CHAPTER 3
After the crash, the warning flag came down right away, and the other drivers slowed to a stop. Moments later, Harvey and Lou climbed out of their cars and waved to the crowd. They were both okay, but out of the race.
Danny sighed with relief. “At least no one was hurt,” he said to himself.
Soon the race started again, with only two laps to go. Cole won easily.
Car 9 pulled into the garage. Danny watched as the crowd went crazy.
“How about that, Danny?” Cole said after he climbed out of the car. “Lucky break, huh?”
Danny scratched his chin. “For you, sure,” he said. “Not so lucky for Harvey, though.”
Cole laughed. “That’s true,” he said. “He’s not hurt, though, so it’s okay.” Cole mussed Danny’s hair and walked off to change.
Danny frowned. He wasn’t so sure it was okay.
He strolled down the infield until he saw Eddie Paulsen. Eddie worked on Lou Dyver’s pit crew. He was the Dyver crew’s jack man, the toughest job on the crew.
It was Eddie’s job to get the car up off the ground quickly during a pit stop so the tire changers could do their work. It wasn’t an easy job.
The scariest part was when the car pulled in. The jack man had to run to the side of the car as the driver pulled in — heading right at him!
Danny didn’t think he would ever have the nerve to run across the path of a speeding car. He would be too nervous that the driver wouldn’t stop in time and he would be run over.
“Hi, Eddie,” Danny said. “Some race!”
“Some ending, you mean!” Eddie replied. “Lou hasn’t been in the top three in about ten races. He’s angry he lost his third-place finish at the last second.”
“I don’t blame him,” Danny replied. “I’d be angry too.”
Danny glanced around to make sure no one else was listening. Then he leaned closer to Eddie. “Did the accident seem sort of weird to you?” Danny asked.
“What do you mean?” Eddie asked.
“Well, I was talking to Jim Yolk during the race,” Danny explained. “You know Jim. The new guy on my brother’s pit crew.”
Eddie nodded. “Sure,” he said. “I’ve known Jim Yolk for years. Not very well, though.”
“Anyway, Jim said he was sure Cole would beat Harvey in the race,” Danny went on. “Even though Cole had been behind the whole race. Plus, he’s never beaten Harvey. Ever!”
“Well, he is on Cole’s pit crew,” Eddie said with a shrug. “Of course he wants your brother to win.”
“But he was so sure Cole would win,” Danny said. “It was like he knew he would win somehow. Like he knew the accident would happen.”
Eddie leaned back and waved his arms. “Whoa, whoa,” he said. “Are you saying Jim Yolk had something to do with Harvey’s machine stalling?”
Danny scratched his chin. “Don’t you think it’s possible?” he asked.
Eddie smiled. “I guess it might be possible,” he said. “But sometimes machines have problems. You can’t just start pointing fingers.”
“I guess you’re right,” Danny said.
“Besides,” Eddie added quickly, “your brother didn’t earn the nickname ‘Clean’ Cole by hiring shady guys to work in his pit crew. If Cole likes Jim Yolk, he must be a good guy.”
Danny had to agree with that. His brother was the nicest, fairest guy on the circuit. There was no way he’d hire anyone who would make an opponent crash. Was there?