Page 175
Story: Black Flag
“Keep coming, three...two...one...wheels straight, foot on the brake bud.”
After ten seconds I wasalready pounding on the wheel. “Come on!” I screamed. “Let’s go, let me GO!”
“Go, go,go!” Kyle finally said as they removed the jack. “Straightout, clear one lane,”
I gained a spot on pitroad, which improved my mood slightly. “Thanks guys, nice pit stop.” Though Isounded irritated, I wasn’t. I was just...nervous?I didn’t get nervous when I raced but today, I think I showed some emotionsdictating that said feeling.
The pit crew was doinga good job tonight but like I said, I wasn’t settling for anything but the win.I knew regardless if I won or not, the chances of me winning the championshipwere good. But have you ever heard that saying, “You can’t have you cake andeat it too.”
I think that statementis another crock of shit. Whoever said that, obviously failed at something andmade that up to make them feel better about losing.
“It’s time to step upto the plate.” I told myself as the green flag dropped.
I wanted to know formyself that those sacrifices that I couldn’t figure out why I was making wereworth it.
My mind drifted back tothe days when I first started racing to now and how mechanical it seemed in asense. When you first start out racing, your mind is constantly scramblinginside that car about how each move will affect you and the outcome of therace. And that’s not to say you still don’t think that way years later but it’sdifferent. With practice, more seat time, your moves and reactions grow surerand going high when you usually wouldn’t almost becomes second nature. It’salmost like muscle memory, your body just reacts and anticipates the signalyou’re giving it. All along you’re collecting notes, your mind developing morememory and responses to the situations until you’re faced with something new.You respond, and find the answer you didn’t know was there. An answer youdidn’t think you had. A move you didn’t think you would make, you do.
Numerous circumstancesplay a part in a race. Pitstops,lapped traffic,caution flags, wrecks, flat tires, as well as strategy. It’s all about how wellyou play against the circumstances andswingthem toyour advantage. There was a moment of disequilibrium when those around you arevulnerable and a sudden unexpected fate turns to your advantage. It’s what youdo in that moment when you make a difference against the circumstance playingagainst you. And the move you didn’t think you’d make turns out to be the moveyou needed.
By lap two-fifty six, Iwas running second behind Tate. I thought about what he said to me in Dover.
“I shouldn’t say that toyou, because I know damn well if you can pull yourself together and get thatdrive, that determination in you back, I don’t stand a chance for a repeatchampionship.”
I smiled and nudged himfrom behind, waving. I raced him fair, but I wasn’t holding back. He put up agood fight like I wanted him too. We bumped and banged for a good ten lapsbefore he finally just went high and let me go with a wave.
“All clear—go get ‘em!” Aiden told me.
You couldn’t miss the excitementin his voice, in everyone’s voice. Our team was in its first year in the cupseries and to come out here and do what we’ve done...it’s unheard of.
You honestly never knowwhen your team will find unity together and it may not even happen the firstyear. Unity between the crew and car chief, crew chief and driver, driver andowner, are all different and unique in their own subtle ways. It’s a rhythmlike any other rhythm and one you need to win a championship. It can happenover a meal, at the table full of empty beer bottles, on the team plane ormaybe at the track during a race where the right call was made or a quick stop.Some find it and others never do.
We had found it andonce you have a drink of victory like we had, nothing will stop you fromplaying with fire to quench the thirst of desire. I knew that fire very well bynow.
“White flag next timeby.” Kyle said. “Come on bud give me onemore goodlaplike the rest of them! Hit your marks one last time kid, you deserve this.Goddamnyou deserve this kid!”
Did I deserve this?
Fuck yeah I did.
That last lap was thelongest lap that I’d ever driven in my career. It felt as though I was drivingacross country.
It also felt like I hadan incredible amount of time to reflect on what this actually meant to me.
Besides the glaringobvious and Doug Durran in 1950, I was the youngest driver to win the NASCARWinston Cup Series Championship and the first to win it in his rookie season.
The excitement andemotion I felt was hard to describe. My entire body shook as I came out of turnthree. The roars of my screaming team over the radio, was enough to rupture myeardrums. Yeah, we had unity all right.
I was a champion.
“YEAH!You guys are fucking awesome!” I screamed for all Iwas worth.
Pounding my fists onthe steering wheel, I took the checkered flag for my twelfth victory of myrookie season, and myfirstNASCAR Winston Cup championship.
My dad was the next onthe radio. “Fuck yeah Jameson! You’ve proven it time and time again—but you didit today!” he choked. “I’m so proud of you!”
Then Kyle wasscreaming, “I knew you could do it!”
I once again had somany emotions running through me. Relief, excitement, anxiety...you name it...I was feeling it.
After ten seconds I wasalready pounding on the wheel. “Come on!” I screamed. “Let’s go, let me GO!”
“Go, go,go!” Kyle finally said as they removed the jack. “Straightout, clear one lane,”
I gained a spot on pitroad, which improved my mood slightly. “Thanks guys, nice pit stop.” Though Isounded irritated, I wasn’t. I was just...nervous?I didn’t get nervous when I raced but today, I think I showed some emotionsdictating that said feeling.
The pit crew was doinga good job tonight but like I said, I wasn’t settling for anything but the win.I knew regardless if I won or not, the chances of me winning the championshipwere good. But have you ever heard that saying, “You can’t have you cake andeat it too.”
I think that statementis another crock of shit. Whoever said that, obviously failed at something andmade that up to make them feel better about losing.
“It’s time to step upto the plate.” I told myself as the green flag dropped.
I wanted to know formyself that those sacrifices that I couldn’t figure out why I was making wereworth it.
My mind drifted back tothe days when I first started racing to now and how mechanical it seemed in asense. When you first start out racing, your mind is constantly scramblinginside that car about how each move will affect you and the outcome of therace. And that’s not to say you still don’t think that way years later but it’sdifferent. With practice, more seat time, your moves and reactions grow surerand going high when you usually wouldn’t almost becomes second nature. It’salmost like muscle memory, your body just reacts and anticipates the signalyou’re giving it. All along you’re collecting notes, your mind developing morememory and responses to the situations until you’re faced with something new.You respond, and find the answer you didn’t know was there. An answer youdidn’t think you had. A move you didn’t think you would make, you do.
Numerous circumstancesplay a part in a race. Pitstops,lapped traffic,caution flags, wrecks, flat tires, as well as strategy. It’s all about how wellyou play against the circumstances andswingthem toyour advantage. There was a moment of disequilibrium when those around you arevulnerable and a sudden unexpected fate turns to your advantage. It’s what youdo in that moment when you make a difference against the circumstance playingagainst you. And the move you didn’t think you’d make turns out to be the moveyou needed.
By lap two-fifty six, Iwas running second behind Tate. I thought about what he said to me in Dover.
“I shouldn’t say that toyou, because I know damn well if you can pull yourself together and get thatdrive, that determination in you back, I don’t stand a chance for a repeatchampionship.”
I smiled and nudged himfrom behind, waving. I raced him fair, but I wasn’t holding back. He put up agood fight like I wanted him too. We bumped and banged for a good ten lapsbefore he finally just went high and let me go with a wave.
“All clear—go get ‘em!” Aiden told me.
You couldn’t miss the excitementin his voice, in everyone’s voice. Our team was in its first year in the cupseries and to come out here and do what we’ve done...it’s unheard of.
You honestly never knowwhen your team will find unity together and it may not even happen the firstyear. Unity between the crew and car chief, crew chief and driver, driver andowner, are all different and unique in their own subtle ways. It’s a rhythmlike any other rhythm and one you need to win a championship. It can happenover a meal, at the table full of empty beer bottles, on the team plane ormaybe at the track during a race where the right call was made or a quick stop.Some find it and others never do.
We had found it andonce you have a drink of victory like we had, nothing will stop you fromplaying with fire to quench the thirst of desire. I knew that fire very well bynow.
“White flag next timeby.” Kyle said. “Come on bud give me onemore goodlaplike the rest of them! Hit your marks one last time kid, you deserve this.Goddamnyou deserve this kid!”
Did I deserve this?
Fuck yeah I did.
That last lap was thelongest lap that I’d ever driven in my career. It felt as though I was drivingacross country.
It also felt like I hadan incredible amount of time to reflect on what this actually meant to me.
Besides the glaringobvious and Doug Durran in 1950, I was the youngest driver to win the NASCARWinston Cup Series Championship and the first to win it in his rookie season.
The excitement andemotion I felt was hard to describe. My entire body shook as I came out of turnthree. The roars of my screaming team over the radio, was enough to rupture myeardrums. Yeah, we had unity all right.
I was a champion.
“YEAH!You guys are fucking awesome!” I screamed for all Iwas worth.
Pounding my fists onthe steering wheel, I took the checkered flag for my twelfth victory of myrookie season, and myfirstNASCAR Winston Cup championship.
My dad was the next onthe radio. “Fuck yeah Jameson! You’ve proven it time and time again—but you didit today!” he choked. “I’m so proud of you!”
Then Kyle wasscreaming, “I knew you could do it!”
I once again had somany emotions running through me. Relief, excitement, anxiety...you name it...I was feeling it.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201