Epilogue
SHELBY
With four laps to go, a caution flag is raised as Jensen skids into the wall on turn three.
I take the opportunity to pit.
Cin, Mark, Billy, and Ricky are part of my crew. They run to me when I stop, and I roll my window down to talk with Cam.
“Dad said it’s slick. Most cars will have to take the inside track to avoid sliding.” Cam shows me his tablet, which shows the wreck being cleaned up.
“Is Jensen okay?” I zoom in to better understand what I’ll have to deal with.
This is my first race back after having twins, Hayden and Hunter.
While recovering and spending time with them, I hosted a TV show about women in racing. We traveled around to various tracks and spent time with the drivers and crew.
Demon III is where I’m meant to be, though. This car is an extension of me.
Cam takes the tablet back. “It’s about ready. You got this.” He leans in for a quick kiss. “I’ll see you at the finish line.”
I roll up the window, and Cam hits my hood twice.
Derrick Linder is in first, and Murphy Zink is a car’s length ahead of me. George is two cars behind me. We hit the straightaway, and I pass Murphy.
Making up time, I come up right behind Derrick.
I go to pass him on turn one, but he blocks me.
This is our last lap, so I have to make my move.
I go into turn two with the same idea, but Derrick is successful again. I grip my wheel tighter.
As we hit turn three, I go high on the turn. Based on what Cam showed me, the worst of the slick was in the middle. If I play it right, I can miss it and pull in front of Derrick as he takes the slower turn on the inside.
I fake as I go into the turn, and Derrick stays in front of me. At the last second, I go high and buzz past him. I keep my lead through the last turn and straight away and win the Daytona 500.
While the guys finished college, Cam and his father talked me into joining George Wright’s team.
It was a challenge at first, but with Cam’s teaching and patience, I improved with every race. I focused on local races, then he pulled me into doing a few of the bigger ones. When I took a break for maternity leave, I was in the top ten racers.
Now, I’ve won my first major race.
My body is wired when Hayden and Hunter run up to me. Hayden jumps in my arms, and Hunter jumps in George’s. Luke and Mav chase them.
“Mamma, you won.” Hayden cups my cheeks and squishes them as he kisses me.
“Papaw, did you see mamma?” Hunter plays with one of the patches on George’s suit.
“I did. She’s the best.” George squeezes my shoulder.
Luke takes Hayden, and Dom takes Hunter so we can walk over to Victory Lane.
After college, Luke and Nick started Knight Security. Luke completed his degree in business, and Nick focused on cyber security. They have contracts with Fortune 500 companies, government entities, and global celebrities.
We took a short break between activities to have our wedding. I’m legally married to Luke, but the ceremony included Dom, Mav, and Cam. The event was held on the Hawaii house’s private beach.
Dom focused on fitness. He built on that training and has become one of the MMAs’ top draws. We bought a second house in Las Vegas so Dom could train there.
Mav dropped out of school when I became pregnant. He decided his calling was to be a stay-at-home dad. It also frees him up to travel with Cam and me, since Cam joined my racing crew as well as racing motocross.
Cin and my crew meet us at Victory Lane. Nick’s close behind. He kisses Cin and congratulates her on the win. I couldn’t have done it without my team.
Sam and Paige show up last, chasing their two-and-a-half-year-old, Melody. She dances around Sam until he picks her up and sets her on his shoulders.
After graduation, Sam went on to play in the NFL. We don’t see them often, so I’m excited they made it to my race.
I hug Paige. “Congrats on baby number two.”
“Thanks! I found out I’m having a boy.” She rubs her stomach.
“Hey, guys.” George’s hand settles on my shoulder. “I need to borrow Shelby.”
I fight to stay professional, but my insides bounce more than the twins.
George guides me up on the platform. A man hands him a mic, but he can’t say anything past the crowd’s roar.
Once things settle, he steps forward. “Thank you, Daytona!”
The crowd cheers again, and George waits a minute before continuing. “This has always been one of my favorite tracks. I’ve had the most wins here. This is my home.”
The crowd claps and yells, but this time, George keeps talking. “This is my home, so it’s fitting I hand over my mantle to my family. This was my last race. I’m retiring.”
The crowd gets louder, both boos and cheers coming from the stands.
“I couldn’t be handing my team over to a better racer and daughter.” George turns to me and hands me a platinum necklace with a key on it.
After I slip that over my head, he also hands me the Harley J.Earl Trophy.
He turns back to the crowd. “It’s my pleasure to present the new principal driver for Wright Racing and this year’s 500 winner, Shelby Winters.”
My guys celebrate around me. I couldn’t ask for a better life.
The End
If you loved Shelby’s story, check out my other series, The Abandoned, where you’ll find another tough as nails woman willing to fight for what she want