Blinding Lights

CP I: Daytona Speed

Clear. Blue. Sunny. Skies. The ideal conditions for a NASCAR race.

"Welcome to Daytona, Elizabeth Rey Summers."

Her reddish-brown eyes lit up in delight from the breathtaking view of the track. The child spun on her heels, hugging her father tightly while squealing, "Dad, this place is huge!"

The world renown International Speedway had been a dream destination for Elizabeth. To bear witness to NASCAR's season opener in person was a dream come true. Her father hugged his precious daughter back while sporting a large cheesy grin.

"Dad," She tugged on her father's hand, "I'm going to race here one day!"

He looked down and let out a hearty chuckle, "Is that so?"

Elizabeth glanced up, eyes brimming full of determination, "You bet! Just wait, you'll be right next to me in Victory Lane!"

18 Years Later....

Race day.

It was a beautiful sunny day at Daytona. Today was Ella Summers first official cup race. She had spent three intense years preparing for this day, and it had finally arrived. The stands were packed and the infield was flowing with energy. Through her Ray Bans she witnessed it all. Walking beside her was her crew chief, Rick. The man was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"I don't believe I've seen you grin this much before, Rick." Ella teased.

Rick chuckled as he opened the Media Center's side door to let his driver enter. Her other teammates had already arrived. She waved sweetly to them as she walked over to Coach Gibbs, who gave her a hug. He made her feel right at home and Ella was proud to have him as her boss.

"Your parents are seated in the back." He informed the rookie racer.

Ella smiled, "Awesome, thank you for grabbing them a spot. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great, Ella. Excited about today?" Coach responded while sporting a large grin.

She nodded, "You bet I am! Hopefully I can rope in the win."

"That's the spirit!" Coach chuckled while glancing at the overcrowded room.

A staff member instructed the drivers to take their seats up front so the press conference could begin. Ella shyly slipped her sunglasses off and walked over to her spot as a barrage of camera flashes hit. She felt slightly nervous, but calmed herself as she spotted her parents within the crowd. The newest JGR driver sat in between Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin; both men were almost double her size. They always picked on her for that. Ella's petite fingers brushed back her brown hair away from her pale complexion as the event kicked off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series JGR Pre-Race press conference at DIS," The announcer declared, "We'll start with the questions from the front and work our way back."

"Hello drivers," An older woman was selected first, "Tracy Collins with SPEED WEEK Magazine. Ella Summers, how excited are you to be officially starting your NASCAR career?"

Elizabeth, or in NASCAR, Ella, smiled as she responded, "I feel like a kid inside of a toy store. I've dreamed of doing this for as long as I can recall. Coach Gibbs gave me the chance to fulfill that and I plan to do so by bringing this team as many wins as I can. I'm thrilled to be here."

Another hand was called on, "Hey there Roy Mitchell from Racer Daily. Ella, how do you think your career will vary from the past females who have entered this sport?"