car is closing in fast." Larry McReynolds announces.
"That little girl is one heck of a driver, if anyone can chase down Cullen, its Swan," Darrell Waltrip adds.
"We may just see history in the making here tonight folks," Mike Joy say. "This could be the first time a woman has won here at Richmond in a Sprint Cup Race."
"They are coming out of turn two, who will take the white flag," Waltrip says, "Cullen and Swan are latterly neck and neck as they come out of turn three and enter turn four."
"If they race each other cleanly through turn four it could be a tie at the line for the white flag," McReynolds says
"They've raced each other cleanly almost all night, neither one wanting to risk an accident that could take them both out of contention for the win," Joy adds. "Swan takes the white flag by an inch, and seems to be trying to force Cullen to the top as they enter turn one for the final time."
"They are still side by side as they enter the back straightaway," McReynolds announces
"Swan's inching out in front of Cullen as they enter into turn three," Joy adds
"Looks like Swan has him as they enter the final turn, and it will be Swan by an inch as they take the checked flag," Waltrip announces with excitement. "Tonight is one for the history books ladies and gentleman; we have our first female winner in the Sprint Cup Series here at Richmond international Raceway."
"How does it feel to know that you've made history here tonight?" A pit race reporter asks Bella as she stands in Victory Lane.
"Fucking Amazing," Bella says as she hugs Rosalie quickly as Richard Childress joins them. "For a few moments there I thought for sure Cullen had me in turn four, but I ran my race as cleanly as possible and with the help of my awesome crew chief Rosalie Hale, and my amazing pit crew, I was able to take him on the front stretch where it counted."
"Mr. Childress, how does it feel to have the first woman Sprint Cup winner as your driver?" The report asked as he turned away from Bella, who continued to celebrate in Victory lane.
Bella was walking through the garage back towards her motor coach when she felt as if someone was following her. "Nice race," she heard him say.
Turning slowly she found Edward leaning against his motor coach that happened to be parked two down from hers. "Thanks, nice race to you too," she said with a smile. "Thanks for not wrecking me in turn four."
"You're welcome," he said with a laugh as he pushed himself off his motor coach and came towards her. "If I wrecked you, I would have risked wrecking myself, saw no point in it."
"Well at least that's something," she mumbled as she watched him move closer towards her, she took a step back and backed into the side of her motor coach.
"You're really not a bad driver," Edward informed her as he placed one hand on either side of her head, essentially trapping her there.
"Bout time you noticed," she said with a smirk, not meaning to say that, but kind of nervous about what was going on. "Sorry," she said softly, "You're an amazing driver, but you already knew that."
Edward chuckled softly. "I did know that, but coming from the woman that just beat me, it's nice to hear."
"Edward," she said softly as she felt him move closer to her. "What are you doing?"
"What I've wanted to do since the first time I saw you," he told her. "I can't find it in me to stay away from you any longer." He said as he skimmed his lips across her jaw.
"So don't," She said breathlessly as she wound her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her.
"This changes things you know," he said his lips only inches from hers.
"Off the track," she said, "but on the track I'm still going to kick your butt."
"Bring it baby," he said before crashing his lips onto hers not giving her a chance to answer.
"Bought freaking time," they both heard Emmett say, followed by an agreement from Rosalie and Alice.
"Ignore them," Bella said tightening her arms around Edward as they ignored their friends.
"Maybe we should move this somewhere they can't interrupt us." Edward suggested as he reached down and gripped Bella's legs forcing her to wrap them around her. Without waiting for her consent Edward carried to his motor coach and inside, stopping to lock the door. "I love race day," he murmured against Bella's lips as he walked into his bedroom.
A/N: So it got a little cheesy at the end, but I hope that you all enjoy this.