It was finally race week. Danica's public appearances were done, now it was time to get down to business. She slipped into her custom made Nomex fire suit and driver suit. The fire suit was white with her sponsor's colorful logo splashed across her breasts. The bright green driver suit looked like it was painted on, along with her many sponsors that covered it. It clung to her body like she hoped her car stuck to the track.
During Monday's practice session, her car was quick enough to put it in the field, but only mid-pack, which wasn't nearly good enough for her. In her big debut on the NASCAR circuit, she wanted to make a splash. A
big
splash.
Once the track closed, she gathered with her team in her garage stall.
"Listen, guys, it'll get us into the show. But I want more. Don't you want more? I don't want to settle for mediocre. I want 'wow'!" She looked at the men surrounding her. "Okay, listen. I want the pole! If you give me a car fast enough to put it on the pole, I
will
put it on the pole. I guarantee you, you give me the equipment to do it, and I'll do it. And if I put it on the pole..." She paused. "Let's just say there will be more than one pole sitter." She clapped her hands. "Let's do this!"
The men worked into the night making adjustments on the number 10 car. Tuesday morning when she went onto the track, the car immediately felt different. Better. Faster. And her lap times confirmed it. She was at the top of the speed charts. Each time she brought it into the pits for adjustments, it got quicker.
Holy shit! We might do this!
she thought to herself as she walked away from her garage stall when practice closed on Tuesday.
Wednesday was picture perfect. You couldn't ask for better race conditions. It was time to qualify for the Daytona 500, NASCAR's crown jewel.
Danica was scheduled to be the 12
th
car to qualify out of a 52-car field. 6 of the first 11 cars put up blistering speeds. Speeds that were quicker than any of her practice laps. She turned to her crew chief, Scooter McGee, as they pushed her car to the front of the line.
"Damn, Scooter! These guys are fast! Do you think they were sandbagging in practice?"
Scooter shook his head. "Nah. Today is a primo day for racing. Don't worry. You got this." She jumped when he slapped her on the ass. She jerked her head around to see him smiling back at her. "Go get 'em, bitch."
Halfway through her warm up lap, the car felt good, better than it had either of the previous days. She gripped the wheel tight, held the pedal to the floor, and came charging out of turn 4.
All eyes were on this newcomer as she wheeled around the track. Much to everyone's surprise, when she pulled off the track and rolled into the pits, she was at the top of the leader board by a significant amount. The crowd cheered when her speed was posted. Her crew hugged and lifted her into the air as she climbed from the car.
She watched with great anticipation as the rest of the field qualified. 45 minutes later, it was over. Several cars had made a run at her speed, but it wasn't enough. She had accomplished something no other woman had accomplished. She had put her car on the pole for the Daytona 500!
Her team acted as if they had just won the Super Bowl when the final car's time was posted. A sea of reporters descended on her garage stall to see what this new breed of racer had to say.
Up in the TV booth were Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, and Larry "Mac" McReynolds.
"How about that!" Mike Joy exclaimed. "In her first attempt, Danica Patrick has put herself on the pole for the Daytona 500, accomplishing something no other female has ever done in the history of NASCAR!"
"That's pretty impressive, Mike," Darrell added. "I don't think this'll be the last pole she'll be on, either." The three men choked back laughs.
"It's gonna be fun to see what she can do on the pole...er, I mean, from the pole," Larry added with tears in his eyes.
Mike's face was red. "Let's take it down to Steve Byrnes in the garage area. He's with our pole sitter, Danica Patrick."
"I'd like to see what that bitch could do sittin' on my pole!" Larry Mac chimed in when the mics went dead.
"You mean she hasn't yet?" Mike asked. "Word is she's done half the garage and is working on the other half."
Larry nodded. "Tony said she's a real hellcat in the sack."
"She offered me a blowjob in the elevator the other day," Darrell offered.
"Bullshit! You're lying!" Larry accused.
Darrell shook his head. "No, really! She said she would consider it an honor to have a legend's cock in her mouth!"
"So, how was it?" Mike asked. "Word is she sucks dick like a pro."
Darrell shook his head again and shrugged. "Oh, I wouldn't know."
"What the fuck do you mean you wouldn't know?!" Larry asked. "What'd you do? Pussy out?"
"Oh no, nothin' like that. I was too busy holdin' Stevie (Darrell's wife) back! I thought she was gonna kill 'er!" Mike and Larry roared with laughter.
"Maybe we can get her up here as a guest commentator or somethin'," Larry offered. "I'll bet we could have some with her." He turned to the crew behind him. "Hey, Matt! See if you can get her up here as a guest or somethin' next week!"
"On it!" came the call from the producer.
Larry turned to the other two men. "With any luck, we'll all be on it."
Steve Byrnes, one of the pit reporters for the TV network covering the race, was the first to reach her.
"So, Danica, you've just made history! How does it feel to be on the pole in NASCAR's biggest race on your first try?"
"Well, Steve, you know, I couldn't have done it without these guys." She swung her arm around, gesturing to her pit crew behind her. They held up their beers and cheered. "They've been working on this car, not just this week, but all winter. They're the real stars here. And I'm going to give them a real treat tonight!" Another loud cheer erupted from her crew.
"Oh yeah? Are you going to celebrate tonight?" Steve asked.
"Hell yeah we are!" she responded.
"So, how does one celebrate after winning the pole on their first try?"
She smiled into the camera. "Well...let's just say that's not the only pole I'm going to be on today. It's gonna be wild! Right, guys?!" The men behind her cheered so loudly nothing else could be heard.
*****
Later that night, the crew members climbed into a stretch limo parked in front of their hotel.
"Where's Danica?" one asked.
Scooter shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. She said she'd meet us there."
"Where's 'there'?"
Scooter shrugged again. "Not a clue."
The men feasted on surf and turf at one of the finest restaurants in Daytona Beach with the tab already paid for in advance. They constantly looked over their shoulders, expecting Danica to show up at any time, to no avail.
They climbed back into the limo and were whisked downtown until they came to a stop in front of Daytona Beach's most exclusive gentlemen's clubs.
"What the fuck?" one asked.
"Maybe this is what she meant by 'being on the pole'?" another said, causing the men to laugh.
"Where the hell is Danica at, though? She said she was going to celebrate with us?"
"Who knows? I mean, she had so many microphones in front of her. Hell, she might still be doing interviews!"
"That's true. Well, fuck it. Let's party!"
The men threw dollar bills at the sexy dancers and drank the finest champagne like it was going out of style. Finally, an hour into the party, the thumping music of the DJ quieted and the voice of the announcer came across the loud speaker.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a real treat for you now! She knocks down barriers everywhere she goes, and tonight is no different! Straight from Daytona International Speedway, hot off the track, and keeping it hot here, let's make this room rumble and make her feel right at home! Give it up for Danica Patrick!"
The crowd went bananas. The sound was deafening. Her pit crew's jaws dropped. Danica stormed onto the stage as Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 55" blared wearing a generic driver's suit. Her hair had a bright sheen to it and her make-up looked professionally applied. Her smile was wide and her brown eyes twinkled. Her crew moved in closer and took seats next to the stage, staring up at their new driver in disbelief. As she marched down the runway she aggressively pulled off one driver glove and tossed it into the audience, quickly followed by the other.
Danica was no stranger to a stripper pole. She had taken an exercise class centered around a stripper pole. She liked it so much she had one installed in her personal exercise room. She stepped right up to it and did a couple of one handed spins around it. She went into a Shoulder Back Stretch, sank down into a Hamstring Stretch, quickly followed by a Cobra. She popped to her feet and looked into the crowd with a mischievous grin. She grabbed the center of her driver suit between her breasts and paused. Suddenly, those closest to the stage heard the tear of Velcro separating. The driver suit was actually two pieces! The jacket flew off her shoulders and deep into the crowd, revealing a tiny bikini top with a checkered flag pattern. The crowd roared. Once again she paused, waiting for the roar to die down. She grabbed the waist band of her pants. RIP! The pants flew into the frenzied crowd, revealing a matching G-string to the top. Her body glitter sparkled in the flashing strobe lights.
Knowing she was a celebrity guest, it hadn't occurred to anyone to tip her like any other stripper. "Come on folks! Show Danica some appreciation! Every dollar goes to charity!" came the voice over the loud speaker. Dollar bills began to rain down upon the stage.
Danica walked to the edge of the stage where her crew was and dropped down. She began to thrust her pelvis mere inches away from one of her tire changers.
"Come on, Jack! I know how much you make!" she shouted with a smile. Jack hesitantly tucked a $5 bill into the band of her G-string. She nodded, jumped to her feet, and strutted back to the pole.
The crowd cheered when she went into a Crucifix Climb, quickly followed by a Lean Back, a Blade, a Basic Invert, and into a Headstand. She did a Backwards Roll then jumped to her feet. She shimmied her hips and smiled into the crowd as Sammy went into the final chorus.
No, no, no, I can't drive (I can't drive 55)
I can't drive (I can't drive 55)
(I can't drive 55)
(I can't drive 55)
The music faded. Danica stared into the crowd. Suddenly, BAM! Danica's tiny bikini top flew into the audience. The crowd went apeshit! She stood there for a count of 5, allowing the flipped out crowd to take in the sight of her recently enhanced breasts before she turned and ran off the stage waving.
A few songs later, Danica wandered into the appreciative crowd wearing what looked like a man's white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a black top hat, and her signature aviator sunglasses. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail. Her crew had moved away from the stage and was recovering from what they had just experienced at a table near the back of the club. They did a double take when she took a seat with them.
"So, guys, what'd you think?" she asked with a broad smile.
"Amazing!"
"Uh, wow!"
"Incredible!"
"You were awesome!"