Life Could Be a Dream

Chapter 25- The Final Lap

Chapter 25- The Final Lap

"This is it!" Bob Cutlass announced. "We're heading into the final lap and McQueen is right behind the leaders! What a comeback!"

"A hundred and ninety nine laps and, baby, it all comes down to this!" Darrell exclaimed excitedly.

"This is it, kiddo", Doc radioed to Lightning. "You got four turns left. One at a time. Drive it in deep and hope it sticks. Go!"

Lightning obeyed, chasing after the other two racers. He tried to overtake Chick, who kept swerving to block him and ram him into the wall. He hit Lightning, sending him spinning into the grass. But Chick had problems of his own. He had lost control when he hit Lightning and slammed into The King.

"Chick and The King are loose!" Bob observed.

"I think McQueen is out of the race!" Darrell added.

No. He wasn't. He used the "turn right to go left" trick Doc had taught him. Only this time, after seeing Doc do it, he nailed it! He glided across the grass just like Doc had, dirt flying behind him, almost looking like flames to Fudge. Doc's eyes widened and he smiled, seeing that Lightning had finally gotten it right. Fudge smiled too. It looked just how Doc had demonstrated a couple of days earlier. Then Lightning straightened himself out, getting back on the asphalt and taking the lead.

"McQueen saved it!" Darrell cried.

"He's back on the track!" Bob added.

"Float like a Cadillac!" Doc began.

"Sting like a Beemer!" Lightning finished.

The crowd went wild as Lightning roared into the lead.

"Lightning McQueen is gonna win the Piston Cup!" Darrell exclaimed.

"Come on! You've got it!" Sally cried, watching with Red and Lizzie back home in Radiator Springs. "You've got it, Stickers!"

"Go, Lightning!" Fudge screamed, jumping up and down in anticipation.

It sure looked like Lightning was gonna win, creating excitement throughout the stadium and in countless homes around the entire country. Could it be? Was Lightning McQueen gonna be the first rookie to win the Piston Cup and that lucrative Dinoco sponsorship? It looked like there was no question about it. But then, something that nobody saw coming happened.

With Lightning in the lead, The King and Chick were battling it out for second. That position was currently held by The King while Chick was in third- or last- place. And he was not happy about that at all.

He groaned. "I am not coming in behind you again, old man!"

With that, he slammed into the older champion, sending him flying. Guido turned Fudge away while everyone else watched in shock as The King rolled several times in the grass before coming to a stop, crumpled, dented and scratched.

Gasps were heard all throughout the stadium, everyone astonished by what they saw. Fudge struggled in Guido's arms and her eyes widened as the sight of The King reminded her of something else.

Lightning must have been thinking the same thing because he stopped and stared at the big screen. All of a sudden, the sound of squealing tyres filled the speedway. Lightning was slamming on his brakes. Right in front of the finish line. The already-silent crowd somehow seemed to become quieter. Most of them were confused about what Lightning was doing. Especially when Chick shot right past him, to Chick's delight.

"Papà? What's he doing?" Fudge wondered.

"Yeah!" Chick cheered, doing donuts. "I won, baby! Yeah! Oh, yeah!"