Dead and Gone by Jack Patterson (universal ebook reader .TXT) 📕

enjoy listening. That was Jessica. And now she stood next to his car waiting to give him a good luck kiss.

Tanner embraced her and gave her a long kiss. Then he held her as she lingered in his arms.

“Knock ‘em dead out there today,” she said as she picked at his uniform.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Burns said you’ve got the best car out there and that you ought to win.”

“I certainly don’t wanna disappoint anyone.” He slid his hand over her pooching belly. “Especially you two.”

She smiled. “We need to get you a new suit.” She picked at few loose threads. “This one’s coming apart.”

He sighed. “Just tape it up. This one is fine. Besides, it’s my good luck suit. I was wearing this the day I met you.”

She kissed him again. “Go get ‘em.”

He climbed into the car as his crew began helping him with the safety belts and HANS device.

Jackson Holmes, another one of Tanner’s crew members, yanked on a few of Tanner’s straps. “Don’t screw it up. We need this one today.”

Tanner flashed him a thumbs up.

“Check, one, two,” Burns said over the 39 car’s radio frequency. “Can you hear me, Tanner?”

“Loud and clear.”

“Good. Now just be smart out there today and you’ll be fine.”

Tanner glanced back at his team, all giving him the thumbs up sign. He waved at Ella, who jumped up and down and clapped.

“Let’s do this.”

Country music star Luke Bryan crooned the National Anthem before Major League hall of fame pitcher Nolan Ryan took the mic. “Drivers, start your engines.”

Tanner fired up his car, drowning out the roar from the crowd.

He followed the pace car onto the track and began to visualize himself on each and every turn. Visualization was a trick his father taught him years ago to help ease his mind while playing baseball. “If you see yourself going through the motions, they’ll become second nature to you, son,” he’d said. “Then you can concentrate on the details that will take you from good to great.”

Tanner wasn’t a great driver yet, but there was little doubt that he was already a good one on his second year in NASCAR’s highest circuit. He claimed rookie of the year honors last season and could qualify for one of the final four spots in the championship chase with a win today. While winning for his team was important, in thirty minutes Ella had stolen his heart—and he wanted to win for her more than anyone else.

“One to go. Green flag next time around. Be ready,” Burns said over the radio.

Tanner zoned in and gripped the wheel tighter. The hum of the 43 cars on the track turned to a roar.

“Green, green, green,” said the team’s spotter perched atop the luxury suites.

Tanner jammed his foot on the gas and focused on finding his line heading into turn one. He remained oblivious to the crowd rising to their feet and cheering as the race officially got underway.

The race remained uneventful for the most part. Only a handful of cautions and two wrecks had slowed down what was otherwise turning out to be a fast race. Tanner, who’d started second, had drifted back to no lower than eighth over the past 300 laps but had surged to third behind Cashman and Garrett Hillman.

When Buzz Goff spun out on lap 310, all the teams on the lead lap pulled in for a pit stop.

“What are we doin’?” Tanner asked.

“You’re takin’ four tires,” Burns said.

“You sure that’s a good idea? We might lose what we’ve worked so hard to get here.”

“Just trust me, kid. It’ll work out.”

When the pit stop concluded, Tanner zipped back onto the track in ninth place.

“I hope you made a good call, Burns. I’m not likin’ this.”

“Just be smart. You’ll see.”

On lap 315, Tanner passed two drivers to move up to seventh. Three laps later, he passed two more. By lap 320, he was sitting on Cashman’s tail.

“Fourteen more laps,” Burns said. “Just be patient and wait for the right moment to make your move.”

For the next ten laps, Tanner remained poised to take advantage of any opening he could get to slip past Cashman. The lapped traffic made it more difficult than he thought. And then there was another caution.

“What is it this time?” Tanner asked.

“Debris on the roadway,” Burns said.

“Imagine that. NASCAR wants a green-white-checkered finish.”

“You’ve got the fresher tires. Cashman only took two.”

Tanner chuckled. “Let’s hope that’s his undoin’.” He still wanted to put Cashman into the wall.

Tanner watched the pace car peel off into the pits.

“Green, green, green,” the spotter said.

It’s now or never.

Tanner jammed his foot on the gas and edged his way past Cashman on the outside of the back straightaway.

“Clear, clear, clear,” the spotter said.

“Good job,” Burns said. “Keep it up, kid.”

Tanner drifted down in front of Cashman and started to pull away. He sped through turn four and down the front straightaway. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the crowd rising to its collective feet as the white flag waved, signaling the final lap.

“Just keep it steady, and you’ve got this race,” Burns said.

Tanner felt adrenaline surge through his body. Though he’d never touched drugs, he couldn’t imagine any high surpassing what he felt in this moment. He’d all but vanquished his archrival and secured a spot in the championship chase in Miami for the season’s final race.

He whipped through turn two. The 39 car was running the best it had ever run.

Burns words crackled over the radio. “You got this. Bring it home.”

As Tanner approached turn three, he took his foot off the gas, but nothing happened. He stomped on the gas, hoping to free up the stuck throttle.

“The throttle’s stuck!” Tanner said.

Burns watched in horror.

Tanner jammed his foot on the brake. Everything but the car slowed down. Impact with the wall remained imminent in less than a second, but it felt like a minute to Tanner with frightful anticipation.

Wham!

Traveling at just over 195 miles per hour, the 39 car slammed into the wall.