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WE WON!

The Greatest NASCAR Story Ever Told:Part 3

by Greg Engle
Cup Scene Daily
June 16,2003

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the Greatest NASCAR Story Ever Told!

He became aware of a small light in the center of his vision. It was a just a point at first. Slowly, it began to grow larger. It felt as though his speed increased.

The light grew larger. He knew he was getting closer to it, but still there was no fear. That is, until he heard the scream, shrill and high pitched, begin in his ears. The closer the light came, the louder the scream became.

The light was warm, inviting as it grew closer. Now it seemed to be rushing towards him. The screams, he now heard what seemed like hundreds, no thousands, in unison, grew louder and frightened him even more. He began to panic.

It was at the last moment that he realized what the screams were from. Just before he hit the light, his own high pitched scream melted into the others.

He woke with a start. His vision was blurred and his head felt very heavy. His mouth also had a funny taste. He rose slowly, every muscle in his body seemed to protest as he did. It was like he had the worst hangover of his life.

Not realizing where he was at, at first, he looked around, the familiar interior of the hauler glared back at him. Junior felt like he’d just experienced a very bad nightmare. Strange though, he didn’t seem to remember any of it.

The inside of the hauler was hot. Sweat dripped from his brow, it stung his eyes. He got to his feet gingerly. He had to get outside, into the fresh air, lord it was hot, man his head hurt.

He walked slowly to the door, when he opened it, he was stunned at what he saw.

The first thing he felt was a rush of hot, very hot, air. Bright sunshine blinded him. He could hear what seemed like, hundreds of voices. There was also a smell hanging heavy in the hot air, it reminded him of a farm.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the bright sunshine. He noticed that the voices had fallen silent.

When his eyes adjusted, he saw that he was being stared at by a very large crowd, perhaps thousands of people.

But, these were very strange people indeed.

None of them seemed to be any taller than five foot. They had round little heads on top of round little bodies supported by round little legs. All their clothes were of the brightest colors imaginable. They all stood, mouths agape, staring right at Junior.

The little people formed a semi-circle around the back of the hauler, none were any closer than ten feet from him.

Junior took a moment to look around.

He could still see the track, the garage area, those were familiar. There were the grandstands, the Winston tower. He could even see one of the Union 76 balls over by turn one. But nothing else looked at all familiar to him.

Farm animals of every shape and description were scattered around. The infield were once he saw motorhomes, now had small brightly colored homes that seemed to be occupying every square inch of ground. Some of the houses had small chimneys with tiny little wisps of smoke gently trailing up in to the air.

The longer he stood there, the bigger the crowd grew. Now there seemed to be tiny little people as far as his eyes could see.

Junior stepped down from the back of the hauler onto the pavement.

The entire crowd of little people gasped then stepped back in unison.

Junior walked a few steps forward.

The crowd went a few steps back.

Junior stopped, then smiled and slowly raised his hand.

"Hi," he said quietly.

The entire crowd of little people gasped then recoiled in unison.

After a moment one of the little people, an older looking man, slowly leaned forward, he reached out and gently touched Juniors drivers suit. Junior looked at him and smiled.

"It IS," The little man said in a tiny little voice as he looked Junior up and down, "It’s a driver!"

The whole little crowd gasped as one, then said in unison, "Ahh...driver."

It almost seemed like a chant. Junior put his hands on his hips and began to laugh.

"Do me a favor, dude...kick me in the shin." He said.

The little man looked up at him with a puzzled look on his face,

"SSSSir?" The little man in almost a whisper.

"Go on, kick me in the shin, step on my foot, heck pinch me, do something, ‘cause this has got to be some kinda’ weird dream."

The little old man clasped his tiny little hands in front of him, then slowly looked down at Juniors foot. Then without warning, he quickly stomped on the foot. The little old man then turned and then darted behind the closest little person to him (Of course, he only had to go a little way).

"OW!" Junior said holding his foot and grimacing in pain.

All of the little people began to laugh in unison as Junior began to dance around. The little old man slowly poked his head out from behind the person in front of him.

"I’m sorry your driverness, but you DID say to...", he said.

Junior slowly put his foot back down.

"I guess this really isn’t a dream, but c’mon man, this is too weird...", Junior said, " how can...wait a minute, what did you call me?"

Another tiny little man, dressed in a blue satin suit, topped with a tiny blue satin hat stepped from the crowd and walked towards him. The tiny little man put his hands behind his back and smiled.

"Excuse me Sire, my," He looked over at the old man still cowering behind someone, "uhm ‘associate, here is showing poor manners, very poor manners indeed, and for that I sincerely apologize."

"And just were the heck am I?" Junior said, "And who are you people?"

"Well sir, we are us, just as you are you...and well why we are all here" The little man said in a matter of fact manner, "But do forgive me sir, I do believe a proper introduction is in order."

The little man then stuck his chest out and stood at a ridged military attention;

"Allow me to welcome you and introduce myself, I am Bruton Elliott Smith, the fifth, Lord of Darly, Earl Viscount of Bristol, Grand Marshal AND Chief Steward here, I bid you sire, welcome to our fair shire." The little man finished with a flourish and then slowly bowed.

Junior tried not to laugh at the man’s over-animation, realizing this little man was very serious. He bowed at the waist slightly and smiled back at the little man.

"Alright then, um Lord, um whatever your name is...maybe now you can tell me why you call me ‘Sire and..."

But the little man wasn’t listening. As a matter of fact none of the little people were listening. Instead they were all staring at the sky in unison.

Junior leaned forward and looked down. The little man, like all the rest of the crowd, had a blank look on his face, his eyes seemed distant and vacant. Junior waved his hand in front of the mans face, there was no response.

"Hey, do you hear me?" Again no response.

Junior leaned down until has face was even with the little mans. He turned and looked up in the same direction, but he saw nothing. He stood back up.

All at once the crowd began to laugh, it startled Junior.

"I LOVE that commercial," the little man said, then he shook his head " Oh, I’m sorry sire were you saying something?"

" What comm...oh never mind, anyway I was asking you if..."

A chorus of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ started in the far back of the crowd. Everyone, including Junior turned to look.

There, floating above the crowd and slowly moving towards where Junior stood was a glowing red ball of light, about the size of a softball.

"Ooh!," the crowd said as it drifted over them, several tiny voices cried out ,"It’s the Miss, it’s the Miss!"

"Now what?," Junior thought out loud.

The glow came to rest about five feet in front of him. There was a ‘poof’ and a white cloud formed in the air around it. A gentle smell like lilacs wafted in the air. When the cloud drifted up and dissipated, Junior stood face to face with the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life.

Her long blond hair cascaded down over her shoulders and fell onto a red dress that hugged every curve of her figure. He thought he was looking at the face of a goddess and Junior was smitten with her instantly. But it was the eyes that captivated him the most. The woman's eyes were the color a deep blue sky and when she smiled her whole face seemed to glow.

"Hello," She said. Her voice sounded like honey, almost as though she were singing. She had a slight accent, but one that was almost discernable.

"Um, hello," Junior said never taking his eyes from hers.

"Do you not know why you are here?" She said tilting her head slightly.

"No, no I don’t, do you?" Junior felt flushed.

"You were not sent by HIM?" She said. All the time she spoke to him, the smile was there on her face.

"Who is HIM?", Junior said.

"Why SOL, of course."

When the woman said this everyone in the crowd softly repeated the name in unison. The woman crinkled her brow slightly but still smiled.

"Ah, this has happened before, although I must confess, it was before my time." She looked away from him for a moment then looked back, "So you know not where you are, nor why you are here?"

All Junior could do was shake his head.

"I must apologize then, this," she waved one of her delicate hands around, " must all seem very strange indeed."

"Perhaps I should try and explain," she placed a hand gently onto Juniors arm, "Would thou walk with me?"

Her hand felt warm, her skin like silk, Junior felt his heart literally skip a beat. He allowed her to lead him towards what Junior once knew as the media center. Not that he needed any prodding, at that point she could have led him anywhere.

As they walked along, the crowd of little people made way to allow them to pass.

"So then, I can see by your attire, that you are indeed a driver." She said.

Junior remembered that he was still wearing his drivers suit.

"Yea, I guess I am." He said.

"Well, you see, in this place and in this time, the Race is all the Snaf know and you along with those like you are royalty..."

"The who?" Junior said.

"Oh I’m sorry, the Snaf," She waved her delicate hand at the crowd, "For these people the Race is their entire life, for them nothing else matters."

The tone in which she spoke this was as though he should know all she was saying.

The woman laughed, Junior felt like he’d faint at the sight of her beauty. The lilac scent seemed to gently caress him.

"And this Race, why is it such a big deal?" Junior said.

"Why for the entire year the Snaf wait and wait, doing nothing but preparing for the day when HE says the magic words." She looked over at him.

"The magic words? And who the heck is HE?" He said.

She tilted her head again, "Of course, the words are: Today We Race! And HE is the one who controls everything... HE is SOL."

"Let me get this straight, there’s some dude named SOL who tells the little guys, um I mean the ‘Snufs’ when they’re going to race?" Junior looked down and the ground, "And all they ever do is get ready for ONE race, nothing else, ever ?"

The woman gently shook her head in reply.

"Man that ain’t right." Junior now shook his head.

"Snaf, sir...To them nothing else matters, their whole life, their entire existence is for the Race." The woman looked straight ahead still smiling.

"In MY time or um place, " Junior said, " We race a lot, and for those of us who are competing it is our life, but for the people who watch it’s only a part-time thing, I mean they only watch us when we are racing, the rest of the time they work, take care of their families, enjoy their lives. And... wait a minute you’re telling me that HERE these little guys don’t have jobs, or families or..." As he spoke the woman shook her head.

"That’s crazy," He said.

"But it is their way." She said.

"It’s only racin’, it’s just a sport! Something that people enjoy watching, but that’s all, I mean once the race is over... man, this is crazy...By the way where are all the drivers, when they’re not racing and why are they royalty?"

"Why the drivers are...well... no one, even me, knows quite where they are, only that when the Race gets ready to take place they appear. Only on rare occasions, such as now," she laughed, " do the Snaf ever see them, on the outside of the fence, "She gestured towards a fence nearby , "To them, the Drivers are royalty because, they can never be approached, they are revered by these people. Many, many years ago the Snaf deduced that because of this they surely must be royalty."

"Let me now ask you something sir, as a Driver does not your whole life, even your very existence center around racing?"

"Well, yeah, but that’s different, it’s my job, it’s my life and where I come from we’re not royalty ‘cause we sure as heck don’t rule over anything." Junior said.

"But it’s not very different for these people. Their whole life revolves around the Race, nothing else matters to them, in a way you could say it is their job. And I’m afraid I must correct you sir, here while Drivers may be royalty, they do not rule anything." She looked at him and smiled, again.

"Then who...?" Junior said.

"Why SOL, of course, aided by his wizard." She said.

Junior stopped. He had had about enough. Despite the lovely woman by his side his anger and confusion began to build.

"Listen, Miss, whoever you are, I am really not liking this. Who, or what is SOL and who the blazes is this wizard guy?" He looked over at her. When her saw her eyes he immediately regretted what he’d just said, "I’m sorry, look I just want to go home, that’s all, " Junior tried to fight back the tears he felt welling up, from frustration," I’m real confused and I really, really, just want to go home."

She touched his upper arm with her other hand, it felt as though she drew him closer. He began to relax at once.

"SOL is the ruler here, he is well, he’s hard to explain. SOL runs everything and I mean everything. The Snaf here exist only for him. When he sends out the message ‘Today we Race’, then the very thing the Snaf wait for all year occurs. There is much celebrating and dancing and revelre." She looked down at the ground and Junior noticed that for the first time she wasn’t smiling, "I know not why this thing is, only that it is. And the wizard? Why he is called the ‘Wizard of SOL’, he is the one who assists SOL and he is the one who just might be able to get you home." She looked back at him and smiled," That is, if you truly want to go."

Junior had never been in love with a woman before. He had no girlfriends, he’d never had the time, his girlfriend was a race car. But when she looked at him and smiled, Junior had never been more tempted or drawn to anyone in his life. And he began to feel what it was like to be in love.

Until he looked down and saw his drivers suit. Then he remembered who he was and what his first love really was.

"No," He said, "I’m sorry, I can’t... I have responsibilities. Responsibilities to my team and my sponsors, and....."

The woman put her hand in front of his face. Then she slowly put it back down.

"I understand," She said. Again she was not smiling," I believe you need to see the wizard himself, perhaps he and he alone can convince SOL to send you home." She smiled at him again, "Perhaps that is were you belong."

They had walked back to the crowd. When they stood in front of all the little people the woman spoke to them in her honey ,singing voice:

"My friends, the Driver here is not the same as the Drivers we all know. He is different. He comes from a different time and different place. So that is why he must try and go home" She looked around at them as she spoke, always smiling, occasionally she would gently reach down and touch one as she slowly walked around, it was obvious to Junior that the Snaf adored her and she them, "And so, he will try something that no one among us has ever before tried to do."

Junior was standing about ten feet away from her, not once had his eyes left her. He imagined her to be a ballet dancer, she didn’t seem to walk, she seemed to float. She looked over at him and smiled before she spoke again:

"This Driver will travel to see the ‘Wizard of SOL."

When she said this the entire crowd of Snaf gasped in unison.

‘Why does that name and all this seem ‘kinda familiar?’ Junior was thinking.

The little man who’d earlier stomped on Juniors foot, now stepped forward.

"But Miss, no one has ever seen SOL, much less his Wizard, will, will it be dangerous?"

"Yes, it may be, but our Driver here, as are all Drivers is a brave man, so I’m sure there will be no need for us to worry." She was smiling at Junior, who felt somewhat embarrassed at her attention. "So tell me something, just which way to I go to find this SOL fella’?" Junior said trying to sound cocky.

The old man dressed in blue satin now stepped forward.

"Allow me Miss," he said, "Why my good fellow, all you have to do is follow the yellow pit road."

Junior folded his arms across his chest then looked at the old man with a sideways glance and chuckled, "Say that again?"

Another little person shouted from the crowd, "Follow the yellow pit road!"

"Why do I feel like I’ve heard this somewhere before?" Junior said shaking his head.

The crowd of little people parted. As they did they exposed the beginning of a narrow yellow pathway. The path started in a small circle and wound it’s way outwards until it trailed off into distance in the direction of turn four.

Junior started to laugh out loud. The crowd was chanting slowly, "follow the yellow pit road!"

Junior was still laughing as he walked to the middle of the circle at the start of the yellow pit road. The crowd was behind him now. The smell of lilac drifted to him, he turned and saw her directly behind him. She was still smiling.

"Shouldn’t I have a little dog...and oh yeah, like ruby red slippers on my feet or something?" Junior chuckled out loud.

"I don’t know about this ‘dog’ you speak of, but your ‘slippers', as you call them, are red already." She replied.

Junior looked down at his feet, his driving shoes were indeed, red.

"This is too much," He said, laughing "Next thing you know all these little guys are going to start singing... right everyone," he said turning to the crowd.

They couldn’t hear him though, because the crowd of little people were staring into the sky again. All had the same blank, far-away look on their faces.

"Tell me something, what the heck is that all about?" Junior said pointing to the crowd.

The woman looked at them and sighed, "It’s SOL. He is showing them what we call, a commercial, he controls them that way."

"A commercial?"

"Yes, now it is time for the Snaf to eat." She frowned, "SOL tells them when to eat and what to eat."

Almost as if on cue, the crowd began to move again. They scattered like little ants to and fro.

"It’s been said that the ‘sponsors’ are the ones who really control everything, through SOL, al least according to legend."

"Legend?"

"Yes. It has been said that the ‘sponsors’ actually control SOL and thus control the Snaf and ultimately everything."

"What do they eat?" Junior said.

"Whatever SOL tells them to, according to what ‘sponsors’ he shows them."

" Doesn’t he control you?" Junior asked.

"He does...in a way." She was still frowning," But it’s not the same...never mind."

The little people were now lining up at various buildings spread around the infield. The lines seemed to stretch for miles.

One of the little people walked by carrying what looked like a chili dog and a cup of beer.

"No wonder, there so heavy." Junior mused.

"You must be careful, they may try and stop you and it could be dangerous," she said as she reached out and took him by the arm.

"Who?"

"The ‘sponsors’. They may see you as a threat to them and try and stop you before you can get to SOL." She began to gently lead him towards the narrow path.

"Why shucks ma’am, I ain’t never met no sponsor I couldn’t handle." Junior said in an animated voice, he smiled at her, "Don’t worry, I can handle it, in my time and place we‘re used to sponsors." He winked at her.

"You must go now, it’s a long journey." She said. She was smiling again.

"I don’t imagine you could go ...." he began to say.

She put a single finger up to his lips, "My place is here...for now." She pulled her hand away, "Please you must go now."

Junior started to turn away from her. She put a hand on his shoulder.

When he turned and faced her again, she was looking directly at him. He saw in her an image of everything beautiful he’d ever seen in his entire life.

The woman took his face into her hands and leaned close to his ear. He smelled the lilac in her hair, felt the warmth of her breath next to his ear, the softness of her hands. He felt his knees begin to shake.

"Go forth my brave handsome knight," she whispered, "slay the dragon and free us from the surly bonds that hold us here."

Then she gently, softly kissed him on his cheek.

"Wow," he whispered.

"Remember," she said after stepping back, "This time and this place is as real to you as anything you’ve ever done in your life. So you must be cautious...now go, the journey will be long and very difficult."

She gently touched his shoulder and turned him around.

Junior looked back over his shoulder at her, "Will I ever see you..."

"Perhaps," She said before he had a chance to finish the sentence, "Now go."

He turned and began to walk up the narrow path. After about ten feet he stopped to turn and look at her once more. When he did, she was gone. He looked around and not seeing her, simply shook his head.

"Weird man, too weird."

He turned and began the journey.

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An excerpt from part 4:

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