22: Another Race - Or Two
This is going to be a really, really long chapter, but breaking it up wouldn't fit well with what I have planned for the next chapter, so enjoy.
Five days after the fatal crash that claimed the life of an innocent doe, Nick and Judy are standing quietly outside of the Heart of Nature Chapel in the Meadowlands district:
"Judy, are you sure you're ready for this?" asks a concerned Nick.
"No, not really to be quite honest." quietly answers a solemn Judy, realizing how serious Nick is by using her proper name and not a nickname "But it's only right that we pay our respects, especially considering the fact that we both know how easily that could've been me laying there."
As Nick and Judy enter the small chapel, they slowly cross over to the flowers by the casket and gently place a bouquet of yellow roses, forget-me-not's and baby's breath that they had brought with them, then took their seats towards the rear of the chapel.
At the end of the service, as mammals were congregating and offering their condolences, Nick spots Mr. and Mrs. Viera, the young doe's parents, who regard the couple with sad but curious looks on their faces.
Nick gently nudged Judy, who turns to see Mr. and Mrs. Viera. Approaching the grieving couple, Judy gently pats Nick's arm, who understands the unspoken message and hangs back a few steps as Judy takes a deep breath and readies herself.
Mrs. Viera started the conversation "Excuse me miss, may I ask how you knew my daughter?"
"Well Mrs. Viera begins Judy, truth be told we actually didn't. I however do know Johnathan Whinters, the buck that caused the crash. I'm the one he holds a grudge against, as I unknowingly cost him a large sum of money, his business and recently his marriage.'
'As you can see, your daughter and I were very similar in appearance and each owned a gray Cobra. As it turns out, Johnny mistook her for me and caused the crash that took your daughter's life."
With her ears drooped flat against her back, Judy started to shake as she tried to hold back her tears as she ended her statement with "I'm so sorry".
Nick took a step forward to comfort his wife but was beaten to Judy by Mrs. Viera, who stepped up and hugged the doe.
Joining the hug, Mr. Viera sorrowfully consoled Judy by saying softly "There now little miss, you've no need to apologize, it was that buck's actions that caused the crash, not yours and I will not hear otherwise." Nick silently nodded at Mr. Viera as thanks for his kind words.
"I have to ask miss," interjected Mrs. Viera as she parted the hug "what is your name?"
"Oh, my apologies, its Judy. I mean to say its Judith Wilde. And this is my mate Nicholas Wilde."
"And your maiden name was …?" asks Mrs. Viera.
"Hopps."
"Of the Bunnyburrow Hopps?"
"Yes ma'am" answered Judy, a bit concerned.
Mrs. Viera's eyes softened just a little "You're one of Bonnie and Stuart's kits?" to which Judy simply nodded.
"How are they? I haven't spoken to Bonnie in years, we were in the same home-ec class in high school in Bunnyburrow".
"Mom and dad are fine. Here, let me-" As Judy opened her handbag to look for a pen, Nick hands her a pen and one of his business cards "Thanks Nick" she said as she took the card and wrote down the number for the main Hopps house phone on the back. "If you call that number you'll get one the fluffle. Just ask for Bonnie and you'll be handed off to her, I'm sure she'd love to hear from you after all this time, especially after-".
Just then a young buck approached, noticeably a bit shaken upon seeing the resemblance between Judy and his late sister and politely interrupted "Mum, dad, we're ready to head to the wake".
"Ok son. Looks like we need to go hun-" said Mrs. Viera to her mate sadly.
"Judy, will you and Nick be joining us at the wake?" asked Mr. Viera.
"I'm sorry" returned Judy "but Nick and I have other arrangements that we need to deal with today, but we felt it necessary to at least stop and pay our respects. "
As Judy hugged Mr. and Mrs. Viera, Nick shook Mr. Viera's paw.
When Nick offer his paw to Mrs. Viera, he felt her tug him down for a hug and whispered in his ear "Please take care of her."
"I will certainly do my best." Nick returned in the same whisper.
And with that, the couples parted ways.
…
As the next few weeks slowly roll by, the furor that was present in the shop begins to lose steam. After cranking out several really important builds like the King's Superbird, the movie studio cars and Chief Bogo's Hummer in really good time, several only slightly less important builds have also been put in the books.
Among the other builds that were finished during that time was a two-seat convertible coupe that was done on consignment by a white bunny named Roger Rabbit and his red furred mate Jessica. Jessica Rabbit was a top model and film star, so it made sense to place the car near the top of the build list. Along with these builds was a build that was the '55 Bel Air hardtop that Nick had finally found for Mel, which was painted red and cream to match the colors on the outside of the diner.
Then there was the refurbished and updated pink and white '52 sedan-delivery that was done for Gideon Gray, Judy's former tormenter turned close friend.
The last really important build was an old '54 F150 pick-up that had been brought in from the back of one of the Hopps family barns (totally unknown to Stu) and completely rebuilt for Stu and Bonnie Hopps. Unknown to either Stu or to Bonnie, it is to be presented to them on their fortieth wedding anniversary in just six weeks' time. The truck was painted a combination of pastel blue, yellow and white to match the main entrance of the couple's burrow. This, along with the automatic transmission, upgraded engine, suspension and brakes, and satellite radio would definitely make life easier for the aging bunnies, especially with them being his in-laws and all.
Just as Judy was putting the finishing touches on the interior of the truck, she was called to the office by Nick.
…
Entering the office, Judy couldn't help but notice the slightly larger than normal smirk (was that even possible?) on her husband's muzzle.
"Ok, Slick, what's up?" she asked with mild concern.
"I just got a call from ZASCAR, and the cars for the featured race between you and the new ZASCAR champion is set for just three weeks from now are finally finished."
"Really? And just what mammal am I gonna have the honor of racing?"
"Would you believe none other than Dale Elkhardt himself?"
"Oh, come on, I mean really? I gotta race him again? After he demolished me the first time?"
"Well, you did make it a point to challenge him after you beat the crap out of Johnny that day. Now it's time to pull on your big bunny panties and own up to it Fluff."
"Fine" says Judy rolling her eyes in mock disgust "So, when and where is all of this take place?"
"According to ZASCAR, it's scheduled for a noon start time on the last Saturday in November, a week after the awards ceremony. It'll be at Zootopia International Raceway, the same track you raced Johnny at. They wanted the race to be somewhere you'd be at least a bit familiar with, especially with Dale racing on mainly oval tracks all season."
"And what about the cars? And will I be able to practice?"
"From what I gathered talking to Mr. Francis, the Director of ZASCAR, there were four identical Trans-Am cars built for the race, just like stated before. Those four will be used for qualifying and the actual race. We'll just have to make do for practice sessions until we can find a viable car besides the old 5 car for you to practice in. I've been told that each of you will be able to practice at the track on alternate days so you both aren't on the track at the same time and don't get into an 'unofficial' race and wreck a car or get injured in the process.'
'Since Dale has been racing for most of the year, ZASCAR has agreed to allow someone to mentor you again, to make the race as fair and competitive as possible. I've contacted Fritz Caterson and he's agreed to try to find another couple of cars similar to the cars that you'll drive in the race to help train you in if you'd like.'
'I'm not sure where he'll find them, but unless I miss my guess, they'll be very race ready cars. Probably very close to the actual race cars provided by ZASCAR."
…
As Friday morning finally rolls around, Nick returns to the office after making a tour of the shop to check on several of the various builds still in progress. As he opens the office door, he's greeted by none other than Felix Caterson and a fox that he was sure that was most likely unknown to Judy in the form of Darrell Cartrip.
"Well" begins Nick "I'm guessing that a visit from you two probably means that you've managed to find a car for Judy to practice in? And while you're at it how about we introduce Judy to your guest."
"Works for me" returns Fritz.
Entering Judy's work area, Nick gets Judy's attention and gets things started.
"To begin with" says Nick "introductions … Judy, you already know Fritz. As far as the new mammal, meet one of ZASCAR's most successful road course drivers and one of Dale Elkhardt's biggest rivals on the track Darrell Cartrip, better known as 'Jaws'. Darrell, this is my wife and the love of my life Judy Wilde, also known as 'Squeak'."
"Charmed" says Darrell as he takes Judy's proffered paw and kisses the back of it. "By the way, I'm not 'one of' the most successful road course drivers in ZASCAR, I am the most successful and accomplished road course driver in ZASCAR history."
As Judy blushes lightly, Nick does a classic eye roll, not in the least jealous of the new arrival because he knows that Darrell is a happily married fox and has no actual interest in his wife. This was just the persona that he was known to have. "And now you know why he's called 'Jaws'." interrupts Nick.
"Actually" interrupts Felix wearing a huge grin "I've managed to find and put my paws on not one but two race ready Trans-Ams, similar to the ones built for the race."
"So" asks Nick "where are they and just when will they get there?" asks Nick.
"They're actually out back as we speak, ready to be taken to the track and driven."
"Great, let's go see 'em" says Nick. "Judy, come on out when you get cleaned up a bit."
Exiting the shop via the back door, Nick gapes at the sight of the two race cars sitting on a large rollback truck.
"What in the hell" exclaims Nick "are those?"
"Those" answers Felix "are two race cars donated by a close personal friend of mine."
"I can see why they're donated" states Nick, visually taken aback at the sight of the two cars.
"Was anyone killed in the wreck?" he asks in all honesty.
"Nick, stop being such a drama queen and let me give you the backstory on the cars before you decide to pass on the offer ok?" says Fritz in mock anger.
"Ok, fine. Explain away." finished Nick crossing his arms across his chest, not the least bit convinced that the cars in front of him are viable race cars.
"To begin with, the cars were donated in good faith by nonother than Jessie Jameses, the owner of 'Auston Speed Shop'. The cars were built as part of one of the 'Monsters Garage' episodes that aired on Zoo TV several years ago. They've been sitting in the back of his lot since the episode and he was actually thinking about either junking them or just blowing them up on a future episode. When I remembered that he might still have the cars and called him, he was happy to donate the cars on one minor condition."
Sporting a slightly worried expression Nick asked "And that condition would be …?"
"All you need to do is acknowledge that Jessie donated the cars, that's it."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
"I'll talk to Judy about it but-"
"Talk to me about what Slick?" asked Judy.
Jumping a foot in the air, Nick grabbed his chest turned to his wife and exclaimed "Damn Fluff, don't DO that!"
Giggling up a storm, joined by the hysterically laughing Fritz and Darrell, Judy stood on her tiptoes and kissed her fox on the nose.
"You'll get over it dear." she told her exasperated husband.
"As I was asking before" began a finally slightly subdued bunny, wiping tears from her eyes "ask me what?"
"Look at that truck and tell me what you see."
Taking a long hard look at the two beat-up Trans-Ams on the back of the rollback, Judy can't help but ask "Do these things even run? And where on earth did you find them?"
As Felix related to Judy the same story he had previously told Nick, and seeing Judy regarding the cars, he noticed a bit of confusion on Judy's muzzle.
"What?" he asked.
"Growing up in Bunnyburrow, we didn't get a lot of time to watch TV. I've never heard of this Jessie Jameses mammal or that Monsters Garage program. To be honest, the cars look to be so beat up and in such poor shape that I seriously doubt if they'll even run. Even the old 5 car looked to be in better shape"
"How about this" Darrell suggests, not bothering to hide his grin "let's take 'em to the track, unload 'em and see what happens."
"When are we able to use the track?" asks Nick.
"It just so happens" interjects Fritz "that Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are your days to use the track. Dale's days are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday with Sunday being a no practice day."
"Well" remarks Judy "I guess we've got nothing to lose, let's go."
…
Arriving at the racetrack, the cars are unloaded and rolled into the pit area.
As the mammals all gather around the cars Judy notices Darrell changing into his fire suit. Something seemed familiar about the orange and white fire suit with the green trim. As he turned his back to Judy, she notices the suddenly familiar 'TIDE®' laundry detergent logo.
"Holly crap!" she exclaims, more than a little astonished "you're actually Darrell Cartrip … the Darrell Cartrip! I remember now. I watched you and Dale Elkhardt try to wreck each other at Richmond one year!"
Giving Judy a familiar smirk (did all foxes smirk like that?) he replied "I guess I am. It would sure surprise Stevie (Darrell's wife) if I wasn't."
Sitting down on the pit wall, Judy tried to absorb meeting yet another ZASCAR legend. Not to mention the fact that he was going to be training her to actually have a chance at beating Dale Elkhardt.
"Are you ok young lady?" asks Darrell.
"Umm … Yes? … No? … Maybe? I'm not really sure to tell the truth. Meeting another ZASCAR legend is a bit much to absorb right now."
Laughing, Darrell continued "I hear you've had the pleasure of racing Dale before. And how'd you do?"
"I kinda sucked actually."
"Well, how about we see if we can even the odds a bit? With a few weeks of practice, you still may not beat him, but at least you'll make things interesting. As a matter of fact, I think that Fritz and your hubby have a little somthin' for ya that might help put you in a better frame of mind."
"Really? And what might that be?"
"How about this Fluff?" asks Nick, as he holds up a custom-made fire suit.
"What th-Nick! How. When. Why ….?"
"You like?"
What Judy was seeing was a custom-made fire suit, done up in the colors of the Hopps Family Farms, the same colors that were on the freshly rebuilt pick-up done for her parents. The back of the fire-suit had the Hopps gas station logo and the phrase 'Hopps Express®' on the back and 'Squeak' on the front for her name.
"Nick, it's beautiful. When did you ever have time to get it done?"
"You can thank Snow and Josh for designing it, sizing it and having it done. When Fritz told me that he was bringing Darrell over to train you, I had a feeling he'd show up wearing one of his old fire suits. So I thought it'd be nice if you had a professional looking fire suit for the race. No better time to see how it looks, fits and feels than now, right? If it doesn't fit just perfect, there's still time to get it altered as long as you don't … ummm … stain it? (which earned him a very dark and disproving look from his bunny). "Now, go put it on while we get the cars prepped and ready to go."
…
"Ok," says Darrell to Judy and the others assembled in the pits "there are a few things I need to make plain before we start this. Regardless what you might think you learned from Dale before, there is one thing that you have got to get straight in your head. Above all else, Dale is driven to win. If you expect him to take it easy on you because you're a female or a bunny, you are dead wrong. Dale is driven to win, no matter what it takes. If it's even remotely legal, he'll try anything to accomplish that. If you have any doubts, watch some of his best races, especially the Richmond race. What I'm going to do is race you like I know Dale will. Do you think you're ready for all that?"
"There's only one way to find out, let's do this."
Heading out onto the track, Darrell set about reinforcing what he'd told Judy in the pits…
After letting Judy take off and lead a couple of laps, Darrell decided to try to rattle her a bit. Following her very closely and waiting until they start down a straightaway, he finally hit the rear end Judy's car just hard enough to unsettle the car.
Watching Judy's car start to wobble all over the track and listening to her cuss over the radio, Darrell couldn't help but smile.
Calling both drivers in to the pits, Nick and the rest were anxious to see just how Judy would react to the bump that Darrell had given her.
Climbing out of her car, Judy angrily stomped up to Darrell and confronted him nose to nose: "Just what in the hell was that? Slamming into me like that?"
Wearing the largest smirk she had ever seen, Darrell answered Judy "In the words of a former crew chief Harry Hogg, I didn't slam you, I didn't bump you, I didn't even nudge you, I rubbed you. And rubbin', Judy, is racin'. This is exactly what Dale is going to do to you if you get ahead of him during the race. And he won't care if it's on a straightaway like I did or in a corner. Knowing Dale, he's liable to let you lead for a bit, just like I did, just to do the same exact thing I did a bit ago."
Wearing a bit of a shocked look on her muzzle, Judy stood with her mouth slightly agape, digesting what Darrell had just told her. Then she recalled the words of advice that Dale had given her some time ago "Above all, regardless of what happens, do not and I mean do not, under any circumstances, ever get angry. Anger leads to bad decisions and bad decisions lead to mistakes. Not only in racing but in life. Got it?"
After pondering the words of Darrell and Dale, Judy's expression changes from shock, to wonder, then to a growing smirk. It occurs to her that their words of advice, coupled with Nick's 'Never let them see that they get to you' persona aren't that much dissimilar. Putting that with her 'I never quit' attitude is exactly what she needs to get her through this entire ordeal. While the fire that drove her to become a police officer was still (kind of) there, she could channel that same fire in a different direction. To kindle a passion that could be useful in her budding racing career.
"Ok, I think I get the idea now. All bets are off. If it's a free for all you want, a free for all you'll get. Let's get back on the track and see what you've really got!"
"You're sure that's what you want?" asks Darrell.
"You said you were going to race me like Dale would, so bring it." says Judy tauntingly as she climbs back into her car. "How can I learn to race against him and beat him if you take it easy on me?"
Giving Nick and Fritz a quick look and notice Nick give a slight shrug, Darrell climbs back into his car and the two head back onto the track.
With both cars getting back up to speed, the 'rubbin' begins again.
Catching back up to Judy, Darrell gives her another bump just as they head into the esses, a bit harder this time. To her credit, Judy keeps her cool and waits until they exit the set of curves. She then pulls suddenly to the right and hits the brakes causing Darrell to expectantly pull a past and slightly ahead of her. Nudging the left front of her car into the right rear of Darrell's car while then accelerating, she managed to not only spin him out, but he actually got stuck in the wet grass at the edge of the track.
Giving up trying to get unstuck, Darrell hears Judy over the radio "Ooops, sorry about that!" all the while she wasn't the least bit sorry.
After Darrell is towed out of the grass and the car put on the rollback, everyone gathers in the pits.
Climbing out of the rollback, Darrell strides up to a slightly worried Judy "Now, that's what I'm talkin' about!" he declares, with a huge smile lighting up his muzzle.
Relieved that Darrell isn't angry, Judy slowly returns his grin, albeit a bit sheepishly.
"Um … yea, sorry about that… kinda?"
"No, don't get me wrong, that was prefect" remarks Darrell "It's exactly the thing that Dale or I would do given the circumstances. Great job."
"I think we've had enough excitement for one day" says Nick, glad that there's no real tension between Judy and Darrell. "How about we load up the cars, take them back to the shop and have the crew go over them to make sure there isn't any real damage, then go to the 'Dew Drop' for a bit of relaxation?"
"Is that place still open?" asks Darrell. "It was the place to go to before they shut down the old Fairgrounds race track when the track lost their ZASCAR affiliation…"
"Yea." replied Nick "Even though it was closed for a bit, it reopened just after the track started back up. They only run a few races a year at the track now, but it's still a fun place to go to every now and then, and the Dew Drop is open every day."
"You know-" began Fritz, a thoughtful (or was it mischievous) look on his muzzle.
As all eyes turn towards him, Fritz continues "I still have connections with the track owner and former competitor of Darrell's namely Sterling Martin."
"And?" prompted Nick.
"Just for shits and giggles, how about digging out the old 5 car and see how Judy would against Darrell do on the old Fairgrounds track. If they're both up for it that is."
"We've got four spare days a week until the race, what could it hurt?" asked a very interested bunny.
"Sounds like fun to me. Are you sure you wanna do this?" Darrell asks Judy.
"Sure, why not? What could possible go wrong?" Judy asks.
"Seriously" asks Nick? "You mean like … wrecking the car and possibly getting injured in the process? And no, I'm not the least bit worried about the car, it's just a car."
"Hell yea" answers Judy, giving Nick her best 'doe eyes' look. "C'mon Nick, pleeeeease-"
"Damn Fluff …just … ok, fine. But only if Darrell promises to not be too hard on you." giving Darrell a 'I'll find you and kill you if you do' look.
"No problem here. Just a few laps to see how she does, ok?"
"Sure, we've still got the old 5 car, but well need to do some modifications to turn the 5 car into circle track car. Next question" states Nick "where are we gonna find a second car, what is Darrell gonna drive?"
"Do you really think that I don't have a few of my old race cars sittin' at home that I can use for somethin' like that?" asks Darrell.
Sighing, Nick relents "I guess if Judy really wants to, there's not a thing I can do or say that'll change her mind. Give us a few days to rework the suspension on the 5 car a bit and make a few other minor changes and we'll let you know when we're ready to go."
"YES!" exclaims Judy as she jumps into the air towards Nick, ready for her mate to catch her.
…
Two days later, the old 5 car has finally been reworked to change it from a road course car to a more or less circle tracker. Steering geometry (caster and camber), rear end stagger as well as the gear ratio in the steering box that had to be changed. Not wanting to waste a day, Judy was looking to try and go to the track on her scheduled day at the road track.
"Fluff, I know I can't stop you if ya really wanna take the 5 car out. But if you really want a chance in hell of a good showing against Dale, you need to go to ZIR and put your time in there. You can take the 5 car to the fairgrounds tomorrow. You do want to try to actually beat Dale don't ya?"
"Of course I do, it's just … you know…"
"I know Fluff, I know. You're in a hurry to try something new and exciting and get that adrenalin rush. But the track will still be there tomorrow, and think about this for a second … you'll be racing the same mammal on two different types of tracks on consecutive days. Road course today, circle track tomorrow, and then you'll be switching back to a road course.'
'While the fairgrounds will be a bit of fun, it'll be a distraction from what you're really trying to learn, which right now is road racing. I know Darrell will most likely go along with whatever you want, but remember how we do things at the shop. Work first, play later. Please, let's load up and go to ZIR.
Seeing her fighting to come to a solid decision, he decides to sweeten the pot a bit.
"Tell you what" he continues "If you concentrate, really concentrate, on the road racing all week and go to the fairgrounds on Saturday, we'll make it a shop function to go and watch. Plus, if you've done your homework like I asked you to, I'll let you start working on your 'Cuda. Deal?"
The smile that lit up the bunny's muzzle was a sight to behold!
"Really? You'd do that? For me?"
"Of course Fluff, I'm a fox of my word after all."
Leaping up and giving Nick a tight hug and a peck on the end of his nose, she gave the only answer that she could: "What cha waitin' for slowpoke, let's head out!"
Jumping back down, Judy headed for the step-side at a dead run.
…
The next two weeks were extremely busy, what with the normal activity at the shop, Judy going over her notes that she had taken off the Challenger build that had taken place on what seemed ages ago and her trips to ZIN every other day, the only break in the routine was the promised trip to the Fairgrounds raceway the following Saturday.
The Fairgrounds was a former ZASCAR sanctioned one-half mile racetrack that had fallen from the regular ZASCAR circuit because the owners at the time had refused to keep up with the times and upgrade the track itself, seating and other needed accommodations. A private individual had been behind the purchase of the track to keep it from being leveled by developers, and held races a couple of times a month in lower classes of races such as modified, Legends series cars and other lower series venues to keep the public interested as well as to satisfy the urges of the local racing enthusiasts.
On this particular Saturday, there was a large crowd turnout of not only the crew from Nick's shop and their families, but quite a few of Judy's family plus a large segment of the local racing community as well. Word had gotten out (probably from Darrell) about the matchup between Darrell and Judy, and it seemed that everyone wanted to see the spectacle, especially after the race with Johnny Whinters.
As Judy exited the small building situated in the center of the infield, she couldn't help but notice the crowd.
"What in the world are all of these mammals doing here?" she asks, at least a little perturbed.
"It seems that your teacher/opponent for the day has had a paw in all of this. And don't look now, but I think I was Dale Elkhardt and his bunch in the stands as well." Replies Nick.
"WHAT? Why would he be here instead of at ZIR practicing?"
"Maybe he figures he doesn't need the practice" says Nick "it's not like he's never raced there before."
"I'll show him whether he needs the practice or not" says a very motivated bunny, heading towards her racecar.
"That's the spirit Fluff" returns a smirking Nick, knowing how determined his bunny could be when something got under her fur.
"By the way" Nick continues "tradition demands that we introduce you and Darrell to the crowd."
"Wait, WHAT? But … everyone already knows us both, it's not like no one knows what's goin' on here!"
"Yea, well, you wanna know how long your little outing is gonna be and a few of the rules don't ya?"
Looking as if someone had poked her with something, Judy startled, never even thinking about how many laps she was going to be running. Couple that with the fact that she had never even driven a lap on a regular racetrack before. The bunny moaned inwardly. "Well, shit" she thought to herself "Another fine mess I've gotten myself into".
As Darrell and Judy join Nick on the podium that was set up just above the starters stand, Nick begins the introductions: "All right everyone, here's what's gonna happen. Darrell has consented to give Judy ten laps to familiarize herself with the car and the track. Then when the green flag waves, they'll start side by side and will compete for twenty-five laps. Any and all yellow flag laps will not count towards the final lap count. In case one of the cars is damaged beyond the ability to compete, it will be considered out of the race and the opposing driver will be declared the winner. That is unless the car is damaged due to an intentionally caused wreck.'
'Finally … presenting the principals for todays spectacle: in the number 5 Hopps Express® car, Judy Wilde. In the number 17 Tide® Ride is Darrell Cartrip. Drivers, to your cars and may the best driver win."
While headed to her car, she was passing a smirking Darrell standing by his old racecar. Just as Judy shot him a very convincing 'go to hell' look, she paused midstride for just a brief second when she sees the car itself. The car is the same one that he had won the ZASCAR Cup with a decade or so before. It was the old number 17 car that had been dubbed the 'TIDE® Ride'. Judy suddenly remembered that Darrell had not only won the ZASCAR Cup in that very same car, but had been a two-time track champion at this very same track.
As Judy nears her own car, she notices that the paint scheme has changed. The colors are the same as her fire suit and the former name on the car has been changed to the 'Hopps Express®' logo of her family farm and the same as the logo on the back of her fire suit. It seems she had been so absorbed in what was happening that she totally missed his remark during introductions.
Turning and shooting Nick a look of confusion, her fox simply shrugged, smirked and blew her a kiss.
"We're gonna talk about this later!" she warned.
"Yes dear." Said Nick, smirk still firmly in place.
As Judy gets assistance from Nick getting her safety harness and HANS device firmly in place, Nick has a few last words for her over the radio as he installed the window netting firmly in place: "Ok Fluff, take a few laps to get the engine, trans and tires warmed up, then start easing into the throttle. It's ok to push it harder until you spin out, that's the only way you'll know where your grip levels are. You get three laps to warm up the car, then ten to figure everything else out. And before you ask, another driver that Fritz knows came in and set up the car for you."
"Really? And who might that have been?" she asks.
"None other than Rustee Wallece, another of Dale senior's old rivals. There are a lot of mammals who want to see you do well Fluff, both here and against Dale. Now, go out there and give Darrell hell. But most of all-"
"Yes?"
"Have fun and be safe."
As Judy slowly circles the one-half mile track bringing the operating temps up to normal range, she gets a feel for how different the car feels from the last time she drove it, and she can't help but marvel at how her life has changed since she met Nick. From a low point, totally bummed at not being able to be a cop and working in a gas station to … this. Even though this was very poor time for introspection, it was certainly something to reflect on later. As she finishes her third warm-up lap, she pushes the thoughts from her mind and concentrates on the task at hand.
While circulating the track, Judy gets harder into the throttle each lap and feels the centrifugal force in the steeply banked turns push her deeper into the seat and throws her against the seat bolster. As the speed and force increases, she also notices that she spends less time in the throttle and more time in the turns, and it begins to overwhelm her. Slowing for a few seconds, she gathers herself and reminds herself of her own personal motto 'I never give up' and gets hard into the throttle. Picking up speed she takes a corner fast enough that she feels the back end of the car start to break loose. As she hits the brakes to avoid the outside wall and slides to a stop, she hears a new voice over the radio, the voice of Rustee Wallece.
"Judy, I know you may not remember me, but this is Rustee Wallece. Here's a bit of advice as weird as it sounds. When the rear end gets loose like that, stay in the gas and turn your front wheels to the right, just a little and it should straighten out. Get back going again and give it a try."
"Let me get this straight … you want me to turn right to go left?"
"That's right. Just give it a try."
Shaking her head, Judy shifts to first gear and starts around the track again. Building speed, she shifts to second then third and finally to forth just as she enters the turn. As she feels the back-end break loose again, she stays in the gas and turns slightly to the right (as absurd as it sounds). Gently straightening the front out as she recovers from the minor power skid, she grins and goes a bit faster each lap until she finds that fine line where the traction ends. Building more and more speed until she's on the ragged edge of control. By the time her ten laps are over, Judy has pretty much figured out where to hit the throttle hard when exiting each turn and where to brake when entering the next turn.
Seeing the yellow flag, she slows to a reasonable speed and follows the track's pace car and quickly she notices Darrell's car pull alongside on her right side. When Judy notices Darrell wave his paw at her past the window netting, she returns his wave with a middle finger salute.
Suddenly she hears Darrell's voice in her radio "Now, now, now, not nice."
"How the hell are you on my radio channel?" she asks, more than slightly annoyed.
"Relax Judy. Nick, Felix and I came up with this to make sure that we give everyone a good show and do it safely. Winning or losing isn't the big thing here, it's to have some fun and give you a taste of this type of racin'." We're gonna do some rubbin' and I'm gonna talk you through it all. When this is all said and done, we'll cross the finish line together."
"Why the hell didn't Nick say anything to me about this?"
"First of all please stop the cussin', it ain't ladylike. Nick told me that you get rattlesnake mean when you're irritated, and that you don't know when to quit. So, what say we get this show on the road so to speak, and give the mammals a good show!"
…
As Judy and Darrell go past the starters stand in second gear and receive the green flag, Darrell hits the throttle, grabs third then forth gear and heads into the first turn at full song (full speed for all of you non-racer types). Taken by complete surprise, Judy quickly follows suit, and finds the backend of the car starting to slide towards the wall. Keeping in mind what she heard from Rusty earlier, she turned right and kept her foot on the gas.
Straightening the wheels and getting back on the gas as she began her brief (3-4 seconds) run down the back straightaway, she started to set up for the next corner. Hearing Darrell over the radio, she listened to his input, knowing he was just trying to help "Ok Judy, listen up. You'll find that if you run closer to the wall in the straights and head towards the bottom of the track in the corners, it gets easier to run faster. It's called 'diamonding'. Experienced drivers like myself, Dale and Rusty can run the track at around 160 and make 15-16 second laps. You're doing fine considering the fact that you've had zero experience at the track. I'll fall back a bit and you can just follow me as I run a lap or two so you get the hang of it ok?"
"Sounds like a plan, let's do it."
As Judy pulls up on Darrell, she takes his advice and follows him for four laps, quickly learning another of the nuances of short track racing.
"Ok, now I'm gonna slide up the track a bit in the next corner, like I would if I actually took the corner too fast. You stay on the bottom like I showed you and pass me ok?"
"Ok, here goes…."
As Judy follows Darrell into the next corner she sees him slide up the track just far enough so she can slip just between his car and the inside edge of the track, then allows her car to push out to just short of the outside wall.
"Well done. I've got a quick question for ya … you wanna race now? I mean really race? I promise not to get too rough with ya, just enough to make things interestin'."
"Sure thing, I won't learn if I don't try. And nothin' is better that paws on experience."
"That's the ticket. Hang on to yer helmet, 'cause here we go…"
Just as Judy begins to set up for the next corner, Darrell gently bumps her car from the rear, causing her to momentarily slide up the track just far enough for him to pass her on the inside.
"That's called using the chrome horn." He calls out merrily over the radio, not able to keep the amusement out of his voice.
"Dang it Darrell" she retorts, remembering that he really dislikes any kind of cussing "You coulda warned me or something!"
"Yea, well, my bad. You're welcome to try it yourself. The trick is to do it gently so ya don't actually wreck the other driver. Remember during an actual race there are anywhere of 40 or more cars on a track this size. To wreck one driver you might actually take out ten to fifteen cars."
"Oh my! You're sure you want me to try that? I really don't wanna wreck you ya know."
"Only one way to learn. I'll let you catch me again and you can give it a try. Just remember, a gentle nudge is all it takes."
As Judy slowly catches Darrell, she waits until they begin to enter a corner and she gently bumps the rear of his car, causing him to slide up the track, right up to the outside wall. Judy is amazed that she can actually hold her line on the bottom and passes him with ease.
"Good job. We've got about six or seven laps left, what say we give them a show? I promise not to bump you to pass you, just give it all you've got and we'll see who wins, ok?"
"Let's see if the fox can catch the rabbit. See you at the finish line."
"This should be fun. Pull those belts down tight bunny and let's go racin'. BOOGETY, BOOGETY BOOGETY."
As Darrell follows Judy closely for the next several laps, Judy spends as much time looking out of her rear-view mirror as she does through the windshield, wondering what in the world Darrell has up his sleeve.
Beginning to exit the final corner, Judy has the checkered flag in sight but as she tries to allow the car to slide out to the outside wall, but to her surprise Darrell is there trying to pass her. Not wanting to let him pass, she keeps her paw hard on the gas and slides up into the side of his car pushing him farther up the track and into the outside wall. As Darrell fights to get away from the wall, he turns down towards Judy causing them both to spin sideways. They both cross the finish line at the same time in a cloud of tire smoke. When the smoke clears, both cars are locked together, facing the wrong way on the track, they actually did, just like they had (sort of) planned.
"What just happened" asks Judy over the radio, slightly disoriented.
"Welcome to short track racin' darlin'." answers Darrell over the radio.
"We got our tie. Not exactly the way we planned it, but it works. Now hop on out of your car and wave at the crowd."
Judy unhooks her radio, takes off the HANS device and drops the window net. As she climbs out of the car, she's suddenly aware that the assembled crowd is standing and cheering and actually chanting her name.
Noticing Darrell standing on the top of his car, Judy stands on hers and waves to the crowd.
"And there you have it ladies and gentlemammals" announces Nick over the PA system "Thank you all for attending the grudge match between Judy 'Squeak' Wilde and Darrell 'Jaws' Cartrip. As a reminder, one hundred percent of all donations today will go directly to the Rose and Aaron WildeHopps charity fund for interspecies kit research. I also want to remind you all that Judy will be racing Dale Elkhardt senior next weekend at Zootopia International Raceway so please bring your friends, enemies, neighbors, wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, kits and unnamed homeless mammals to the race. As with today's race, all proceeds will go directly the Rose and Aaron WildeHopps fund … have a safe and sober trip home."
…
The next week at the shop was extremely frantic for Judy. Monday, Wednesday and Friday were taken up at ZIN, practicing road course racing with all of its various nuances with Darrell and from a helpful Rustee Wallece who showed up on Friday to lend his support. The rest of the week, including Saturday, was used comparing her notes taken from the Challenger build and comparing them to what she wanted to do with her 'Cuda project.
As she was eating lunch with Nick in the office, Nick looked at his wife with a bit of concern. "Fluff."
"Hmm?"
"When you've finished eating we're taking the rest of the day off."
" … But, I need to get a few things out of the-"
"No. You need to unwind. You've been going pretty much non-stop for the last three weeks and you're physically and mentally drained. You've got to take a break, especially with the race with Dale coming up tomorrow. I know the only way to get you to take that break is to take it with you, so we're leaving."
Knowing that Nick is right, she allows herself to be led from the shop.
"So, what's the plan? Dinner, movie, Wilde unbridled sex?"
"That can all come later, but first I thought that this might be a good way to start it all."
Looking up at the building that Nick stopped in front of Judy sees 'Forrest Springs Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa'.
"Really?"
"Yup, really. Just the thing to soothe your overworked mind and body. And don't worry, I'm not gonna just dump you off and leave, I'll be right there with you. They just happen to have a great rate on couple's massages."
"You would find something with great rates. Fine, let's go. I guess you're right, I have been pushing myself too hard lately, and thanks. I guess that's why I love you so much, ya scruffy old fox you."
"I am not scruffy, I'm well worn. As far as old, I may be older than you, but I'm still young enough to enjoy the … well, you get the idea. But you're welcome anyways. And I love you too, dumb bunny."
After a very relaxing two hour massage, our pair head to catch the new Harry Otter movie: 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'. Then, dinner at the gaslight and a slow ride home for the rest of the evenings … entertainment.
Bright and early on Sunday morning Nick and Judy are up getting ready to head to the track.
"Nick, tell me again. Why are we up at six to go to the track? The race isn't until noon and I was really comfortable."
"We have to get there early enough to get your pre-race instructions, and to qualify."
"Qualify? What the hell Nick. There are only two of us!"
"Yes qualify Fluff" Nick states a bit forcefully "You can't believe how important the choice of starting positions is even if there are only two of you racing. Remember how the course starts out? Long sweeping right hand turn with a sharp left-hander at the end? You need to be on the inside of that lefthander. That's the advantage the pole position can give you!"
Staring wide-eyed with both ears straight up at Nick, a slightly startled Judy can only answer "Ok Nick, ok. Jeez lighten up a bit will ya."
"Judy look, I'm sorry. Maybe I'm taking this a bit more seriously than I need to, but I know how much you'd like to beat Dale. Let's stop at Mel's and get some breakfast, ok?"
Kissing her husband's nose and giving him a tight hug, Judy relents. "I get it Nick, I really do. This is supposed to be fun, but I really do want to win. And if this give me a better chance, I'm all for it. Thanks for caring so much, ok?"
…
After a brief stop at Mel's diner for breakfast (which had its moment) the couple was on their way to the track.
"I still can't believe that Mel was closing already!" says Judy. "And we almost missed breakfast!"
"Did it make sense once he explained it to you?" Nick questions.
"Well yea, but to close the café just to go the race? I mean really?"
"Just shows to go ya how much you mean to a lot of mammals sweetheart."
"Wait, what? Nick, that doesn't make a bit of sense"
"Yea, and?"
"Never mind, just … get us to the track, ok?"
…
Arriving at the track, Judy and Nick notice that Dale and Dale junior are already there.
With the drivers and crew members assembled in the infield, the track officials go over the basic rules for the race, which were exactly the same as the rules that were in place just a short time before when Judy raced Johnny with a few exceptions. The exceptions were: 1) yellow flag laps will not count towards the total lap count. 2) the race itself was to be twenty-five laps in duration. 3) at some point during the race, but NOT during a yellow flag lap, each driver had to make a complete pit stop. The pit stop MUST include fuel and all four tires. Since there were only two drivers, there was no actual speed limit down pit road, but a driver could not endanger a crewmember or said driver would immediately forfeit the race. Pit boxes were three stalls apart, so there would be no opportunity for a driver to impede the pit stop of the other driver if they both stopped at the same time.
Colored Ping-Pong balls were used to determine which car each driver was to use for qualifying and to race. Each driver drew one ball and exited the meeting.
Exiting the driver and crew meeting and heading towards her car, Judy noticed Darrell, Rustee and a couple of other mammals standing beside the cars.
"What's up guys?" she asks.
"Well" begins Rustee "a few of us got together and decided that we could take up places around the track during the race and help you out on the radio. Give you intervals and maybe some tips to help you make this an interesting race. You already know Dale is out to win the race regardless, so we figured a little extra guidance wouldn't hurt. And before you ask, yes, it's perfectly legal. We do the same thing all the time when we race here during the season. Dale will have spotters all around the track, so we figured that fair is fair."
Tearing up a bit Judy is at a loss for words.
"Thanks guys" says Nick taking up for Judy "you know how emotional bunnies can get … OWW! Dang it Squeak, that smarts!"
"I guess we know who wears the pants in your household." remarks Darrell.
"Yea well" returns Nick with an evil smirk while still rubbing his arm "tell me it's different with you and Stevie and I'll be sure she finds out."
"That's ok" says Darrell laughing "I think we understand each other."
"Aaanywho" begins Rustee, Judy needs to get in the car and start getting ready for her qualifying run."
As Judy walks over to her assigned car, gets in the car and gets buckled in, Nick begins laughing.
"What the hell is that all about now?" asks Judy.
"Squeak, the irony here is unbelievable" chokes out Nick.
With Judy, Darrell, Rusty and others staring at Nick, he explains by asking a simple question. "What color and number is Judy's car guys?" he asks.
"the Black 3 car." responds Darrell.
"And what color and number is Dale's car?"
Noticing for the first time what color car Dale was in, everyone saw the irony and laughed. While Judy had drawn a black Ping-Pong ball with the number 3, Dale had evidently drawn a bright green ball with the number 2.
Noticing the puzzled look on Judy's muzzle, Darrell explains: "Judy, Dale normally drives the BLACK 3 car, and absolutely hates green colored cars, since green is supposed to be bad luck. And to top it off, the number 2 is Rustee's old number. This is too rich to believe."
Staring at a slightly upset Dale Elkhardt, Judy suddenly remembers his advice about being angry or upset. With a widening grin, she starts the car and gets a quick kiss from Nick.
"Since you're first to qualify, here's the deal. You get the first lap to warm up the car. When you come off the final turn wind it up because you get one timed lap as your qualifying lap. When you're about halfway through your second lap, they'll turn Dale loose to do his laps. Shortest time gets the pole position. You've been out here for two, almost three weeks, remember your training and give it all you've got."
When Judy heads out onto the track, she take the first turn, a long sweeping right hander at a fairly slow pace, weaving the car from side to side to help warm the engine, transmission and other components and to also warm the tires for maximum grip under race speeds.
Exiting the final turn before the start/finish line and flag stand, Judy hits the gas and goes from third to forth and crosses the line at full speed.
After Judy finishes her timed lap she slows and pulls into the pits climbs from the car and is greeted by Nick and Midnight.
As Judy is about to ask her time, Midnight reads the numbers off to her. "96.524 miles per hour, and one minute, fifteen point zero eight seconds".
With a slightly puzzled look, Judy is sure she's heard those same numbers somewhere before.
"Aren't those about the same numbers that Jackie posted with the 'Vette?"
"Not about the same Squeak" answers Midnight "almost exactly the same."
"But how can that be? Different types of cars, different day, same time? Really?"
"Did you really think your skill level wouldn't improve with all of the track time, especially with virtually the same car that you drove then and now?" asks Nick.
Just then Dale, powers past the pits on his timed run.
Anxiously waiting for the results of his qualifying run, everyone is amazed to say the least when the results are posted on the scoring pylon.
"95.314 miles per hour, and one minute, fifteen point three eight seconds." reads Nick. "Fluff, you actually won the pole, great job sweetheart."
Reading Judy's expression, Rustee is quick to add "And yes Judy, you actually won it fair and square, there's no way Dale would just hand you the pole, that's not the way he races. With him it's all out, all the time."
Seeing Dale approaching the group, Judy is a bit apprehensive to say the least.
Extending a hoof, Dale is all smiles "Good job Snips. Looks like I may have taken this little adventure a bit lightly. Let's see how you do on the track."
And with that, Dale heads towards the scorers stand for introductions, followed closely by Judy after a bit of nudging by Nick.
Stepping up to the podium, Judy and Dale are introduced by a special guest announcer, Mikel Bufer.
"Ladies and gentlemammals" he begins "presenting todays contestants. In the black number 3 car, we have the challenger, Judy 'Squeak' Wilde.'
'And in the green number 2 car, we have the reigning ZASCAR champion Dale the 'Intimidator' Elkhardt.'
'You've both been given your instructions in the drivers meeting … do either of you have any questions? NO? Then shake paws and drivers go to your cars and'
'Llllllllllet's get ready to rumbllllllllllllllllllle'!'
'This event is brought to you by the Rose and Arron WildeHopps Foundation."
And with that, Judy and Dale head to their respective cars and get strapped in.
Starting her car, Judy hears Darrell over the radio while getting a quick good luck kiss from Nick "Ok Judy, get your head screwed on straight. You're gonna have to go like a mad mammal from the drop of the green flag. If you do everything that you were taught, you have a better than average chance of actually winning this thing."
As Judy and Dale follow the pace car around the track, Judy is encouraged by Darrell's assessment. 'I can actually win this. All I have to do is not be intimidated and drive like I was trained to.'
As Judy and Dale circulate around the track warming the engines and tires, it was still difficult to not be intimidated by Dale. The one thing that helped, was the fact that he was stuck driving that awful green colored car. Even though she knew that it would probably make him drive that much harder to defeat her, it still lifted her spirits.
Exiting the last turn before the start/finish line, Judy hears Darrell's voice on the radio: "Ok Judy, heads up. You keep and eye out for the starters flag, but when I say go, give it all you got. Keep you wheels on the edge of the curb all the way to the first left hander and do just like we trained you."
As Judy approaches the starters stand, her eyes are on the flagmammal, but as soon as she hears Darrel shout "GO-GO-GO!" over the radio, she floored the gas and kept it floored almost all the way through the carousel turn until the last possible split second, then braked hard for the left-hand turn, beating Dale and forcing him to slow and swing wide giving her a clear shot at the next corner.
The first few laps unwound with Judy still in the lead, with Dale following close behind, only applying a small amount of pressure.
Just before entering the 'bus stop' section of the course on the sixth lap, Dale gave Judy a slight bump from behind causing her to enter that section just a bit too fast and swing wide in the center of the turn.
Keeping her temper in check (mainly with Darrell and Rustyee's prompting over the radio), Judy was content to follow Dale fairly closely for the next few laps.
Speeding across the start/finish line suddenly Darrell came over the radio "Judy, pit … pit now and slow down enough so that you don't slide through your pit box!"
When Judy stops in her pit box she hears Darrell over the radio again "Sorry about that, but now is about the best time to pit. The car won't take a lot of gas and the tire change won't take long, but the main reason I had you stop so quickly is simple."
"Oh really? And what would that be?" she asks, not entirely sure of Darrell's motives.
"When you go back on the track, you'll have one lap fresher tires and turn the first lap around three seconds faster than the lap that Dale is turning right now. That'll give you at least a three second advantage on the track that he'll really have to hustle to make up. I didn't tell you sooner because I didn't want to give Dale a chance to pit at the same time"
"It's called a hustle sweetheart!" pipes in Nick.
"Well, just da-" was all that Judy got out when she felt the right side of the car drop, signaling her to take off out of the pits.
Heading out of the pits at full speed (not speed limit remember?), Judy entered the racetrack part way into the carousel turn and kept her speed up until she needed to brake for the sharp left hander.
Driving as hard as she dared for the next several laps, even though she couldn't see Dale in her rear-view mirror, the guys kept her informed of his steady progress.
With ten laps to go, she could see Dale beginning to inch slowly closer.
With three laps to go Dale was right on her back bumper again, patiently waiting for her to make the one mistake that would allow him to pass her without needing resort to 'questionable' tactics.
Finally, on the last lap, Dale gave Judy a slight nudge just as she was about exit the carousel turn and brake to enter the tight left hander.
Swinging a bit wide in order to control the car and not spin, Judy was back hard on the throttle getting ready for the next turn. Suddenly, Rustee was in Judy's ear "Be calm and just drive like you have been, it ain't over yet. You're only a couple of car lengths behind right now. Try to be right behind him exiting the esses and stay close for one last chance at the last right hander before the short straight just before the finish line. Listen close, this is what I want you to do-"
Following Dale through the final right-hand turn, Judy slid the side of her car into the side of Dale's car under full power. With neither driver wanting to give an inch, the unexpected happened-Judy flinched and accidentally touched the brakes. Unexcitedly both cars began to spin, albeit in opposite directions, with Dale crossing the finish line backwards about a car length ahead of Judy, who was facing in the correct direction as she crossed the finish line.
When the smoke cleared, Dale was the winner with Judy finishing less than a second behind.
Sporting a wide grin, Dale ran up to Judy's car to make sure she was ok. Finding out that she was, he helped her from the car and told her "That was one of the closest races and one of the dangdest finishes I've ever been involved in. I thought there for a second that you had me. Way to go Snips, and congratulations, that was a heck of a race."
"Thanks Dale. It was a lot of fun and all, but I think I've had enough excitement to last me for a while."
"Well, when you want to give it another go" he counters as they head for the announcers stand "let me know and I'll be happy to accommodate you."
"I may just do that, thanks."
…
"Ladies and gentlemammals" begins the announcer as he raised Dales hoof "your winner in the green number 2 car, and STILL champion, Dale 'The Intimidator' Elkhardt senior."
"Thank you, Mikel," says Dale as he takes the microphone "I want to congratulate Judy Wilde on a very hard fought and exciting race. I can only hope that she doesn't want to begin a ZASCAR career in the future. Well done Judy, everyone here should be proud of you. You've done a hell of a job considering the short time you've been racing. Again, well done."
Taking the mic from Dale, Judy returns the praise "Thanks Dale. Coming from a champion like yourself, that's high praise indeed. I'd like to thank you for a clean and exciting race. I know you could have probably made thing a lot more difficult than you did, but the gentlemammal in you won the day. For myself, for Nick and for the Rose and Aaron WildeHopps Foundation, thank you from the bottom of my heart!"
A/N: To start with, a loud shout-out and props to Vescu for the bulk of the funeral scene. His idea and input, I just reworked it a bit.
Other miscellaneous notes of interest: Jessie Jameses would be Jessie James- owner of the Austin Speed shop and Monsters Garage would be Monster garage.
Darrell Cartrip is actually Darrell Waltrip, who really IS/WAS the best road course driver in all of NASCAR.
Hopefully everyone has picked up the fact that Dale Elkhardt is Dale Earnhardt.
Sterling Martin is actually Sterling Marlin.
Rustee Wallece is none other than Rusty Wallace.
Of course, Mikel Bufer is the one and only Michael Buffer.
The exchange between Judy and Darrell in the pits is almost word for word the same as in a scene between Cole Trickle and Harry Hogge in Days of Thunder.
Zootopia Fairgrounds racetrack is modeled after Nashville Tennessee's Fairground Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. While both tracks are one half mile tracks, Bristol is high banked and Nashville is not.
I'll bet y'all were wondering if I was ever gonna fit 'Hopps Express' back into the story again weren't ya? SURPRISE!
