One day the Road Hazards were thundering down some dirt road in the middle of nowhere, when a car driving the other direction sneezed and crashed hoodfirst into DJ. DJ was thrown to the side of the road by the impact and landed on his side, wheels spinning helplessly. While Boost and Wingo alternately laughed and tried to figure out how to get their friend right-side-up, the sniffling orange muscle car shoved DJ back onto his wheels.

"You okay, man?" the car asked.

DJ eyed his hood and sideview mirror mournfully. "Mostly," he replied.

The orange car looked embarrassed. "I'm very sorry. I have allergies and they make me lose control of my wheels sometimes."

"Apologies aren't going to turn back time," growled Boost. Wingo nodded in agreement.

"Be nice," said DJ, "he couldn't help it. And he shoved me upright while you two were still trying to find a way to set up a pulley."

Boost and Wingo backed off a little, but still looked annoyed.

The orange car smiled gratefully at DJ.

"What's your name?" DJ asked curiously.

"Julian Tractorsmith," replied the orange car, "but please call me Snot Rod."

All three of the DRH blinked.

"Did I hear you right?" Wingo wondered.

"If you heard me say 'Snot Rod', then yes," Snot Rod said with a grin.

DJ roared with laughter. "That has to be the best nickname I've ever heard!" he chortled, "You don't look like you're in a gang, so want to join the Delinquent Road Hazards?"

"WHAT?" screeched Wingo in his most gratingly shrill voice.

DJ winced. "Hey, quit the squeaking or I'll break off your spoiler and sell it on some auction site.." They both knew the threat was an empty one, but Wingo shut up anyway. No need to make the strongest and loudest car in the gang lose his temper!

DJ waited politely for any more complaints before continuing. "Look, Snot Rod could be a great addition to the gang. He's a big, strong car, and not many cars would be willing to get on his bad side I bet. Plus he's polite, which is kind of refreshing after hanging out with you two. No offence."

Wingo bristled a bit, but Boost nodded slowly.

"I'm getting the feeling that you guys also need me to settle your arguments for you," muttered Snot Rod, "just a certain vibe I'm getting..."

DJ smiled his sweetest smile.

"Why should I join?" Snot Rod asked, obviously interested despite his better judgement.

"Good old fashioned road racing, a bit of adventure, and a whole lot of top quality music." Replied DJ.

"Sounds fun, but I'd like to set a few conditions before I even consider joining."

Boost and Wingo scowled as DJ nodded.

"First, none of us shall commit any crime which could get us sent to prison. I'm okay with spending a few days in jail, but certainly not more than a month."

"Sounds reasonable," DJ said, staring at his friends. They nodded sullenly.

"Second, absolutely no gang wars if they can possibly be avoided."

"No problem. We do have ethics, you know!"

Once again, Boost and Wingo nodded.

"And third, I will be treated as an equal. I'm not interested in being a servant, scapegoat, or a source of amusement. Got it?"

Boost spluttered. "What sort of a gang do you think we are?"

"An unpleasant one," growled Snot Rod, "my experiences with school gangs haven't been good, so why should I expect non-school gangs to be any different?."

"He's smart," Wingo muttered to DJ, "Maybe your gang member choices aren't as bad as I thought."

DJ smirked at his brightly colored friend, then turned back to Snot Rod. "You have no way to know if we're any different. But feel free to come with us and see what you think after a week."

Snot Rod looked at each of the gang members in turn. They looked nice enough, he supposed. "What are your names?" he asked.