Chapter 214 Tour of Champions
“Please welcome my first guest, NASCAR Champion, Case Meyer!” talk show host Piper Wilkinson said as the crowd erupted in applause.
Case walked out on stage, waving at the crowd, knowing his face was turning red from the cheers of the crowd. He still had trouble believing all of those people were cheering for him.
“Case, welcome!” the petite blonde said, hugging him. “How are you?”
“Great, he said, releasing her and taking a seat next to her as the crowd finally started to settle down. This was his fifth interview since he’d won the championship last weekend, and he was getting a little tired of answering the same questions over and over and over again, but it was okay because he knew the fans wanted to hear from him. In a few weeks, it would all die down, and he would have to start mentally focusing on next season.
“Congratulations on winning the NASCAR championship,” Piper said, reclaiming her seat. “How does that feel?”
“Thank you. It’s a dream come true,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
“I’ll bet. And, boy, you sure did keep it interesting, huh? Gosh, what did you think when you saw that car come spinning across the racetrack right in front of you with only a few laps to go.”
Case had answered that question a million times lately, but he didn’t mind answering it again. “It was terrifying,” he said with a laugh that made the audience chuckle as well. “I thought we were gonna end up wrecked for sure.”
“The way you found that opening and steered around the wreck was amazing to watch! I was on the edge of my seat! I was watching with my son. He’s ten, and he said, ‘Mom! Case is going to wreck!’ I told him, ‘Just wait—give him a second. He’ll find a way around.’ I didn’t really think you would though!” Again, the crowd laughed at her intense retelling of the scene from her living room Case assumed she was probably making up, since Piper didn’t strike him as much of a NASCAR fan. But it was for her audience, so he nodded along. “And then, when you found your way around the spinning car, we both cheered. I had to wipe my brow, I was sweating so hard!”
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, as if Piper had just cleared a wreck herself. “It was definitely a pulse-quickening moment,” Case said with a nod. “We got lucky there, but we did cut a tire down.”
“Right, right.” She glanced at the cards in her hand, which told him she had no idea what had happened next. “And you had to pit.”
It was more of a question than a statement. “Yes, we came in to get new tires, which had us starting in eleventh. I had to pass at least one car in about eight laps to win the championship.”
“And then Stewart Antony had some sort of issue on the track. What was that like?”
That’s the way Stewart had tried to explain it, even though everyone knew better. He’d tried to wreck Case, but he told everyone he had a mechanical issue, and that’s why he’d slowed down and been out of control. “Again, it was scary. I didn’t cross the finish line driving exactly straight. It was more of a slide across home plate. But I made it, and that’s what matters.” The crowd began to clap again.
“We have a clip of that, don’t we?” Piper asked, looking over her shoulder at her producer. “We do. Let’s take a look. Here’s Case finishing the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway last Sunday.”
Most of the time, the television shows didn’t have a clip of the race, but Case had still seen the end of the race more times than he could count recently. Still, he watched along with everyone else as she showed him spinning and then straightening his car out, right before he reached the finish line.
The crowd cheered for a few seconds before Piper took a break. She didn’t say much of anything to him during the commercial. Someone came to touch up her makeup, and she talked about the band coming up next. Case only had one more segment. Then, he’d be heading back to the apartment he and Andrea had rented for a few weeks while she finished up her movie. They’d planned their own private Thanksgiving celebration, and then they’d head to LA for a little bit before going to Wisconsin for Christmas. He had a lot to look forward to. First, he had to get through this last interview.
“Now Case, it’s no secret you’re engaged to awarding winning actress Andrea Sparks. How is that going?”
“Great,” he said with a genuine smile. All of the hosts wanted to talk about Andrea. He couldn’t blame them. “Everything is great.”
“That’s so good to hear. Any idea when the wedding will take place yet?”
“No, we just know we want plenty of time to plan everything.” That wasn’t true, of course, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. It wasn’t anyone else’s business.
“Well, when you start inviting guests, don’t forget about yours truly!” Piper laughed annoyingly, as did the audience, and Case joined in, even though he wanted to tell her, “Not a chance in hell.”
“We’ll keep you posted,” Case said.
“Case Meyer, NASCAR Champion. It’s been lovely speaking to you!” She took his hand and he stood to give her the obligator hug. “We’ll be right back.”
Piper gave him another quick thank you, and Case headed backstage, eager to see Andrea and be done with all of this for a while. It was part of being the champ, though, and he was thankful he had a chance to do it. Now, he was ready to take a break and just concentrate on Andrea!
She was waiting for him in the green room. “You did great!” she said, giving him a hug. “Are you ready to go home now?”
It might’ve been a temporary home she was speaking of, but he definitely was. “Yes, please!” She laughed, and the two of them headed out, ready for a break and some time to themselves.
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