Once in a Lifetime

By Spencer

It all started on a hot and sweaty summer day when I was working at my Mom and Dad’s work. They came out to talk to me and I thought they had got me something because it was my birthday. Indeed they had got me something. They had tickets to the race that happens once a year, the Daytona 500.

I said, "I have always wanted to go to the Daytona 500 Speedway. Thank you. I am so happy. I love you mom and dad, thank you."

My Mom said, "You’re welcome. We thought you might want to go since we could get them through the Car Quest Auto Parts Store. We thought it might be a good birthday present for you."

The next week we left on a plane to Florida, the "Orange State". I slept the whole way there on the plane and when I woke up I saw it.

It was right in front of my face. It was the Daytona 500 Speedway. It was huge. I smell the burnt fuel and I hear the loud roars of the engines running at nine thousand Rpm’s while they are qualifying for positions. The loud roars of the engines rumble the ground so it feels like an earthquake or a thousand semi trucks going by right in front of you.

It is the day before the race and we decide to go into the Daytona Museum. You wouldn’t believe it. They had all of these cars and pictures. They had different sections of different years. The years went back to the first race held on the Daytona Beach itself. I saw what the first pits looked like and what the pit crew wore. We went on a tour of the track. Did you know the turns are at a 30% grade?

It is now race day and I was the first one up. On the way there we stopped and got some breakfast. My mom leads the way up to the ticket booth. I said, "Mom we already have tickets."

My Mom said, "She wanted to see if there are any pit passes left. "They didn’t have very many left," my Mom said, "But she did get enough." The pit passes are for us to go down into the pits and talk to the race car drivers and get autographs. I told my Mom that I wanted to go down into the pits to get some autographs and see if Jeff Gordon is there.

As I walked down to the pits I told my mom to save me a good seat. My dream is to meet the best race car driver in the whole world, Jeff Gordon. I saw him standing in front of his race car #24. It seemed like everything stopped for a moment. Everything was in slow motion. Then it was back to normal.

I went over to him and he asked, "Do you want to sit in my car?"

I said, "Yes I would love to!" I sat in his car and I told him it was my birthday last week. I also told him I wanted him to win the race.

I looked around the inside the car and I asked, "Where is the key?"

He said, "There isn’t one. We use switches because if we fly forward in a crash it wouldn’t jam in our knee."

I asked, "Can I get your autograph?"

He said, "Sure, where would you like it?"

I said, "How about my hat." The hat had Jeff Gordon’s car on it with him standing next to it.

He told me it was time to go because the race was about to start. I go up to the stands where my Mom and Dad are waiting for me. I tell them all about my talk with Jeff Gordon. As I watch the track I see the pace car leave the pits with all of the other cars following. I see that Jeff Gordon got pole position. The cars do one lap around the track, but before they finish the lap the pace car pulls into the pits and the green flag goes up. The cars hit the gas pedal and I can tell the difference between the pace lap and the starting lap. The stands shake like you’re at the monster truck arena and the noise is so loud that it echoes in your head.

It is the last lap and the sky is dark. Jeff Gordon is in the lead. The crowd is on their feet with loud cheers when the cars hit the last turn. Dale Earnhardt gets shoved up into the retaining wall. He screeched back down the track and hits the Kellogg’s car. My eyes are watery from the smoky air and the rubber burning off the cars’ tires at 200 miles an hour. There are huge monstrous flames coming out of the engine compartment on Dale Earnhardt’s car. The checkered flag is up along with the yellow flag. Jeff Gordon crosses the bright finish line. Jeff Gordon won. I was jumping up and down with excitement.

I went back down to the pits after the race and I asked, "How did you do it?"

He answered. "I just kept my pedal to the metal."

We went home after a couple of days and I will never forget that race. My dream came true!