The Legend (74 page)

“I knew. I
always
knew.”

Eventually
the party around us was in full swing and our intimate conversations were
drowned out by the rowdy bunch dancing around us.

I was not
happy with my brother and Aiden when they made the band play the AC/DC song
You
shock me all night long
while my daughter
danced with her new husband. I conveniently found that time perfect to get some
fresh air.

When I
made my way back inside, they were now playing a song that had me pulling my
wife into a slow dance, whispering the lyrics slowly to her.

“If I
didn’t know any better
...
I’d say my dirty
heathen is looking for some.” She said against the skin below my ear as she
kissed along my jaw.

“Honey
...
” my voice was purposely low for the sake of
sealing the deal. “I’m looking for more than some.”

She
giggled. That same infectious giggle that made everything centered. My hands
slipped lower but she caught them. “All right Mr. Riley
...
it’s time you take Mrs. Riley home.”

As we were
leaving, Casten was on his way to four sheets to the wind when I grabbed him by
the collar. “That was nice of you back there for your sister.” He smiled, his
eyes glazed over from the alcohol. “No driving.”

Some think
that it was wrong that our sixteen-year old son was drinking but it wasn’t like
he was being irresponsible about it. Casten knew his limits and never drove.

His date,
who was not drunk, pulled out her keys. “He’s not
...
I
am.”

“Good.”

“I can
drive just fine honey.” He told his date throwing his arms around her laughing.

“Make sure
he gets home okay, please.” I told her. “And you,” I slapped his shoulder,
“show some respect for this girl. Stop molesting her on the dance floor.”

He grinned
and winked at me. “Oh don’t act so innocent. I saw you with your hands all over
mom.”

Sway
laughed and started pulling me away. You never won a conversation with Casten,
it was impossible. The kid always thought of a way to spin it.

On the way
back to the hotel, Sway smiled at me, the headlights of passing vehicles shined
on her porcelain skin. I couldn’t keep my hands off her.

“Do you
ever feel guilty knowing how much sadness is all over the place to be happy
now?” she asked.

“No. I
don’t honey.” Giving her hand a squeeze, I brought her fingers to my lips to
kiss them. “I don’t because of how much sadness we’ve experienced firsthand.
I’ve lived that way for years, felt regret, wished away any hope but not now.
This is the race I was meant to have. Every pit stop, every caution flag, every
lap led was for a reason and I know that.”

“That’s a
Jimi answer if I ever heard one.” Sway laughed.

She was
right. That was exactly what my dad would say.

There’s always
a time, a race, a lap, a penalty, or a victory that you’re going to remember
more than the next. It’s etched inside of you and the breath you need. It
speaks to you and reminds you that you have what you did to a sport that
consumed your life.

You remember
everything about that moment and can account for even the smallest details when
asked about it. You remember how you felt, noises, smells, feelings, and
reactions. It’s programmed into you.

I didn’t
want to feel sadness anymore. I wasn’t over my dad nor would I ever be over
losing my biggest fan to a battle he never should have had to fight. The thing
was, life changes, rearranges, and you’re left with a choice. Remember that
there’s a time, a race, a lap, a penalty or a victory that you’re going to
remember more. There’s nothing wrong with that either.

32.
          
Spark Plug – Jameson

Spark Plug
– A device inserted in the head of an internal combustion engine cylinder that
ignites fuel mixture by means of an electric spark.

Since I
retired, a lot had changed in our lives. Aiden and Spencer had retired too and
our mission in retirement seemed to be one upping each other. Currently I was
in the lead.

Easton,
having just married my little girl, was doing an amazing job racing my car and
living up to the big footsteps he had to fill in the number nine car with Kyle
there to guide him. Kyle claimed he wanted to see that kid get a championship
before he retired. After watching him race at Bristol and Texas, it was only a
matter of time before it happened.

Arie
traveled with him now along with Lexi who was together with Brody Williams.
Yeah, Spencer wasn’t happy about that one but there wasn’t much he could do.
She was eighteen.

From what
I gathered, Arie was enjoying herself and found the lifestyle interesting. I
wasn’t sure how long that would last as Easton still had a heavy involvement
with sprints cars like I did. Part of me hoped that he would
come
race again so we could spend more time with them.

Axel was
well onto his second championship in the World of Outlaws. Justin, Tyler, Rager
and Cody were all heavy competition for him this year but Justin swore it was
his last season. He was doing an amazing job at handling the success and having
a family. He did a lot better than I did at his age.

Van and
Clint weren’t needed as much so Van moved back to Washington to run Grays
Harbor with Andrea and be around his daughter more. That was a good thing.
Clint stayed around and kept us all in order. We needed it from time to time.

Tate took
over most of the Cup team and merged it with his but kept the Riley Racing name
in honor of Jimi.

I merged
my sprint car team with dads and ran them all under JAR Racing. It was so much
easier that way and for tax purposes, was ideal.

Alley was
able to relax too. She no longer had to keep me in check at the track so she
finally got a chance to be with her family as did Emma. Both were still active
participants in our fan clubs, publicity, and charity events but it was a lot
more relaxed these days. They spent most of their time traveling around with us
just like our summers together. The only problem I had with all of us traveling
now was the pranks that didn’t swing in my favor and Rosa. She was still with
us. We did manage to get her to cook though. It was a fucking miracle.

Casten,
our only child still at home, managed to graduate his sophomore year at sixteen
and then started working full time for my sprint car team and CST Engines. Some
thought it was strange but aside being full of wit and charm, Casten was
extremely smart. We always knew he was intelligent when he was younger but
never thought much of it when he decided he didn’t want to be potty trained
until he was damn near four-years-old.

Though it
was incredibly hectic at times, Casten, Noah and Charlie made a good team with
CST Engines.

Lane ended
up coming to work for us too and worked primarily with Rager’s team as his crew
chief. Willie moved over to be Tyler’s crew chief when Justin decided to retire
and Tommy stayed with Axel. Cole, the delinquent, when he wasn’t in trouble, he
did most of the web designs, videos and social media for JAR Racing which I
appreciated because I knew nothing about it.

We were
doing well that year and back to traveling with the sprint car team. Being back
around all the tracks that I grew up racing at was like reliving our summers
together. Only difference, I could finally show my wife just how much I wanted
her in the back of my hauler or the bed of my truck. I didn’t have to think
about how this would change our lives or interfere with the Triple Crown. I was
retired and racing the way I wanted to race, for fun.

And my
mom, well she went with us and we wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was
the perfect setup for all of us. I missed Arie and wished she was there too but
she had a good thing going with Easton and with me still partial owner of Riley
Racing, I still saw her a couple times a month if not more.

Some
probably want to know when that first win came for me now that I was back to
racing sprint cars. The first win came at a track I knew well in Banks Oregon
called Sunset Speedway.

I loved
Sunset Speedway almost as much as I loved racing at Grays Harbor.

Spencer
always missed the turn to Sunset Speedway. Every single time, he missed the
exit and every single time, we turned around and he would say, “Damn, I thought
it was down further.”

With thick
red clay and grandstands inches from the front stretch, it had some of the most
exciting racing on the West coast. On the front stretch there’s a rut right
under the flag stand. As soon as you came out of four and got back on the gas,
you went straight into that trench.

Walking
the track prior to the main that night, I remember so much about that track and
our summers here. I remember the time I blew the engine in my late model outlaw
and Sway convinced some guy to give me his engine so I could run the main. I
remembered watching my dad break the track record here countless times and
following him around as a kid wondering if I would ever be as good as he was.

After
walking the entire track, I made my way to the pits to see that Sway was doing
the very same thing, staring at the truck.

Sway loved
Sunset because you can get within feet of the cars on the front stretch if you
were brave enough. You can see straight in the cars, watch the drivers
movements of their aggressive driving styles and the pop of the throttle, sheet
metal vibrating and all the thick sounds of racing you don’t usually hear ten
rows back.

When I got
back to the hauler, they sounded the horn for the drivers to return to their
cars and line up. All the usual outlaw guys were there tonight including my
son.

At times,
it was still hard racing with him. Mostly from fear but it was easy to get over
when I realized how much it meant to him having me with him.

Before
that race at Sunset, he came up to me as I was getting my suit on and making
sure I had plenty of tear offs on my visor and wished me luck. He was hard to
beat these days so I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but I also knew I had this
track and setup figured out tonight. After all, I broke the track record
tonight, which was still held by my dad, until now.

Tonight,
you could feel the excitement in the air and it was impossible not to feel the
energy around us. I knew tonight might be the night I pull off a win. It wasn’t
like me to not get a win already but then again I had only raced in a handful
of races so far this year.

There was
about a ten minute delay when a couple cars got caught up in a wreck that drew
the red flag in the B-Main so I pulled Sway inside the hauler when I heard a
familiar song from our past.

When
Alabama’s
Dancin
’
Shaggin
’
on the Boulevard
came on, I reached for her hands and spun her around, one
hand on her hip, the other holding her hand. Whispering the lyrics, I get in
tune with the song and even pegged the higher lyrics.

The team
around me laughed as I serenaded my wife loud enough for the entire pits to
hear. Some took pictures, others taped it and Willie sang with me.

Sway
giggled almost the entire time and then looked up at me, her hands in my hair.
“I’m gonna tell you the same thing I said the last time we danced to this song
at this same track
...
” she paused leaning
in to whisper in my ear. “Win for me.”

I smiled.
“Will do honey.”

Spark Plug – Sway

I
absolutely loved the feeling that washed over me when I sat in the stands of a
local dirt tracks and Jameson came rumbling onto the track. It was different
from any NASCAR race. This, with the dirt spraying up and the thick lingering
methanol was us.

Tommy and
Willie took a seat next to me along with Casten and Lily, Jack sitting securely
on Spencer’s shoulder’s as Jameson tested the grip up high drifting up there in
the pace laps and blipping the throttle. The action sent his rear tires into a
spinning drift.

Arie, who
we hadn’t seen in weeks, showed up as they did pace laps with Easton, Kyle, and
Tate close behind her. She’d brought the Cup team out to watch her daddy.

I nearly
cried.

We
immediately hugged and the guys started making small talk. These days Arie was
traveling with Easton and living the lifestyle that Jameson and I had for so
many years. Most of the team aside from Spencer and Aiden was the same so I
knew they had a good thing going there.

Knowing my
daughter and her personality, I had a feeling that she didn’t care for the
lifestyle but she did care for Easton and that’s all that mattered. Like me,
she wasn’t a jealous person either, which was also important.

Easton
wasn’t sitting in front of us two minutes and he already had kids and women
surrounding him, all looking for the same thing they wanted from Jameson for
all those years.
A piece.