Trackside

On Their Level

Brick Yardley gets his shot.

___

This was it, his first ever professional race. He took several deep breaths, sitting in the dark, trying to relax. The crowd outside was screaming, the excitement diffusing through the walls of his trailer and filling him with energy. He'd finally made it.

He opened the door to the trailer and slowly drove out on the ramp, taking it all in slowly, enjoying the moment. The media were all swarming the better-known racers, leaving him some quiet. He was fine with that, as he didn't know how to talk to reporters yet.

"Hey, it's Brick, right?" he heard a voice come from in front of the garages. He turned to look, and saw the bright blue racecar coming at him with a friendly smile. "I'm Cal."

"Oh yeah! The other rookie, eh?" Brick replied with all the enthusiasm he could. He couldn't believe he was already talking to a Weathers. "You ready for this?"

"I've been ready my entire life." Cal wiggled a bit with excitement. "Hey, I'll see you out on the track, okay? Good luck today!"

"Thanks! You too!" Brick was beaming, watching Cal drive off. Were they all this friendly?

Over at the Vitoline tent, Brick met up with his sponsor. The other car looked up as the newly decorated racer showed up and smiled.

"Looks good on you, kid." his sponsor complimented him. "How's it feel?"

"Better than I ever imagined." Brick replied excitedly, but then stopped and grew a little more serious. "I want to take a moment and thank you for giving me this opportunity. I won't let you down. I promise."

"Eh, I'm not worried, Brick." he sponsor waved him off with a smile. "You're the best we've ever had try out for the team. I have faith in you."

"Thanks." Brick was sincere.

"Now go on, go to the pits and get ready. They're gonna kick it all off soon. Your career is out there waiting for you!"

In pit row, his crew checked him over one time real good and topped off his tank. In front of him he could see the Dinoco and the Rust-eze teams. Holy smokes, he was actually going to get to race on the same track as Lightning McQueen! It was all suddenly very real. And overwhelming.

"Alright, Brick, first race of the season." his crew chief said, climbing to the top of the stand. "You're runnin' with the big boys now. Just remember they're all like you. Nothin' to worry about. Nothin' special. You've got this, kid."

"Right." Brick said, shaking any doubtful thoughts from his mind and getting himself into the zone.

The pace lap in and of itself was exhilarating. He was inches from racers he'd grown up watching. Some even wished him luck. The roar of the crowd was deafening. The green flag dropped, and words of his crew chief returned to him.

"Just play it smart and do the best you can. The rest will follow."

Brick cleared his mind, blocked out all the noise, and focused on the pavement under his tires. It felt right. He felt at home. This was where he belonged.