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."