Chapter Ten – Doc's Best Years

When I got back into the trailer, I saw Luigi and Guido asleep near the front. Leland lounged on one of the bunks, reading a book. Lightning watched TV. I could see footage from the Thunder Hollow derby and interviews with Miss Fritter and the other attendees. Someone else came on, talking about Jackson's statistical favor to win while emphasizing Lightning's very specific odds of losing. As I watched the interviews with the other Next Gen cars, I noticed only one or two of them had psyche human racing partners. Lightning looked on the verge of a panic attack.

I grabbed the remote and shut off the TV. "Lightning, we need to stay calm."

"Easy for you to say." Lightning sighed. "You're not the one who has to go up against Storm in the race."

"I guess I could be your partner in the next race." I shrugged. "I'm sure there's nothing against that."

Lightning sighed. "I don't know what to do anymore, Harley. Do you have any idea what to do?"

I shrugged. "Can't say. I've been trying to get answers from everyone else, too." I opened up the trailer's built-in computer and opened up the video chat. "If you could talk to anyone right now, who would it be?"

Lightning thought about it. "Mater always has good advice, even unintentionally. Let's give him a call. Holley gave him that new computer last year."

"I'm on it." I scrolled through the contacts list and clicked on Mater's name. After a few rings, Mater's large buck teeth appeared on the screen.

"Hey buddy! Hey there, Sissy!" Mater called happily.

"Mater, you're too close to the screen. Reverse a few feet." I reminded him.

"Oh, right." Mater chuckled as he backed up so we could see his face. "How goes the training? Ready fer the race?"

"Not really, buddy." Lightning admitted. "We've hit a couple road bumps. Right now, we're just trying to figure out where to go next."

"Home is always there for you." Mater reminded him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't seem like where I need to be right now." Lightning sighed. "Mater, Doc was pushed out of racing. I don't want that to happen to me, but I don't know where else to go. I wish Doc were still around just to tell me what to do."

"He always did seem to have the answers." I agreed.

"Yeah." Mater agreed. "I guess the only one who knew better than Doc was the guy who trained him."

Lightning and I nodded absent-mindedly. Then, Lightning gasped. "Wait, Mater, what did you say?"

"The only guy who knew better than Doc was the guy who trained him?" Mater said in confusion.

"That would've been his trainer, Smokey." I mused.

"That's it!" Lightning gasped. "Harley, quick! Is Smokey still alive?"

"Considering he sent me a gift on my last birthday, I'm going to say 'yes.'" I laughed. "Smokey's the type of old rust-bucket who'll live to be a few hundred years old."

"Mater, you're the best!" Lightning said excitedly.

"Thanks!" Mater said. "Uh, best at what?"

Using some duct tape, I managed to fix the derby trophy Cruz and I won. When Mack heard our plan, he was happy to wake up and immediately drive after Cruz. We managed to catch up with her the next morning, and Mack pulled in front of her and lowered the trailer door so Lightning and I could face her.

"I'm going back to the training center, and you can't stop me." Cruz said. She had a forlorn expression, like she wasn't exactly happy with her decision.

"What if I told you we were going to meet a true racing legend?" Lightning proposed. "The same legend who trained the Fabulous Hudson Hornet?"

A look of interest flashed in Cruz's eyes. But she looked down again. "You are our trainer, aren't you?" I reminded her. Lightning pushed out the Thunder Hollow derby trophy for Cruz to see. "And you did win a pretty awesome figure-eight derby. I can't think of a single trainer who has ever done that."

"I'm pretty sure I only won because you helped." Cruz said.

"And yet you managed to do pretty well without me for a large chunk of it." I countered. "While I was with you, in fact, you showed that you work well when you have a racing partner."

Cruz looked a little more at ease, perhaps even hopeful. "I don't know…"

"Okay, we didn't want to do this." Lightning said with a grin. "Guido! Hit it!" Guido hit a button on the trailer's stereo, and upbeat workout music played from the speakers. "I gotta loosen up my old joints!" Lightning said, starting to bounce on his tires. "And backward! And forward! And rest! And breathe! Come on, Harley, let's do it!"

I was still in my skates, so I could follow along as best I could. I felt absolutely ridiculous. But if it made up for being a complete jerk to Cruz, so be it.

"Okay, stop it!" Cruz called, apparently embarrassed. "Stop! Okay, okay! I'll go with you just stop it!"

Mack pulled over so Cruz could load up into the trailer, and we were off yet again. It was mostly a quiet ride until Mack announced we were a few miles out.

"I haven't seen Smokey in a few years." I said. "It's been so busy."

"How do we know Smokey is still going to be there?" Cruz asked.

"I know it's been a while, but I'm sure he'll be around." I assured. "Thomasville is a small town. We'll find him."

"Okay, then how do we know he'll want to help us?" Cruz asked.

"Why wouldn't he?" Lightning shrugged.

"You may have to prove yourself, Speed Racer." I said. "Let's see what happens when we get there."

"Approaching Thomasville, guys!" Mack said over the intercom.

"Nice timing." Cruz mused. I pressed the button to roll up the window blinds, and blurs of pine trees passed us. It brought back memories. In fact, this road was very familiar.

I pressed the button on the intercom. "Hey Mack. Take the second left. We're going on a detour."

"Roger that, kiddo." Mack said.

"Where are we going?" Lightning asked.

"Somewhere very special." I said. "You're going to like this."

When Mack parked, I led the way out of the trailer and smiled at the sight. Cruz and Lightning parked on either side of me. "Whoa." Cruz breathed. "It's so….old….."

"It's the Thomasville dirt track." I explained as I led everyone into the abandoned track. "Been around for decades. Doc used to train on this track." A fog obscured some of the track and surrounding area. It truly seemed like a ghost town: quiet and very mysterious. I traced the wheels on one of my skates over the dirt. "I remember when Dad first brought me here. I thought he didn't have any other family. Though I was partially right, I was thrilled to find out about Smokey and Dad's old friends. When I turned eleven, I told Dad the only thing I wanted was a chance to meet Smokey. It took quite a bit of convincing to get him to go along with the idea. But it was so worth it. This track is better than any scrapbook."

Lightning drove out onto the track. His eyes were alight with boyish excitement. "Hey Cruz, want to go for a run?"

"Why?" Cruz asked.

"Just for the heck of it." Lightning shrugged. "Come on!"

"Go for it." I encouraged. "Take a stab at the dirt again."

Cruz hesitantly joined Lightning on the track. I noticed she kept mimicking his preparation movements. It was amusing, like a child watching her hero.

"On your mark, get set, go!" Luigi called excitedly. The two cars shot off down the track. Leland, Luigi, and Guido cheered excitedly.

"You go, guys!" I shouted as they disappeared into the fog. "Whoo-hoo!"

"Well, well, well."

I froze and turned around. A familiar orange pickup truck parked behind me with a smile on his lips. I grinned broadly. "Hey, Uncle Smokey. Long time, no see."

"How did he get in here without us hearing him?" Leland whispered to Luigi and Guido.

"Harley Hudson. Haven't seen you in a while." Smokey chuckled. He tilted a little, listening, and I also heard the roar of Lightning's and Cruz's engines. Smokey and I stood side-by-side as Lightning and Cruz emerged from the fog and skidded to a halt before us.

"Harley?" Lightning chuckled nervously. "Is this who I think it is?"

"Lightning McQueen and Cruz Ramirez, meet Smokey." I said. "This is the very same truck who trained Doc."

"Wow." Lightning looked as giddy as a boy at Christmas. "Mr. Smokey, it's so great to meet you. I'm here because…..well, I'm…I don't know if Doc—"

"I know who you are, son." Smokey said. "And I know why you're here. Come with me. We'll have a drink." He led everyone out of the track. "Besides, I got a few more folks for you to meet."

"Sounds great!" Lightning said excitedly. Cruz followed with an awed expression on her face.

"You haven't written in a while, Harley." Smokey noted.

"Things have been crazy." I said. "I can explain at the bar."

Smokey chuckled. "I hear you're a whiskey girl." I nodded proudly, and Smokey laughed. "That's our girl."

We arrived at a classic country bar in Thomasville, and Smokey led us to a table where I could introduce Lightning to Doc's other friends and fellow Piston Cup legends.

I pointed to each of the racers in turn. "Lightning, meet Louise Nash, Junior Moon, and River Scott. And this is Wendell Carter." I pointed to the only other human at the table besides me and Leland. "He's River's psych-man racing partner."

Wendell Carter had brown eyes like River Scott, and an old racing shirt that matched River's paintjob. Wendell's long grey-auburn hair was tied into a ponytail, and he had tattoos up and down both arms. He had a single hoop earring in one ear. "Great to see you again, Hud Jr." Wendell nodded to me.

"I thought 'Hud' was the nickname you gave Dad." I laughed.

"And you're his kid." Louise said. "Though I always preferred to call you 'Skater Girl.'"

"Still going strong with the skates." I lifted up a foot to show off said skates. "By the way, Wendell, what's up with your daughter? She's, what? Fourteen?"

"Brenna? Yep. She's actually here." Wendell jerked a thumb back towards the bar. "Spending her summer at the shop, though she constantly sneaks off to the track or to watch the races. Still dreams of being a racer. Hell, she'd kill on the track if a racer gave her the chance."

"Got the drinks!" a teenager waltzed up to the table and set the drinks before everyone. I recognized her even though she was much younger last time I saw her. Brenna had curly red hair even more fiery than her father's, and it was almost always a wild, tangled mess. She wore denim shorts and a faded racing T-shirt that looked as old as her father. Several tattoos graced her arm, and one tattoo stood out on her wrist. I remembered this was her psych-man birthmark: a 51 resting in the rims of a tire.

"Brenna, you remember Harley Hudson, Doc's daughter." Smokey said.

"Of course. Can't forget the girl who skates everywhere." Brenna laughed. She looked to Lightning and the others. "So that's Lightning McQueen. Pleasure to meet you. And who makes up the rest of your team?"

"That's Cruz Ramirez, one of our trainers." I introduced. "Guido and Luigi from our pit crew, and Leland is a mechanic and something of a receptionist."

"Is that what you call the one who manages the email?" Leland chuckled.

Lightning looked back and forth between Smokey and me. "So, Harley, you and Smokey have talked a couple times before?"

"You kidding?" Smokey chuckled. "This kid is my niece and ain't nobody gonna tell me otherwise."

"I've met his other family members, and they adore me." I added.

"It was this kid here who finally got Hud to talk to us again." River said.

"He was a great racer." Louise sighed. "After all those—" She cast a glance to Brenna, and paused. Evidently, the presence of the teen prevented her from using foul language. "Nobody should be pushed out of doing something they love."

"Racing meant everything to Hud." Wendell said. "Pushing him out also pushed him away from us."

"We hear that's happening to you, too." Junior looked to Lightning when he said this.

Lightning explained everything: his devastating crash, the new Rust-eze facility and meeting Cruz, the disastrous training, and the deal he made with Sterling. Smokey and the others listened carefully, thoughtfully. Brenna cast looks to the eldest of the group, curious.

"You've got yourself into quite a pickle, McQueen." River said.

"You're royally screwed." Wendell chuckled.

"Wendell!" Louise scolded. "Not in front of your daughter!"

"Don't worry, Aunt Louise, I never use that language." Brenna laughed.

"We can help you, McQueen." Smokey assured. "Let's get you all settled, and we'll start first thing tomorrow morning."

"Great!" Lightning looked ultra-relieved. "Thank you so much."

"Thanks a lot, Smokey. This is a great help." I said. "Team, let's see if we can score some rooms at the local motel."

"I can hook you guys up." Wendell offered.

"Yeah, my aunt works there!" Brenna said. "Follow us!"

As we headed outside, I hugged Smokey. "Thanks again, Uncle Smokey. This is really huge."

"Yeah. If you didn't agree to help…." Lightning sighed. "I've got a lot riding on this. If Doc were here, he'd know what to do."

Smokey chuckled. "You sure got a lot of faith in Hud."

Lightning stared at Smokey, and a thoughtful look came across his face. "Did you and Doc have a fight or something? I didn't even know about you until I was watching Doc's old racing films. Harley had to tell us how to get here. Come to think of it, you never talked about Smokey either, Harley."

"I guess it never really came up." I shrugged. "You spent so much asking about Doc's racing techniques that you never asked about how he learned all that stuff."

"Hud and I were pretty close. But after his wreck, he just left town and never came back." Smokey explained. "We didn't have a clue where he went, and nobody knew where to find him."

"Until I came along and convinced him to take me here." I said.

"Even before that." Smokey corrected. "He started writing—not often, but a letter and a picture here and there—soon after he adopted you. Couldn't get him to come visit until you begged him to."

Lightning glanced skyward at the stars. "I wish I could've seen him back when you knew him, Smokey. During the best years of his life, when he was on the track and doing things no rookie ever tried. The time when he was happy."

Smokey chuckled. "You think racing was the best part of Hud's life?"

"I'll bet he loved it more than he loved me." I shrugged. "That was such a big part of who he was."

"Harley, you meant the world to Doc. Racing was a huge part of him, but you filled that hole when he was pushed out of it." Smokey said. "But you and McQueen only got half of the story. In fact, both of you play a pretty big part."

Lightning and I exchanged confused looks. Smokey gestured for us to follow him, and we headed towards the houses up the road. Smokey led us to his own home, driving around into the garage.

"What do you mean, both of us play a part?" I asked.

"Hud's wreck broke his body, and being told he couldn't race broke his heart." Smokey explained. "He started feeling more like himself when you became his daughter, Harley. Finally, he had something to live for, someone who wanted and needed him. But he wasn't quite complete. He even told me so in one of his letters. 'I admit only to you that I miss the track,' he wrote. 'Rarely do I take a lap around Willie's Butte, and I only do it when my little girl begs me to.'" I shrugged sheepishly, and Smokey chuckled again. He flipped on the lights to the garage. "But the best parts of Hud's life were these: raising Harley, and training you, McQueen."

In the fluorescents, Lightning and I saw a huge corkboard on the wall that made our jaws drop. Pictures depicted me throughout my lifetime, from toddler to teenager; newspaper clippings showed Lightning's races; letters and Christmas cars next to each photo. Everything in Doc's writing. It was like an entire memorial dedicated to me and Lightning.

"Nearly fifty years, I never heard a word from Hud." Smokey said. "Next thing I know, I'm getting pictures, newspaper clippings, and three pages' worth of stories. All about you two. Hud loved racing. No doubt about that. But raising a kid and coaching a racer? Never seen him happier."

Emotion welled up inside me. Doc had been there ever since my parents died. My birth father killed himself and my mother, and I barely made it out. Sheriff had saved me from the fire, but Doc had been the one to comfort me. To take me home. To love and hold me and assure me that it was okay to be scared. Everyone in Radiator Springs was my family. But Doc was my dad. He was always the one I looked up to. I was there the moment he died, and that hurt so much; yet, when I thought about it, perhaps that's why I was so eager to take his role as crew chief. I wanted to be somewhere that reminded me most of Doc and keep his memory close. After Lightning joined Radiator Springs, he, Doc, and I spent so much time together. All those training runs at Willie's Butte seemed like so long ago.

I glanced to Lightning to see if he was feeling what I did. He caught my eye and blinked several times. I cleaned my classes on my shirt and rubbed my eyes. "You brought something out in Doc that I couldn't. He saw something in you. That's why he kept training you."

"Bet you don't even see what Hud saw." Smokey said. "But if you want to find it, I can help. Are you ready to put in the work for it?"

Lightning nodded, fresh determination in his eyes. "Yes, sir."