“Folks, you’ve heard it HERE! April 1st – there will be the grudge match to END all grudge matches!”
The crowd ROARED its approval…
“I’ve just got word from one of the owners up in the booth that they are going to promote the races you can see here at Tri-County Raceway Park - former known as Tri-County Drag Strip for all of us old guys – and there will definitely be a crowd on hand that night. We’ve just heard the challenges laid down – Bill Reynolds is going to try and not only win back the blown Dodge Charger SRT-8 he lost tonight to Steve Morton, a hometown boy, but he has challenged Steve and his wicked ’87 Grand National to a real slugfest. Steve is going to be racing the races of his life but he also stands to pick up some serious cars IF – and that is a BIG if, folks – IF he can beat the sick Shelby GT-500 that handed him a disappointing loss tonight, then against a truly monster of a Viper – a Venom 800, and IF he wins those two races, he is going to face none other than the King Kong of Hemi cars, the ’69 Road Runner that is parked over there beside the big Summit racing sign.
That Plymouth is said to be a 9 second capable car from what I’ve been hearing here this evening but it has yet to run a 9. Steve is going to have his hands FULL against that Mopar IF he can make it that far. But here’s what Steve stands to lose – he could lose not only that beautiful GN we’ve all come to know around here as a real giant killer, but a built Stage 2 motor that he has at home AND the SRT-8 Dodge Charger he won tonight.
Folks, this is war – RACE WARS to be exact… and its going down HERE!”
People were slowly but reluctantly beginning to trickle out of the track exits; the sounds/smells of a few vehicles starting up filled the air and the loudest ones threatened to drown out the announcer as he kept plugging the race for anyone who was listening. Most people were just hanging around, enjoying the night and/or retelling what THEY saw or what were doing when they watched the GN beat the SRT-8. The glow of red tail lights began to snake out of the parking area and onto the big exit boulevard…
“So be here at TCRP on Saturday night, April 1 for RACE WARS – this isn’t going to be your usual drag racing folks! Hold on; wait just a minute people – I’ve got another message coming in…”
The announcer was fumbling with his earpiece, apparently being the recipient of another bit of info from the booth up top of the stands…
“Wow! You’re not going to believe this one, TCPR fans! Walt – one of the owners who is also up in the booth - just informed me that Speed Channel has expressed interest in this event already! Seems that one of the station’s reps was here tonight considering TCRP for a possible “Pinks Challenge” event, saw the carnage already meted out by our racers and he says that Speed Channel DEFINITELY wants a piece of the action! He just informed Walt that Speed is willing to pony up – now get THIS! – a TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS cash purse PLUS a few incidental prizes possibly including some tires, wheels, exhaust work, or maybe some other high-quality race parts to the winner! Wow! How great is that?! PLUS, he ALSO said that he definitely wants exclusive, live broadcast rights of the event that night!
HOLY COW, Race fans! We just might be on TV! Wait a minute - I - hold on, there’s more coming in…”
Everyone who was even THINKING about leaving stopped dead in their tracks with the latest news…
“Bill? Steve? We’ve got a condition on this offering from Speed. C’mon over here – I need to talk to you both… Stand by, everyone – this is going to get even more interesting…”
People were already pushing back towards the area where we all were standing. I was holding the title to the Charger in my hand and had just asked Stacy to drive it home for me when the announcer started in. I just then realized that, not only was it getting really chilly and that a breeze had picked up, but that I was starved! None of us had eaten much other than a nibble of some of the concession foods when we first got there. Next stop before going home? The Red Barn! One of our favorite cruise-in spots of the summer; a place you could ALWAYS find heavy hitter street machines or the latest ricer creations and everything in between… For some reason – most likely my empty stomach! – at the moment, I was MORE interested in a Big Barney double cheeseburger, some onion rings and a Coke than what the announcer was saying… but he soon got my interest back – in a BIG way…
Bill and I walked on over to the announcer… he leaned in and began to explain what was up….
“Bill – Steve, the Speed Channel rep up in the booth is none other than Kail Christensen, Rich Christensen’s brother, and is one of the co-host of sorts on ‘Pinks’. Kail doesn’t want his name put out that he’s here because he doesn’t want to be flooded with a bunch of local yokels asking to be on TV but it is DEFINITELY him. And, Kail confirmed that Pinks wants to cover this race like none they’ve done before… But… there’s always a ‘but’ isn’t there?”
Bill and I just listened as people tried to push in to hear what he was saying. He had the microphone covered so it wasn’t going out on the P/A…
“They would like a little more time to advertise this event… Kail said that IF you guys will agree to run on the first Saturday of May – I think that is May 6 - instead of the first of April, they will up the prize money to TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS plus OTHER assorted goodies that they are sure they can get sponsors such as Summit, Jegs, TireRack, and more to kick in for advertising fees! What do you say? Are you IN??? He said the contingency prizes could be worth as much as another ten grand if not more. This could be HUGE, guys. What do you say?”
I could see Kelly, B and Stacy looking at me, wondering what was up… I just gave her a wink and she smiled back in an instant - and immediately, that gorgeous smile of hers warmed me up once more… I knew she was ok with whatever was going to happen – after all, she was ALL for racing at the track.
I leaned in toward the announcer…
“I can’t speak for Bill but I have no problem with either date. I’ll be ready on April first but HE might need a few more weeks… after all – he already lost one car.”
I couldn’t resist a chance to twist the knife a bit…
Bill turned and glared at me then just grinned that Jack Nicholson grin…
“I’m ok either date as well. It’s up to you guys here at the track. YOU choose…”
“Ok… we’re going with May first then. I’ll announce it to the crowd…”
“Ok, race fans – here’s the deal. Pinks is IN!”
The crowd roared again.
“But – there is a contingency – they want to back up the race date to May 1 for a couple of reasons, the main one being that they want time to advertise this event plus time to schmooze with their sponsors and other possible new ones in order to get some more prizes for the winner of this monstrous event. So, Bill and Steve have agreed to wait and run on the first Saturday night in May! That is only about 6 weeks away folks! But get this – Speed Channel has also upped the prize money to a STAGGERING TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS to the winner!”
The roar from the crowd was even bigger than before!
Talk about ‘Lose your race, lose your ride’! This is, “Win the race, win it ALL! There will be NO consolation prizes for the loser; no tires, no wheels, no race fuel, not even an air filter. It will be winner take ALL! So mark your calendars, put in for vacation if you have to work that Saturday night because the racing THAT evening is the biggest thing to hit TCRP since, well, since it’s been built! Come early, stay all day – we’ll have the track open at noon for people to get in the gates and we’ll have other racing events to be announced later that afternoon. The grudge match between Bill and Steve will begin at 7pm SHARP. It will not be a best of 5 racing format like you see on ‘Pinks’ – it will simply be as many as three races. And Steve has to win the first one for the racing to continue. If he wins that one, he has to win the second race, which will be run at 8pm, to continue. And if he wins the second one, then the final race will be run at 9PM and that will be for it all…
Race fans – I’m telling you this; you do NOT want to miss this event! Be here!!!! Saturday, May 6, the gates open at noon, Speed Channel will be here broadcasting live as well as taping it for replay later. See you then!”
With that, the announcer pulled his finger across his throat and the P/A went silent with background music being played. The crowd was abuzz like never before with many people hovering around the cars.
It took us almost a half hour to finally exit the track. People kept coming up to look at the GN, to ask questions, or to just say how excited they were about what had happened and about what was coming in May. The gang and I tried to talk to everyone but it was almost impossible. We were so busy that we didn’t even notice that Bill had taken his stuff from the Charger and disappeared. And, none of us even heard the cars start up or leave – we were just swarmed with people….
Kel, Stacy, and B walked over to the Charger and opened the doors. The interior was nearly stock from what I could see other than the front seats were race seats, not the plush SRT-8 buckets. However, the rear seat was still in place so I didn’t know exactly how much ‘lightening’ Bill had done to the car.
Stacy had the key so she started up the beast after everyone was in and backed up to follow me out of the track. We slowly motored on out the entrance part and then out into the parking area where Stacy pulled up and let Kel and Brandon off to get their cars. I waited to make sure everyone got their car started and then we headed on out and onto the highway, the traffic fairly light but steady.
A million thoughts were swirling through my head at that point… first of all – I had just won a car that was worth a LOT of money and had won it in less than 11 seconds. That in itself was amazing – I had never raced for titles before and I must say that doing so, while incredibly exciting, was also very intimidating. And that thought led me to another one…
I had just accepted a challenge to race not only ONE fast car but THREE fast cars! That meant that not only did I stand to lose my GN – and the first race was against a car that had already spanked my Buick soundly – but the SRT-8 I had just won PLUS the Stage Motor in the garage. Doubt began to creep into my brain… sort of like fear does when you are in uncharted waters. The excitement of the night was ebbing away and even the prospect of winning more money than I make for several months’ work didn’t ease my concerns.
I could LOSE the GN and the Stage motor… Honestly, I didn’t really care if I won or lost the SRT-8; I just wanted to shut Bill’s big pie-hole.
But now… I COULD lose my GN. I bought that car several years ago and had spent a LOT of time and money getting it where it was. I would never sell the car; I could have done that many, many times. So why in the world did I just sign on to possibly GIVE it away?
Sweat crept upon my brow… I wasn’t hungry anymore… I began to wonder where my sanity was, why didn’t somebody stop me???
I COULD LOSE THE GN! I must be crazy!
I was following Kelly in her GTO and Brandon and Stacy were behind me. All of these emotions were racing through my head… fear, happiness, worry, doubt, pride… all of them were wracking me with wonder whether I was certifiably insane…
At this point, we were almost in Barstow; it’s the point where the road widens from four lanes to six (with a turning lane in the center). Brandon and Stacy pulled up beside Kel and me with B in the lead so at this point we were running two columns wide. I happened to look up in my rear view mirror and saw a set of headlights approaching from the rear at a fairly rapid pace and as it got closer, the driver began flashing his brights to try and get someone’s attention…
As we began to approach the first major intersection which is just before you enter the City limits, the car pulled on over behind Stacy and then on over into the far right lane which would put the car apposite Brandon. I watched it pull on over and noticed it was a Yellow Terminator Cobra; most likely an ’04 since it appeared to be the deeper yellow than that of the ’03 Cobras. The ‘04’s yellow is “Screaming Yellow” which is aptly named – it is a BEAUTIFUL color; the ’03 yellow is called Zinc yellow and it is a little paler than the ’04 color. The car that was sidling up next to Brandon had to be an ’04.
I watched with interest as the Terminator pulled up alongside B’s Shelby. I caught Kelly’s glance and motioned for her to let me pull ahead of her and next to Brandon – I just had a feeling that a pretty good street race was about to go down!
In seconds, I knew my hunch was correct.
Stopping for the light, I noticed that B had rolled down his passenger side window and that he was talking with the Cobra guy. (I did find out later that it was indeed an ’04 Cobra – and, it wasn’t quite stock… but more on that later….)
In seconds, B glanced my way and gave me a thumbs up – I knew he was anxious to get some more action since he didn’t get as many passes in as he would like. With all the hoopla on several of the Car Forums on the Web, there seemed to be a lot of competition between the new Shelby guys and the Termie owners – here we were about to see what was what in the real world; out on the streets, in the middle of the night, Cobra vs Shelby GT500.
I rolled down my windows just so I could hear what was about to play out… Kelly and Stacy were behind me, nobody was in the turning lane but some more traffic was approaching from the read. Up ahead, Barstow’s city limits were aglow with all the night-life of an early spring evening, the glow from the lights illuminating the night sky with a beckoning call to come have fun…
The scene played out like thousands of similar scenes each night in each city of this great country… two guys in cars were lined up – man to man – and were going to slug it out for nothing more than bragging rights. It is something that has been going on since the second car was built – who has the fastest car is a question that, if you are a car nut, always needs an answer. It doesn’t matter if you’re driving a ’57 Chevy, a ’64 GTO, a ’68 Barracuda, a ’70 GTO Judge, a 32 Deuce coupe, a ’50 Merc, a ’55 Crown Vic, an ’87 5.0, a ’90 IROC Camaro – it just does not matter. If another car is beside you and you are a CAR GUY (or gal), you just HAVE to know the answer to this question – “Who’s car is faster?”
I turned down the stereo earlier, sacrificing the Chili Pepper’s latest tune, “Snow” (an absolute AWESOME song by the way) because I wanted to hear the music that those two guys to my right were about to play out. I had heard the whine of the Cobra’s blower as he slowed and I wondered if he might have Whippled it or more… it was LOUD… louder than B’s Shelby for sure…
Watching the lights sequence so that the cross traffic was already stopped (only a car to our left), we were waiting for the turn lanes to sequence on through…. It would be on in less than thirty seconds… I could hear B bringing up the revs and even louder still, I could hear the Cobra jockey bringing his up as well. Brandon was back on his D/R’s so I knew that traction was definitely going to be an issue for him but I was hoping he was going to dial in a little less rpm this time in the hopes of dancing with the devil trying to avoid bogging the motor or blowing off the tires… it wouldn’t take much either way – the rpms had to be JUST RIGHT…
We watched the turn lanes’ lights go to caution…
The rpms of the two Mustangs were steady… not screaming but still bare-chested strong… Terminator Cobra versus Shelby GT500…
I hadn’t noticed what the Cobra was shod with. I was just wishing I had the video camera in hand – I knew Brandon would have wanted me to film this if at all possible…
None of us noticed that approaching from the other direction was another late model Dodge Charger. It had slowed to a stop in the inside lane and was plain-Jane white, looking all for the world like any other ’06 or ’07 R/T Charger.
Have you ever been about to do something, maybe watch something, that you get this little niggling feeling that you really shouldn’t do or that maybe you should try to stop? As I watched that white Charger slow to a stop, I wondered if B or the Cobra guy noticed him… Knowing how a driver gets zoned in when he’s about to race I already knew the answer – no, they did not even see it. Both Brandon and Cobra jockey were staring at the light waiting for the amber to light in the turn lane which would clue them to get ready to loose the reins on their rides…
We didn’t know it but sitting in the white Charger was someone who just happened to take stock of the situation in the lanes approaching HIM. Seeing three high performance vehicles lined up side to side to side, he deduced very quickly that a street race MIGHT just be going down.
Of course – he was right. So, without batting an eye, he just sat and watched…. And waited…
Back on our side of the intersection, the light began to cycle… time stood still once more… the sounds of the motors seemed to drop in tone, almost to guttural growls of some prehistoric beasts or leviathans, trying to size each other up in order to kill the opposing foe…
The guy in the Charger reached down on the passenger side seat and picked something up… he had already put his car in park, even though he was sitting in a driving lane… no one was behind him… he casually opened the door and began to step from the car… no one could see him remove the hat from his head and lay it down on the seat where he had just picked up the…
Yellow… in less than a second, our lanes would go green and both B and the Cobra would launch HARD into the night…
Across the intersection, I just happened to see that whoever was in the Charger had opened the door… ‘That’s odd’ I remember thinking… ‘He should be getting ready to pull away…. I wonder why he’s stepping from his car?”
I didn’t know it at that precise moment but it just so happened that Brandon had noticed the Charger’s door opening… yet, he paid it no mind… he had a race to run… the Cobra guy was completely oblivious… he smelled a certifiable kill of a Shelby about to happen…
GREEN!!! Both cars launched and launched hard! Brandon and the Cobra were neck and neck from the line, neither one noting that the guy in the Charger was standing by his door, aiming something he was holding in both hands in their direction and following them as they passed him… roaring off towards the city limits…
Had either B or the Cobra guy looked, they would have noticed that the guy watching them was wearing a uniform… and he was intently aiming his device at them as they passed by him… he turned to follow them, noting what was reading out on the display of the object he held in his hand… license plate numbers were also being recorded had either Ford driver taken the time to notice…
But they didn’t… they were racing…
Street racing… a dangerous and very, very illegal thing to do. But also an event that will never cease as long as two people have cars… especially high-performance coupes with hundreds of horsepower…
Both cars were neck and neck. Both were running six speeds which is the stock transmission of both cars – Tremec T-56’s I believe. The screams of both blowers wailed strongly in the night… I tried to launch reasonably because I had seen what the Charger guy was doing – he was getting it all down…. But yet, I didn’t want to miss what might happen. As I passed the Charger, I saw the driver slide back into the seat of his car… looking in my mirror, I watched the big Mopar cross on over and make a U-turn, accelerating quickly up behind the girls and me… then, he was lost from sight for a moment… I tried to see who was leading up ahead but I knew it was close…
Just then, I saw Charger headlights pull into the lane to my right – the lane B was in – and that the car was pulling rapidly upon me. Up ahead, I saw the taillights of the Cobra go on first, then B’s….
I still didn’t know who had ‘won’ – but I had a feeling that it wasn’t going to matter because I just knew for sure that the white Charger was one of Barstow’s new Police Chargers… and that Brandon was busted dead to rights for street racing… THIS was going to be expensive…
The white Charger passed me and the roar of its Hemi sped on into the night, racing towards the two Mustangs. I saw that both B and the Cobra had pulled off into a car lot (“Delord’s Auto Center”). As we neared, I watched the Charger pull in as well…
In seconds, our caravan pulled into the lot and we saw the guy from the Charger was talking to both B and the Cobra guy. I could see the crisp creases of his uniform pants, the shine of his black shoes glistening with the reflection of the overhead lights that were also dancing beams from the many, many cars on the lot… I noted his regulation shirt and its many pins and markings…
And I noticed he was holding something in his hand, showing it to both B and the Cobra guy… doomed… they were definitely doomed now…
As I pulled up and stopped, hearing Kel and Stacy do the same, it was then I noticed that there were no flashing lights on the Charger. I thought that was odd…
And, I also noticed that this cop wasn’t wearing his gun belt... that was odd too…
And, I noticed that the Charger didn’t have city plates on it – they were marked “Government”… what the hell?
It was then I noticed that I wasn’t watching a Cop about to read B and the Cobra guy their Miranda rights – it was an Air Force Recruiter who had recorded the entire race on his hand held JVC Digital camcorder!
Whew!!!!
Now THAT was a close call!
As I walked up, B was all excited… “Did you SEE THAT, Steve?”
“Actually, I couldn’t see crap – and I was sure I was going to need whatever prize money I MIGHT win to get your sorry ass out of jail for street racing right in front of a policeman! So – what’s the deal?”
B went on to explain that they were pretty much neck and neck until well into second gear, that he had got a good launch and that the shifts went perfectly. But he also went on to say that…
He lost. The Terminator just had a little too much for his Shelby.
“So, you lost – but you’re still grinning? What’s up with that, B?”
He just kept grinning as did the guy in the Air Force blues… interesting, isn’t it? There are Car Nuts EVERYWHERE!
“Well, I might have lost THIS race but we’re going to meet up again come May 6 when you are racing good, ol’ Bill. Seems that this Cobra – oh, this is Derrick by the way and he’s a good guy; after all, he DOES drive a FORD you know – has a few mods. Now, I’m not using this as an excuse but listen to this…
He’s got a stage 3 ported supercharger, ported plenum, ported BBK twin 65mm TB, a K&N filter, an upper pulley, Dynomax exhaust, high-flow cats, a fairly new spec stage 3 clutch, a new shifter, MT drag radial tires on back, and the car is putting down over 500 RWHP! Hell, I’m happy I gave him the race I did!”
Wow… I KNEW that car sounded bad-ass!
We all shot the breeze for a few more minutes, the recruiter got our email addresses and promised to send up a file of the race, and we got back in our cars, joined by Derrick in his yellow Cobra…
But none of us – not even the recruiter had noticed the shiny Silver 300C that had pulled onto the lot at the far end, slowed to a stop and then shut off. Nor could we see that we were being filmed… and we definitely didn’t know that while the Air Force recruiter had filmed the race as well, that so did someone else…
Someone who was NOT as nearly nice as the guy who had just left the lot in the white Charger… someone who WAS carrying a gun…
Actually, they were ALL carrying guns…
And Bill Reynolds was one of them.
To be continued…
The crowd ROARED its approval…
“I’ve just got word from one of the owners up in the booth that they are going to promote the races you can see here at Tri-County Raceway Park - former known as Tri-County Drag Strip for all of us old guys – and there will definitely be a crowd on hand that night. We’ve just heard the challenges laid down – Bill Reynolds is going to try and not only win back the blown Dodge Charger SRT-8 he lost tonight to Steve Morton, a hometown boy, but he has challenged Steve and his wicked ’87 Grand National to a real slugfest. Steve is going to be racing the races of his life but he also stands to pick up some serious cars IF – and that is a BIG if, folks – IF he can beat the sick Shelby GT-500 that handed him a disappointing loss tonight, then against a truly monster of a Viper – a Venom 800, and IF he wins those two races, he is going to face none other than the King Kong of Hemi cars, the ’69 Road Runner that is parked over there beside the big Summit racing sign.
That Plymouth is said to be a 9 second capable car from what I’ve been hearing here this evening but it has yet to run a 9. Steve is going to have his hands FULL against that Mopar IF he can make it that far. But here’s what Steve stands to lose – he could lose not only that beautiful GN we’ve all come to know around here as a real giant killer, but a built Stage 2 motor that he has at home AND the SRT-8 Dodge Charger he won tonight.
Folks, this is war – RACE WARS to be exact… and its going down HERE!”
People were slowly but reluctantly beginning to trickle out of the track exits; the sounds/smells of a few vehicles starting up filled the air and the loudest ones threatened to drown out the announcer as he kept plugging the race for anyone who was listening. Most people were just hanging around, enjoying the night and/or retelling what THEY saw or what were doing when they watched the GN beat the SRT-8. The glow of red tail lights began to snake out of the parking area and onto the big exit boulevard…
“So be here at TCRP on Saturday night, April 1 for RACE WARS – this isn’t going to be your usual drag racing folks! Hold on; wait just a minute people – I’ve got another message coming in…”
The announcer was fumbling with his earpiece, apparently being the recipient of another bit of info from the booth up top of the stands…
“Wow! You’re not going to believe this one, TCPR fans! Walt – one of the owners who is also up in the booth - just informed me that Speed Channel has expressed interest in this event already! Seems that one of the station’s reps was here tonight considering TCRP for a possible “Pinks Challenge” event, saw the carnage already meted out by our racers and he says that Speed Channel DEFINITELY wants a piece of the action! He just informed Walt that Speed is willing to pony up – now get THIS! – a TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS cash purse PLUS a few incidental prizes possibly including some tires, wheels, exhaust work, or maybe some other high-quality race parts to the winner! Wow! How great is that?! PLUS, he ALSO said that he definitely wants exclusive, live broadcast rights of the event that night!
HOLY COW, Race fans! We just might be on TV! Wait a minute - I - hold on, there’s more coming in…”
Everyone who was even THINKING about leaving stopped dead in their tracks with the latest news…
“Bill? Steve? We’ve got a condition on this offering from Speed. C’mon over here – I need to talk to you both… Stand by, everyone – this is going to get even more interesting…”
People were already pushing back towards the area where we all were standing. I was holding the title to the Charger in my hand and had just asked Stacy to drive it home for me when the announcer started in. I just then realized that, not only was it getting really chilly and that a breeze had picked up, but that I was starved! None of us had eaten much other than a nibble of some of the concession foods when we first got there. Next stop before going home? The Red Barn! One of our favorite cruise-in spots of the summer; a place you could ALWAYS find heavy hitter street machines or the latest ricer creations and everything in between… For some reason – most likely my empty stomach! – at the moment, I was MORE interested in a Big Barney double cheeseburger, some onion rings and a Coke than what the announcer was saying… but he soon got my interest back – in a BIG way…
Bill and I walked on over to the announcer… he leaned in and began to explain what was up….
“Bill – Steve, the Speed Channel rep up in the booth is none other than Kail Christensen, Rich Christensen’s brother, and is one of the co-host of sorts on ‘Pinks’. Kail doesn’t want his name put out that he’s here because he doesn’t want to be flooded with a bunch of local yokels asking to be on TV but it is DEFINITELY him. And, Kail confirmed that Pinks wants to cover this race like none they’ve done before… But… there’s always a ‘but’ isn’t there?”
Bill and I just listened as people tried to push in to hear what he was saying. He had the microphone covered so it wasn’t going out on the P/A…
“They would like a little more time to advertise this event… Kail said that IF you guys will agree to run on the first Saturday of May – I think that is May 6 - instead of the first of April, they will up the prize money to TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS plus OTHER assorted goodies that they are sure they can get sponsors such as Summit, Jegs, TireRack, and more to kick in for advertising fees! What do you say? Are you IN??? He said the contingency prizes could be worth as much as another ten grand if not more. This could be HUGE, guys. What do you say?”
I could see Kelly, B and Stacy looking at me, wondering what was up… I just gave her a wink and she smiled back in an instant - and immediately, that gorgeous smile of hers warmed me up once more… I knew she was ok with whatever was going to happen – after all, she was ALL for racing at the track.
I leaned in toward the announcer…
“I can’t speak for Bill but I have no problem with either date. I’ll be ready on April first but HE might need a few more weeks… after all – he already lost one car.”
I couldn’t resist a chance to twist the knife a bit…
Bill turned and glared at me then just grinned that Jack Nicholson grin…
“I’m ok either date as well. It’s up to you guys here at the track. YOU choose…”
“Ok… we’re going with May first then. I’ll announce it to the crowd…”
“Ok, race fans – here’s the deal. Pinks is IN!”
The crowd roared again.
“But – there is a contingency – they want to back up the race date to May 1 for a couple of reasons, the main one being that they want time to advertise this event plus time to schmooze with their sponsors and other possible new ones in order to get some more prizes for the winner of this monstrous event. So, Bill and Steve have agreed to wait and run on the first Saturday night in May! That is only about 6 weeks away folks! But get this – Speed Channel has also upped the prize money to a STAGGERING TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS to the winner!”
The roar from the crowd was even bigger than before!
Talk about ‘Lose your race, lose your ride’! This is, “Win the race, win it ALL! There will be NO consolation prizes for the loser; no tires, no wheels, no race fuel, not even an air filter. It will be winner take ALL! So mark your calendars, put in for vacation if you have to work that Saturday night because the racing THAT evening is the biggest thing to hit TCRP since, well, since it’s been built! Come early, stay all day – we’ll have the track open at noon for people to get in the gates and we’ll have other racing events to be announced later that afternoon. The grudge match between Bill and Steve will begin at 7pm SHARP. It will not be a best of 5 racing format like you see on ‘Pinks’ – it will simply be as many as three races. And Steve has to win the first one for the racing to continue. If he wins that one, he has to win the second race, which will be run at 8pm, to continue. And if he wins the second one, then the final race will be run at 9PM and that will be for it all…
Race fans – I’m telling you this; you do NOT want to miss this event! Be here!!!! Saturday, May 6, the gates open at noon, Speed Channel will be here broadcasting live as well as taping it for replay later. See you then!”
With that, the announcer pulled his finger across his throat and the P/A went silent with background music being played. The crowd was abuzz like never before with many people hovering around the cars.
It took us almost a half hour to finally exit the track. People kept coming up to look at the GN, to ask questions, or to just say how excited they were about what had happened and about what was coming in May. The gang and I tried to talk to everyone but it was almost impossible. We were so busy that we didn’t even notice that Bill had taken his stuff from the Charger and disappeared. And, none of us even heard the cars start up or leave – we were just swarmed with people….
Kel, Stacy, and B walked over to the Charger and opened the doors. The interior was nearly stock from what I could see other than the front seats were race seats, not the plush SRT-8 buckets. However, the rear seat was still in place so I didn’t know exactly how much ‘lightening’ Bill had done to the car.
Stacy had the key so she started up the beast after everyone was in and backed up to follow me out of the track. We slowly motored on out the entrance part and then out into the parking area where Stacy pulled up and let Kel and Brandon off to get their cars. I waited to make sure everyone got their car started and then we headed on out and onto the highway, the traffic fairly light but steady.
A million thoughts were swirling through my head at that point… first of all – I had just won a car that was worth a LOT of money and had won it in less than 11 seconds. That in itself was amazing – I had never raced for titles before and I must say that doing so, while incredibly exciting, was also very intimidating. And that thought led me to another one…
I had just accepted a challenge to race not only ONE fast car but THREE fast cars! That meant that not only did I stand to lose my GN – and the first race was against a car that had already spanked my Buick soundly – but the SRT-8 I had just won PLUS the Stage Motor in the garage. Doubt began to creep into my brain… sort of like fear does when you are in uncharted waters. The excitement of the night was ebbing away and even the prospect of winning more money than I make for several months’ work didn’t ease my concerns.
I could LOSE the GN and the Stage motor… Honestly, I didn’t really care if I won or lost the SRT-8; I just wanted to shut Bill’s big pie-hole.
But now… I COULD lose my GN. I bought that car several years ago and had spent a LOT of time and money getting it where it was. I would never sell the car; I could have done that many, many times. So why in the world did I just sign on to possibly GIVE it away?
Sweat crept upon my brow… I wasn’t hungry anymore… I began to wonder where my sanity was, why didn’t somebody stop me???
I COULD LOSE THE GN! I must be crazy!
I was following Kelly in her GTO and Brandon and Stacy were behind me. All of these emotions were racing through my head… fear, happiness, worry, doubt, pride… all of them were wracking me with wonder whether I was certifiably insane…
At this point, we were almost in Barstow; it’s the point where the road widens from four lanes to six (with a turning lane in the center). Brandon and Stacy pulled up beside Kel and me with B in the lead so at this point we were running two columns wide. I happened to look up in my rear view mirror and saw a set of headlights approaching from the rear at a fairly rapid pace and as it got closer, the driver began flashing his brights to try and get someone’s attention…
As we began to approach the first major intersection which is just before you enter the City limits, the car pulled on over behind Stacy and then on over into the far right lane which would put the car apposite Brandon. I watched it pull on over and noticed it was a Yellow Terminator Cobra; most likely an ’04 since it appeared to be the deeper yellow than that of the ’03 Cobras. The ‘04’s yellow is “Screaming Yellow” which is aptly named – it is a BEAUTIFUL color; the ’03 yellow is called Zinc yellow and it is a little paler than the ’04 color. The car that was sidling up next to Brandon had to be an ’04.
I watched with interest as the Terminator pulled up alongside B’s Shelby. I caught Kelly’s glance and motioned for her to let me pull ahead of her and next to Brandon – I just had a feeling that a pretty good street race was about to go down!
In seconds, I knew my hunch was correct.
Stopping for the light, I noticed that B had rolled down his passenger side window and that he was talking with the Cobra guy. (I did find out later that it was indeed an ’04 Cobra – and, it wasn’t quite stock… but more on that later….)
In seconds, B glanced my way and gave me a thumbs up – I knew he was anxious to get some more action since he didn’t get as many passes in as he would like. With all the hoopla on several of the Car Forums on the Web, there seemed to be a lot of competition between the new Shelby guys and the Termie owners – here we were about to see what was what in the real world; out on the streets, in the middle of the night, Cobra vs Shelby GT500.
I rolled down my windows just so I could hear what was about to play out… Kelly and Stacy were behind me, nobody was in the turning lane but some more traffic was approaching from the read. Up ahead, Barstow’s city limits were aglow with all the night-life of an early spring evening, the glow from the lights illuminating the night sky with a beckoning call to come have fun…
The scene played out like thousands of similar scenes each night in each city of this great country… two guys in cars were lined up – man to man – and were going to slug it out for nothing more than bragging rights. It is something that has been going on since the second car was built – who has the fastest car is a question that, if you are a car nut, always needs an answer. It doesn’t matter if you’re driving a ’57 Chevy, a ’64 GTO, a ’68 Barracuda, a ’70 GTO Judge, a 32 Deuce coupe, a ’50 Merc, a ’55 Crown Vic, an ’87 5.0, a ’90 IROC Camaro – it just does not matter. If another car is beside you and you are a CAR GUY (or gal), you just HAVE to know the answer to this question – “Who’s car is faster?”
I turned down the stereo earlier, sacrificing the Chili Pepper’s latest tune, “Snow” (an absolute AWESOME song by the way) because I wanted to hear the music that those two guys to my right were about to play out. I had heard the whine of the Cobra’s blower as he slowed and I wondered if he might have Whippled it or more… it was LOUD… louder than B’s Shelby for sure…
Watching the lights sequence so that the cross traffic was already stopped (only a car to our left), we were waiting for the turn lanes to sequence on through…. It would be on in less than thirty seconds… I could hear B bringing up the revs and even louder still, I could hear the Cobra jockey bringing his up as well. Brandon was back on his D/R’s so I knew that traction was definitely going to be an issue for him but I was hoping he was going to dial in a little less rpm this time in the hopes of dancing with the devil trying to avoid bogging the motor or blowing off the tires… it wouldn’t take much either way – the rpms had to be JUST RIGHT…
We watched the turn lanes’ lights go to caution…
The rpms of the two Mustangs were steady… not screaming but still bare-chested strong… Terminator Cobra versus Shelby GT500…
I hadn’t noticed what the Cobra was shod with. I was just wishing I had the video camera in hand – I knew Brandon would have wanted me to film this if at all possible…
None of us noticed that approaching from the other direction was another late model Dodge Charger. It had slowed to a stop in the inside lane and was plain-Jane white, looking all for the world like any other ’06 or ’07 R/T Charger.
Have you ever been about to do something, maybe watch something, that you get this little niggling feeling that you really shouldn’t do or that maybe you should try to stop? As I watched that white Charger slow to a stop, I wondered if B or the Cobra guy noticed him… Knowing how a driver gets zoned in when he’s about to race I already knew the answer – no, they did not even see it. Both Brandon and Cobra jockey were staring at the light waiting for the amber to light in the turn lane which would clue them to get ready to loose the reins on their rides…
We didn’t know it but sitting in the white Charger was someone who just happened to take stock of the situation in the lanes approaching HIM. Seeing three high performance vehicles lined up side to side to side, he deduced very quickly that a street race MIGHT just be going down.
Of course – he was right. So, without batting an eye, he just sat and watched…. And waited…
Back on our side of the intersection, the light began to cycle… time stood still once more… the sounds of the motors seemed to drop in tone, almost to guttural growls of some prehistoric beasts or leviathans, trying to size each other up in order to kill the opposing foe…
The guy in the Charger reached down on the passenger side seat and picked something up… he had already put his car in park, even though he was sitting in a driving lane… no one was behind him… he casually opened the door and began to step from the car… no one could see him remove the hat from his head and lay it down on the seat where he had just picked up the…
Yellow… in less than a second, our lanes would go green and both B and the Cobra would launch HARD into the night…
Across the intersection, I just happened to see that whoever was in the Charger had opened the door… ‘That’s odd’ I remember thinking… ‘He should be getting ready to pull away…. I wonder why he’s stepping from his car?”
I didn’t know it at that precise moment but it just so happened that Brandon had noticed the Charger’s door opening… yet, he paid it no mind… he had a race to run… the Cobra guy was completely oblivious… he smelled a certifiable kill of a Shelby about to happen…
GREEN!!! Both cars launched and launched hard! Brandon and the Cobra were neck and neck from the line, neither one noting that the guy in the Charger was standing by his door, aiming something he was holding in both hands in their direction and following them as they passed him… roaring off towards the city limits…
Had either B or the Cobra guy looked, they would have noticed that the guy watching them was wearing a uniform… and he was intently aiming his device at them as they passed by him… he turned to follow them, noting what was reading out on the display of the object he held in his hand… license plate numbers were also being recorded had either Ford driver taken the time to notice…
But they didn’t… they were racing…
Street racing… a dangerous and very, very illegal thing to do. But also an event that will never cease as long as two people have cars… especially high-performance coupes with hundreds of horsepower…
Both cars were neck and neck. Both were running six speeds which is the stock transmission of both cars – Tremec T-56’s I believe. The screams of both blowers wailed strongly in the night… I tried to launch reasonably because I had seen what the Charger guy was doing – he was getting it all down…. But yet, I didn’t want to miss what might happen. As I passed the Charger, I saw the driver slide back into the seat of his car… looking in my mirror, I watched the big Mopar cross on over and make a U-turn, accelerating quickly up behind the girls and me… then, he was lost from sight for a moment… I tried to see who was leading up ahead but I knew it was close…
Just then, I saw Charger headlights pull into the lane to my right – the lane B was in – and that the car was pulling rapidly upon me. Up ahead, I saw the taillights of the Cobra go on first, then B’s….
I still didn’t know who had ‘won’ – but I had a feeling that it wasn’t going to matter because I just knew for sure that the white Charger was one of Barstow’s new Police Chargers… and that Brandon was busted dead to rights for street racing… THIS was going to be expensive…
The white Charger passed me and the roar of its Hemi sped on into the night, racing towards the two Mustangs. I saw that both B and the Cobra had pulled off into a car lot (“Delord’s Auto Center”). As we neared, I watched the Charger pull in as well…
In seconds, our caravan pulled into the lot and we saw the guy from the Charger was talking to both B and the Cobra guy. I could see the crisp creases of his uniform pants, the shine of his black shoes glistening with the reflection of the overhead lights that were also dancing beams from the many, many cars on the lot… I noted his regulation shirt and its many pins and markings…
And I noticed he was holding something in his hand, showing it to both B and the Cobra guy… doomed… they were definitely doomed now…
As I pulled up and stopped, hearing Kel and Stacy do the same, it was then I noticed that there were no flashing lights on the Charger. I thought that was odd…
And, I also noticed that this cop wasn’t wearing his gun belt... that was odd too…
And, I noticed that the Charger didn’t have city plates on it – they were marked “Government”… what the hell?
It was then I noticed that I wasn’t watching a Cop about to read B and the Cobra guy their Miranda rights – it was an Air Force Recruiter who had recorded the entire race on his hand held JVC Digital camcorder!
Whew!!!!
Now THAT was a close call!
As I walked up, B was all excited… “Did you SEE THAT, Steve?”
“Actually, I couldn’t see crap – and I was sure I was going to need whatever prize money I MIGHT win to get your sorry ass out of jail for street racing right in front of a policeman! So – what’s the deal?”
B went on to explain that they were pretty much neck and neck until well into second gear, that he had got a good launch and that the shifts went perfectly. But he also went on to say that…
He lost. The Terminator just had a little too much for his Shelby.
“So, you lost – but you’re still grinning? What’s up with that, B?”
He just kept grinning as did the guy in the Air Force blues… interesting, isn’t it? There are Car Nuts EVERYWHERE!
“Well, I might have lost THIS race but we’re going to meet up again come May 6 when you are racing good, ol’ Bill. Seems that this Cobra – oh, this is Derrick by the way and he’s a good guy; after all, he DOES drive a FORD you know – has a few mods. Now, I’m not using this as an excuse but listen to this…
He’s got a stage 3 ported supercharger, ported plenum, ported BBK twin 65mm TB, a K&N filter, an upper pulley, Dynomax exhaust, high-flow cats, a fairly new spec stage 3 clutch, a new shifter, MT drag radial tires on back, and the car is putting down over 500 RWHP! Hell, I’m happy I gave him the race I did!”
Wow… I KNEW that car sounded bad-ass!
We all shot the breeze for a few more minutes, the recruiter got our email addresses and promised to send up a file of the race, and we got back in our cars, joined by Derrick in his yellow Cobra…
But none of us – not even the recruiter had noticed the shiny Silver 300C that had pulled onto the lot at the far end, slowed to a stop and then shut off. Nor could we see that we were being filmed… and we definitely didn’t know that while the Air Force recruiter had filmed the race as well, that so did someone else…
Someone who was NOT as nearly nice as the guy who had just left the lot in the white Charger… someone who WAS carrying a gun…
Actually, they were ALL carrying guns…
And Bill Reynolds was one of them.
To be continued…