Chapter 73 Back in the Garage
Being back with his racing team was great. Case had missed all of the guys. From his crew chief to his tire changers, from the owner of his team, Russ Clifton, to the guy who made sure his hat was shaped right after every race, he loved every single one of them like brothers.
His crew chief, Brad Knox, was tall and lanky, which had been detrimental to him as a driver. He’d given that up years ago and found his home on top of a pit box. “Nice to see you, man,” Case said, shaking his hand. “How’s it going?”
“Great. It’s nice to have you back. We’re just about ready to start testing the new cars.”
They were standing in the garage at Clifton Racing in Charlotte, North Carolina, just a few miles from the house Case had built three years ago after his winning streaks started to add up. He’d had the house built on a large plot of land with lots of trees for privacy and peace out in nature. It was one of his favorite places on earth. The garage was up there, too.
The sound of mechanics tools, the smell of grease and oil, and the chatter of guys talking about racecars brought a smile to his face. As much as he was missing Andrea, at least he was back in his element.
Brad took him around the new cars and talked about some of the chances NASCAR had made for the upcoming season. “It seems like they’re always changing something,” Brad said, shaking his head.
“A smaller spoiler will make the car looser and harder to handle, especially in the corners,” Case nodded. “But we’ll make it work. Everybody has the same problems to overcome.”
“We’ll get it in the wind tunnel on Thursday and out on the test track by next Monday,” Brad said with a nod.
“Great. That will give us time to make any adjustments we need to before we head to Daytona for the shootout.” Case liked the way things were coming together, and he was anxious to get in the car again. The shootout wasn’t a point’s race, but it was for a lot of money, and all of the drivers who took part had to qualify to be in it, which he had done by wining several races last year.
“You have photoshoots and interviews scheduled every day between now and Daytona,” Brad reminded him.
“I know. I’ve been talking to Jessie.” Jessie Harden was his manager. She kept him straight on everything so he was never late and always in the right place.
“All right. Well, it’s nice to have you back, man.” Brad offered his hand.
“It’s nice to be back. I’m off to get in my fire suit so I can go check in with the folks at Fox Sports.”
“All right. We’ll be sure the car’s in the best shape possible,” Brad assured him, patting him on the back.
“Yep. We’re going to win some races this season for sure. I’d like to start with the biggest one—Daytona.”
Case had sort of gotten used to not having a bunch of people follow him around, but after he was dressed in his familiar red and blue fire suit with all of his sponsors’ logos all over it, he went out to meet with Jessie and a few other experts who went everywhere with him, including his social media manager, Phil, and a bodyguard he’d employed when Sarah was pregnant the first time. It just seemed like a good idea to have a brute of a man around him wherever he went. The colossus was named Jet, probably because he was the size of one.
“How are you?” Jessie asked, a big smile on her face. This was the first time he’d seen her since he’d been home.
“Good.” He leaned over to hug the middle-aged, motherly-type woman. Sometimes he wished Jessie was his mom instead of his actual mom. She was much more nurturing.
“You’ve got quite a bit on your plate today,” she reminded him as they all piled into the car she’d arranged for him. “A lot of people have been waiting to talk to you.”
Case imagined a lot of people would want to talk to him about that last loss, the one that had cost him the championship last year. “Let’s get on with it,” he said, forcing a smile.
Losing in Miami had been a tough one. He’d lived with the disappointment for months. It had even caused him to start a relationship with a woman he didn’t love who ended up being just awful for him. But now was the time he was going to have to face all of this head on.
With a reassuring smile, Jessie patted him on the arm, and the driver headed to the first of many interviews where Case would have to face his demons.
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