The Legend by Shey Stahl Read Free Book Online Page B

know,
I’ve thought that for years,” he mused with a chuckle. “Grandma thinks I’m batshit crazy most of the time but when I say your parents
are strange, I mean it.”
    I’ve
always noticed the unusual bond between them but I never thought it was
strange. I liked it. Whenever my dad came home from a race, the smile on his
face when he would see her always made me smile. To be that in love was what I
wanted and by chance, I had found it with Lily.
    I think
grandpa must have thought more needed to be said when he shifted his weight
leaning on the center console with his elbow. His fingers flipped the lid to
his water from one finger to the next rolling it with ease. “Let me put it to
you this way kid. You know how when you slid into a corner and the back end
seems to be coming around on you but that’s how you slide through and gain
momentum, right?”
    “Yeah,” I
must have given him the, “What the hell?” look when he smiled.
    “What gets
you through that slide and out of that drift?”
    “Throttle
control.”
    “There you
go. The right girl, that’s like having the right amount of throttle control,
once you figure out throttle control in any car, you can go faster than any
other driver out there back n’ it in.”
    Now that
made perfect sense to me.

 
    3. Bleeder Valves – Jameson
     
    Bleeder
Valves – The valves that regulate air pressure in the tires as it heats up. As
the tire heats, the pressure increases. To accommodate this occurring in a
race, bleeder valves are put on the tires. When that pressure increases to the
psi you set them to, anything above it is released to maintain the set
pressure.
     
    There’s no
pattern and no reasoning to my schedule during the racing season. Every week
it’s different and scheduled as far out as six to nine months at times. Aside
from Sunday afternoons, who the hell knew what the next week would bring for
me.
    Though
Alley keeps me incredibly organized, there is rarely any downtime once February
rolls around and that goes until late November. If I win the championship, my
time is then booked through December.
    During the
season, and to keep with the traditions, Monday was my day. From the time I
left the track on Sundays to Tuesday morning, it was a time for me, and
something I needed.
    I do
standard shit on Mondays. I helped out around the house and spent time with
Sway and the kids. I might go to the grocery store with Sway and usually that
never ends well so we don’t do that too often anymore. Sometimes I sneak to the
shop and hang out just for alone time. It’s supposed to be my time and usually
is.
    Tuesday I
devoted to media and sponsor obligations. Alley fielded most of the requests
for appearances and scheduled them if I had time. Naturally, she and Melissa
worked closely to make sure no conflicts came out though they often did.
    Wednesdays
I spent at the shop with Kyle Wade, my crew chief, and our team manager, Trace
Elliot. I met with my business manager, Melissa Childers, who used to work for
Simplex. She was a great asset to our team this last year and helped keep me
out of hot water. Most of my time spent at the shop is meeting with them and
then checking on our crew guys, mechanics, fabricators, and engineers. For the
most part, I keep a good relationship with all of them. There is always the
occasional conflict or heated conversation but nothing that isn’t worked out by
the end of the day.
    By
Thursday afternoon, I’m heading to the track and getting settled into my
personal motor coach before our race weekend begins. Friday is when practice
happens.  Saturday is qualifying and last minute adjustments and then
Sunday is the race. Monday is starts all over again.
    It
wouldn’t be right if I told you that we, as race car drivers, gave our families
the attention they deserved because we didn’t. Even when we weren’t at the
track we were living our lives mentally at the track but it’s the way it had to
be to do what we did. At home,