Addison Augustine looks as the race cars all line up, some of them belching smoke from their tailpipes, though of course she can not smell the smoke, as she is not really here, but in the Imaging Chamber.
She never had a good look at the Camaro before. She sees that it is yellow, with a black racing stripe down the center. Four BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires hold it up. She looks at the other eleven cars on the track, the racers feeling pressure, as the top three will be offered guaranteed NASCAR contracts. She walks along the track, and notices Randy Butler sitting in the driver's seat of the white Ford Mustang convertible.
The observer touches the handlink's screen and she then appears inside the Camaro, next to Ben Song, who is depressing the gas pedal and revving the engine.
The flagman waves the green flag. The leaper shifts the Camaro to first, releases the clutch pedal and depresses the gas pedal.
"Very good, Ben," says Addison. "The flag went down and you went forward. You're learning."
"thanks," replies Ben. "Now what?"
"Find an opening."
"Opening?" The leaper can only see a solid wall of cars ahead of him, including the Mustang convertible Randy is driving.
"On the left!" yells the observer. "Now!"
Ben sees the opening and turns the steering wheel slightly. He soon passes at least three other cars. He turns the stealing wheel slightly to the right and passes through a narrow gap between two other cars.
"Get ready for the turn," says Addison. She waits about two seconds. "Hit the brakes and slide, baby! Slide!"
the Camaro slides through the turn.
"I'm sliding, Addison!" exclaims Ben, a huge grin on his face. "I'm sliding!"
His heart races as he catches up through the turn.
On top of a pile of tires, Lenny and Bump watch.
"He looks great," says Lenny.
"He's still well behind Randy," says Bump.
In the stands, Nadine watches excitedly.
"Go, Danny, go!" she yells excitedly, seeing the Camaro overtake yet another car.
Frank watches with a blank expression on his face.
Down in the pits, a mechanic watches as the Ford Mustang convertible overtakes another car, becoming third.
"Yo, Mitch," he says. "If Randy keeps this up, he'll win the grand prize."
"Yeah," says Mitch.
His eyes track the yellow Chevrolet Camaro with the black racing stripe.
A young lady in a uniform holds up a sign reading "Lap 68".
"Ben, Ziggy says you should drop down 23 degrees, then correct by 45 to the 18 power," says Addison.
"What does that mean?" asks Ben.
"I don't know. Just keep doing what you're doing."
"Fireball Danny Roberts is moving up like a fireball up through the pack," says the announcer. "He might not just make it to NASCAR, he might win."
Ben zooms right through an opening between two cars. Glancing at the rear view mirror, the leaper notices a collision behind him involving those exact two cars.
"Looks like two more cars are out of the race," says the announcer.
At the same time, Randy pulls ahead of another car. His Mustang is now just a second behind the lead car.
And in his rear view mirror, he sees the Camaro with the racing stripe.
He briefly recalls what his friend Mitch said to him minutes before the race, about just concentrate on winning.
But he feels he can not let this trash make it into NASCAR.
The Camaro almost reaches the Mustang on the next turn. Randy drops low, clipping the Chevrolet's front bumper. Ben struggles with the steering wheel.
"Hold it!" yells Addison. "Hold it!"
Ben struggles to maintain control. The white Mustang keeps blocking them, even as a blue sports car passes the two of them. The observer notes that Randy is more concerned about keeping Ben- Danny- out from the top three instead of trying to get to first place.
"What are you doing, Ben?" asks Addison.
"Going high," replies the leaper.
"Not on the turn, Ben, You'll never make it."
Ben cranks the wheel to the right and powers the Camaro forward, going neck-to-neck with the Mustang.
Suddenly, Randy jerks the wheel to the right, jamming the Camaro against the concrete wall of the track. Sparks fly due to the friction between the metal and the concrete.
Lenny and Bump see this.
"Mama," says Nadine, standing up on the bleachers. "He's tryin' to kill him."
Ben is still pinned against the fence as the two cars approach the turn.
"Okay, now!" the observer yells excitedly. "Punch it and drop down!"
Ben powers forward and cuts off Randy.
"Fireball has taken third place," says the announcer. "This is exciting. The six remaining cars are all within two seconds of each other. Even with two laps to go, who will be in the top three- let alone first place- we can't predict."
"Come on, Danny," says Nadine as she sees the Camaro speed down the straightaway.
Mr. and Mrs Ketchum join her.
The Ford Mustang speeds towards the Camaro. Randy bumps the rear bumper hard, sending the leaper fishtailing into the final turn. Ben holds the wheel, trying to hold the turn.
"Don't let it drift!" yells Addison.
Randy drops the Ford low and powers up[ alongside the Chevrolet. He then cranks the wheel hard to the right, broadsiding the yellow Camaro.
The race car hits the retaining wall, shaking the leaper behind the steering wheel.
Then it bounces back, hitting the white Mustang convertible and sending it spinning. It loses a wheel and crashes into the concrete wall right by a Blockbuster Video advertisement.
Randy pounds the stealing wheel, knowing he lost.
Ben can see a blue car about a second ahead. He depresses the gas pedal and shifts to high gear.
Both leaper and observer see the waving checkered flag as the yellow 1986 Chevrolet Camaro with the black racing stripe crosses the checkered finish line.
"You did it, Ben!" yells Addison.
The Camaro pulls to a stop. Lenny and Bump run toward the car, deliriously happy.
Nadine gives him a big hug. "You did it, Danny!" she exclaims. "You really did it."
He turns and sees Frank and Rose Ketchum.
"Well, I know you wanted first place, son," says Mr. Ketchum. "you made it to the top three, so you qualify for that racing contract. Congratulations. You'll do great."
"Thank you," replies the leaper.
"Ziggy's pulling up something," says Addison, touching the handlink screen. "Nadine posted pictures of her parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary on Facebook and InstaGram...last month."
Ben looks at Nadine talking to her parents, and they are all smiling.
A race official approaches the leaper with a bronze trophy.
"See that!" exclaims Lenny. "We're goin' top NASCAR."
"What do you think, Addison?" asks Ben.
"You are going," she replies. "But not to NASCAR."
A blue glow surrounds Ben, and he quantum leaps.
In the distance, a man named Richard Martinez had noticed the blue glow.
He does not look nor sound like his usual self. To the people of this time, he appears to be an eighteen-year-old man named Mitch.
Martinez wonders if someone is following him through time.