6

McQueen

Cruz and I meet up at Charleston Speedway. We met up at their pit stop. Good thing they get to share. Technically, Rusteze and Dinoco are under the same sponsorship. Tex bought Rusteze, and he owned Dinoco. Dinoco and Rusteze are one and have been one. Brielle owns the two sponsors now.

Adelaide and Caleb are the current racers of the Fabulous Hudson Hornet Legacy. I never expected this from Caleb. However, I expected this from Adelaide. This has gone too far, Adelaide.

The Hudson's Hornet Legacy doesn't matter as much, and my family and friends matter more. My kids are my priorities, but their wants and needs go above the Hudson Hornet Legacy. Mater, Sally, and Cruz's needs matter too.

"Hey, Lightning!" Cruz says.

"Hey, Cruz!" I say.

"What do you think of my headphones?"

The five stars keep on shining again. Wow, Florida 500 days. Time flies. At least Smokey was there. The Florida 500 was Cruz's time to be the racer she was. Now, she's a crew chief, a crew chief to two racers. Cruz climbs her station with her headphones set up with two microphones on both sides. It looks weird. We're the mics supposed to work for both Adelaide and Caleb?

There's nothing wrong with two mics. Being a crew chief of two could work in your favor, Cruz. You can do this. You were a racer, and you succeeded. You can be the greatest crew chief and succeed after me.

"Those are…nice," I say, "How did you make that? Aren't crew chiefs supposed to have one mic?"

"They're for Adelaide and Caleb," Cruz says, "I should be able to contact both of them while they race."

"Alright, then."

First night, South Carolina. Debut of Adelaide and Caleb McQueen and crew chief Cruz Ramirez. Good thing we came early. Cruz leaves her station and goes down the ramp. Cruz removes her headset and leaves it behind. Cruz gives me a worried look after leaving the headset behind. It concerns me.

Cruz, it's fine. The mics are cool, and it makes the headset cooler. The only thing that matters are my kids. Please, be good to them and teach them great things, especially Adelaide. Adelaide has a lot to learn.

Adelaide might have a lot of stuff, but she can…get carried away. She can lead, but she can take things too far. She doesn't need to be enough. She's enough, but she can be better than who she is now.

Caleb's fine, but he needs to stop mistreating competitors…except for Storm. Storm can be teased by the kids. It's just that…everyone is a colleague, not an enemy. This sport isn't a war. It's just racing.

Adelaide, Caleb, be good to Cruz. She's been racing for twenty-one years, and she's a good friend and student to me. Don't give Cruz a hard time this season. It's not just your first time racing. It's her first time mentoring you.

"I'm sorry about the headphone mics," Cruz says.

"It's alright," I say, "It looks cool."

"Thanks. Are you alright?"

"Yes."

I gave up during the Florida Five Hundred. Sterling made Cruz leave, and she didn't deserve it. I made a huge impact on her. If only I didn't think too late about this…I only started the race, but she finished it.

Cruz is just like me. She wasn't arrogant as I was, but she's just like me, a racer with big dreams. I wish Doc would've seen this. He missed so much, but I've grown so much. She's got a lotta stuff just like me and Doc.

"She's just a trainer!" Sterling said through the mic.

Cruz did everything during training: the beach, Thomasville training, and the simulator. I'll never stand a chance against Storm. I never will. Smokey told me about outsmarting Storm. However, I couldn't. Cruz was a racer at heart the whole time.

We trained at the beach, Thunder Hollow, and Thomasville. Cruz wasn't training me, but I was training her. I thought I was going slow, but I gave Cruz a favor, a favor in which she got what she wanted.

"I wanted to become a racer because of you!" She said, "It was my one shot, and I didn't take it."

All of the racers hit walls and crashed into each other. I requested Smokey and brought Cruz back, and everyone replaced her tires and paint before Sterling stopped her. She was doing well when I took Smokey's place. However, Jackson Storm was messing with her.

Cruz, you were fine. Youalready beat Storm. You already beat me a bunch of times, and you stood a chance against Storm. I couldn't beat Storm anyways. I'm better off as a crew chief than a racer. Storm's just…

Storm, you better not mess with a racer like that. Don't you dare hurt my racing student. I took it back. You shouldn't have messed with Cruz like that! You already have me a crash! Are you trying to mess with me again?! That was it, Storm! You little…

"What are you doin' Storm?" I asked.

"Hey, Costume Girl!" Storm's voice said to Cruz, "Ya know, at first, I thought you were out there 'cause your GPS was broken!"

"Don't listen to him, Cruz!"

"You look good! It's important to look the part! You can't have everyone thinking that you don't deserve to be here!"

"He's tryin' to get into your head!"

"…You can play 'dress up' all you want, but you'll never be one of us!"

Storm stabs us with his words. I listened to them, but my priority is Cruz. Storm's words hurt Cruz as well, but she can overcome the Storm, Jackson Storm. Cruz can use that. That. She overcame me during training. She wasn't a trainer, she's a racer. Turns out Sterling is wrong. I hate Sterling anyways.

What Sterling did to my reputation was unacceptable. Cruz is not a trainer. Such bad business. Sterling definitely doesn't seem like a racing fan at all. He doesn't seem like a McQueen fan. He would have minded his business and not interfered with my reputation.

You shouldn't have messed with my sponsor and reputation, Sterling. Rusteze should not be messed with like this! Good thing Tex bought Rusteze! You don't deserve running Rusteze! At least Brielle's taking over.

"Cruz, did you see what happened there?" I said.

"He's…he's in my head," Cruz said.

"No! No! Listen to me," I say, "you got into his head…You would never have done that if you didn't scare him."

"What?"

"He sees something in you that you don't even see in yourself. You made me believe it. Now you gotta believe it too. You are a racer! Use that!"

Cruz continued, and she was drafting right behind Storm. She pissed Storm off. Storm slammed her to a wall. Cruz was stuck there, one side rubbed. That's unfair! That trick was worse than Chick Hicks's trick in the LA race. Maybe, both their strategies are far worse.

Cruz, you can do it. You can do it. You found a way around this. You were almost there to the finish line. Don't give up. What motivated you? Motivation. You told me about using something negative to push through the positive. Was there something?

"You don't belong on this Track!" Storm's voice yelled

"Yes, I do!" Cruz's voice yelled back.

Cruz performed a flip over Jackson Storm, and she landed to the left. She won the race. I don't need to be forcefully retired. In your face, Sterling, I'm not a brand! Racing's the reward! The merchandise is meaningless!

My name stood for racing and nothing else. I've earned everything thanks to Doc Hudson and the ones I love. Without them, everything's nothing. I've learned the hard way about winning. Doc told me it would just be an empty cup.

Everything would just be empty and sad. It didn't matter whether I win or not. The ones I loved and the things I earned matter. I earned and learned, but the merchandise was nothing. I didn't need this. Doc Hudson mentoring me was what I earned.

"I don't believe it! It's Cruz Ramirez for the win!" A commentator announced.

"I am speechless!" Another commentator announced.

I reassure Cruz. This might be tough, but she'll be alright. Cruz succeeded as a racer, but she could succeed as a crew chief. I can't underestimate her like before. She's a lot more than what others think of her. She has a lot of stuff, and I see it.

Doc told me "I had a lotta stuff" too. I miss him. I miss him so much. Those three years are over! You were a good mentor to me, but I need to move on. You'll still be here for me, but everything's not about winning and racing. I have what I have now.

I still won't forget you, but grief can't hold me back any longer. Being a father of three and a leader matters now. Everyone at home matters now. Thanks for coaching me, Doc. Thanks for everything.

"Don't worry, Cruz, you'll be fine. You're going to do just fine," I say.

"Thanks, are you sure? This is different," Cruz says.

"Cruz, you're a crew chief now, use that."

"Thanks."