Blinding Lights

CP II: Glancing Up At Gold

Spinning around on her tippy-toes, Ella found herself peering up at Denny Hamlin. He chuckled at the sight before reaching down and playfully patting the top of her head. She laughed before slapping his hand away; knowing he was teasing her for being so petite in size and stature. Back when she was introduced, Hamlin was the first to joke about her being the tinest member of the team. Ella was glad he had been the one to volunteer.

"Hamlin had texted me before The Clash about being your mentor," Rick explained, "So I had a quick meeting to see if the others were cool about that. They didn't mind, so Hamlin is your mentor now."

Ella smirked, "Denny's my babysitter? I promise I won't wreck you too many times this year!"

Hamlin rolled his green eyes and sighed, "Great, now I'm going to get blamed for everything."

"Thanks for taking Summers under your wing, Hamlin," Rick thanked the veteran driver, "She's wet behind the ears, but isn't cocky and is a great active listener."

She could feel her cheeks redden, "You're making me sound like I'm an angel!"

Her crew chief shrugged with a hearty smile, "Well, I haven't had any issues with you and the pit crew loves having you around."

Denny chuckled, "I'm sure we'll get along just fine. Just as long as I don't talk about my love and passion for golf."

"Eww," Ella stuck her tongue out, "It's such a dumb sport!"

Both Rick and Hamlin shared a good laugh before the crew chief had to leave, "I'll meet up with both of you at the driver's meeting. I'm going to check in with the pit crew real quick beforehand to see if they're good to go."

"We'll see you at the meeting then." Ella waved as he ventured off.

"So," Hamlin glanced over at the rookie, "are you ready for today?"

She nodded, "I've been ready for some time. Just can't believe the day is finally here."

"Well, before you know it you'll be three racing seasons in with a couple of wins under your belt."

"Shit," Ella giggled, "I don't want it to go by that fast! I want to enjoy at least some of it."

Denny sipped from his water bottle, "Just as long as you're having fun is all that really counts. Oh, I watched you during some of practice the other day."

"Yeah?" She glanced over at him with a smile, "Was my run okay? Should I change anything up?"

Glancing down at her, they began to walk in the direction where the meeting would be held at, "Don't be shy to be more aggressive when defending your position. You don't want to be the one everyone is stepping on."

"Alright," Ella nodded, "I don't want to be too pushy. Things here can escalate quickly."

"It can become crazy here in a heartbeat," Hamlin admitted, "though through my experience your own mind is your greatest foe."

"Because it can bring you up one second and down the next?"

"Yea," He agreed, "something like that. As long as you keep your head on straight and listen to Rick and your spotter you'll be fine. You seem to have the whole drafting concept down from what I saw. Oh, try not to mirror drive. There's a reason you have a spotter; use them."

She could feel her cheeks blush slightly, "Don't worry about that. IRacing taught me enough about all of that."

Denny decided to switch topics then, "So, what was like in the Marines?"