Free Overdrive by Chris Fabry Page B

before she came to the third turn. By then #8 was past her on the inside.
    “We won’t have a pit until halfway through unless somebody cracks up.”
    “Well, that somebody’s gonna be me if I try tokeep up with the others and the car’s this tight.” She cursed. “I can’t believe this.”
    Her dad didn’t say anything, which meant he was upset and she was on her own. If she pitted before the halfway point, she would be at least a lap down. Making up that kind of distance would be nearly impossible during such a short race. But if she didn’t pit, she’d fall farther behind the leader, who was already half a lap ahead.
    She floored the accelerator in the straightaway and tried to make up ground, but by the fifth lap it was clear she had to come in. “Gotta pit, Dad. Get Tim ready to turn the wedge.”
    “He’s on it,” her dad said. “I’ve notified Bud. He says come in on your next lap.”
    /////
    Tim grabbed the track bar wrench and stood on the wall. He knew how important it was to make the adjustment as quickly as possible so Jamie wouldn’t go more than a lap down. If he did it perfectly, she could make it out before the lead car went by again. If not, she’d be in an almost impossible situation.
    “Give it two full turns out,” Dale said.
    Tim lifted his thumb in the air as Jamie roared down pit road and slid to a perfect stop in the pitbox. Tim was over the wall before she stopped, but he missed the fitting and fumbled with it—almost dropping the tool. Jamie revved her engine, and Tim felt the race leaders heading for turn three.
    He hadn’t worked any signals out with Jamie, but he’d seen enough races to know that when he was finished he needed to be on the inside of the car. A school official watched him like a hawk, and some of the other parents and friends crowded around the pit area to see what was happening.
    Two quick turns and he threw his hands in the air. Before he even took a step to the inside, Dale yelled, “Go! Go! Go!”
    Jamie shot out of the box and made it onto the track just ahead of the leader. “Oh, baby, this feels a lot better,” she said as she flew out of turn four. “Tim did a good job. Got a little nervous there for a minute.”
    Tim put the track bar wrench away and couldn’t help but smile.

Chapter 21
Makeup Time
    JAMIE KNEW SHE’D DODGED a bullet, but making up an entire lap with the #4 car on her back bumper was a tall order. If she could put some distance between her and the rest of the field, she had a chance, but it would take the best ride of her life.
    With no one in front of her, she focused on the fastest line on the track and put her foot down.
    In turn one, her dad’s voice came on the headset. “He’s coming on the outside. At your bumper. At your door.”
    When her dad paused, she clicked the mic. “But not for long.”
    She shot out of turn two and hit the straightaway perfectly, pulling away so that #4 had to back down and follow. Out of turn four she had a two-car-length lead and the engine was humming. “Feels really good, Dad.”
    “All right, let’s go with it. Pretend this is the start and you’re in the lead. Everybody’s chasing you. See if you can pull away.”
    And pull away she did. With the window net flapping, she hardly slowed in the turns. Six laps later, she’d made it a good :06 ahead of the nearest car.
    “Caution’s out!” her dad said as a plume of white smoke rose behind her.
    Jamie slowed and looked across the infield to see #5 rolling toward the apron. “What happened?”
    “Looks like #5 got into the wall out of turn two. A little damage on the right side, but I don’t think it’s serious.”
    “That’s Rosa’s car.”
    “Hang on. Bud’s calling,” her dad said.
    The cars drove single file and bunched together behind the pace car.
    Finally her dad came back on the radio. “Okay, pull low and let everybody pass. You’re going to the back.”
    Jamie smiled. “Still on the lead lap,