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It was the final drag race in the Missouri Nationals that Friday evening and John Evans was in the lead like always. His car was one that any drag racer would love to drive. The 2015 Camaro he drove was mainly stock save for one modification, but it was THE car to beat on the track. He never wanted to be a drag racer professionally, but in his spare time he drove down to the local track and raced his Camaro against some worthy opponents. It didn’t matter what his competitors used against him to win; various supercharged and turbocharged cars as well as cars with nitrous, it was all to no avail. When John raced, his opponents would push their cars to their limits, but the end result would always be the same; John at the finish line in first place. John was not too arrogant to show what he had under the hood as this was the respectable thing to do in the world of racing. The motor was completely stock save for a pair of long tube headers he installed shortly after purchasing his car. No turbos, no superchargers, no nitrous. John’s philosophy was that he could win with all motor and he was proving them right by continuously placing first down the quarter-mile.

For the most part, his opposition didn’t mind him winning all the time. A lot of the racers were up in age and they were doing it just for fun. One such driver, Edward Platt, or ‘Eddie’ for short, was not one of the drivers who took kindly to all of John’s success. He was a man in his early twenties and his passion was racing. It ran deep in his blood. On the outside, it would appear that he didn’t mind John winning, as he congratulated him when he won. But deep on the inside, it was tearing him apart. Eddie was the type of guy who HAD to win. At any cost.

He was one of the guys who had an extravagant setup under his hood. His car of choice was a 1969 Plymouth Barracuda with a 426 Hemi and a roots-type blower sitting on top. You’d think that with all that power he would smoke John and his Camaro. But that was far from the case. Not only did John beat Eddie and his Hemi 'Cuda; by the time they reached the quarter-mile marker, John would already had put THREE car lengths on Eddie, which was unheard of in a car that was mainly stock like in John’s case. In one particular race, Eddie was beaten so bad that he thought his car was not putting down the power like it should. So he took his car to his father, Craig Pratt, who himself was a drag racer and who owned a hot rod shop in the small Missouri town of Tillsdale where they all lived, and he put the car on the dyno to see if it was running right. When they dyno’d the car, it was putting out exactly the power it was supposed to. But if that was so, why was Eddie losing so badly? Eddie told his father that the only mods John had were the long-tube headers, to which his father did not buy it. Craig knew that a naturally aspirated Camaro was no match for a worked Hemi and he wanted to know the truth.

At the next race which was the following Saturday night, Craig would accompany his son so he could see this ‘special’ Camaro with his own eyes. Before the race began, he walked up to John and introduced himself as the father of the driver Eddie, and John said that he knew him.

“He seems like a very nice guy,” John told Craig.

“Yeah. He can be a hothead sometimes, but he really is a nice kid. Just very competitive. He loves to win,” Craig said.

“Winning is a good thing, and I LOVE his car! That thing is amazing!” John said, as he glanced in the direction of the Hemi Cuda.

“We put a lot of man hours into that baby and she sings when you hit it,” Craig said, proud of the car he helped build with his son.

“That car is SO fast! I know I have beaten Eddie a few times, but I know that when I do lose, it will probably be to him.”

“I don’t know about that. I heard in one race you put a few car lengths on him,” Craig said as they started to walk casually around the parking lot. “THAT, my boy, was NOT supposed to happen with the setup you have, just saying.”

“Well, on that particular day, my car was just hooking up good and I think he spun a little at the line.”

“Even with the wheel spin, he still should have caught you halfway down the track. He wasn't even close! I saw the footage. You ripped into him real good that night!”

“It was one of my good days, I guess. I don’t think it will happen again,” John said.

“And THAT'S the reason I’m here. Word around town is you two are going at it again tonight. And this time, I want to see your Camaro in action for myself. We’ll know shortly if that was a good day for you, or if my son cannot drive a Hemi 'Cuda,” Craig told him.

“That is correct, sir. We are racing tonight and this might be the night he wins. My car hasn't been running right since I got a tune-up a few weeks ago,” John said as he opened the hood to have a look at his motor.

“What’s it doing?” Craig asked curiously.

“Well, for one thing, when I come to a complete stop and then drive away, it feels like it wants to shut off as it sputters at take off.”

“Hmmm, could be bad spark plugs or a dirty intake,” Craig said as he looked at John’s intake manifold.

“I don’t know. But I can’t drop out of the race because of that. I have a commitment and I intend on keeping it.”

“THAT'S the spirit, my friend. Race it tonight and see if the problem persists.”

“Ok. I will give it a shot. Nice talking with you, Mr. Platt,” John said as he closed the hood of his car and sat in the driver's seat.

“All my friends call me Craig. You can call me Craig as well.”

“I appreciate that. Tonight might be the night Eddie gets the win.”

“We will see, John. Happy racing,” Craig said as he gave a pat on the roof of John’s car.

“Thank you,” John said as he prepped his car to race.

After they spoke, the announcer called all the contestants to their cars to be staged to race. A few of the cars paired up and they raced. Some looked just as fast as John, but their trap speeds at the end of the quarter mile were not as quick as his. But the main event was what these people came to see, and soon John and Eddie would once again see who’s car was faster down the track.

As John and Eddie drove to stage their cars, they happened to drive past one another and when they made contact, they both wished each other luck.

“Man, John, it will be a close one I think, but I will try to get the win tonight,” Eddie said as he gave John a thumbs up.

“To tell you the truth, you just MIGHT have a chance. My car has been running kind of bad lately and I have yet to take it to the shop to see what is wrong with it. But like I told your old man, I have commitments to make so I will race tonight, win OR lose.” John said as he spoke out of the window to acknowledge Eddie.

“Alright then, let's get it on and may the best man win.” Eddie said as he revved the supercharged Hemi’.

“Good luck out there, partner.” John said as he focused his mind to go down the quarter-mile the fastest.

The time came for the two to race and when they lined up, the crowd stood on their feet. Eddie’s dad, Craig, was with his son’s crew getting a bird’s eye view of the race. This was the moment everyone in Tillsdale had been waiting for. To see if Eddie could unseat John once and for all, or if John was definitely the fastest man in Missouri.

As they approached the starting line lights, or Christmas tree, they both did burnouts to get the best grip out of their cars as possible. Eddie’s 'Cuda put down the best burnout with his big Hemi motor and blower. Plus, he had huge slicks in the rear that looked like he had a set of steamroller tires on each corner. After they did their burnouts, they moved towards the Christmas tree and tripped the first beam, pre-staging their cars. Each one crept up a little at a time and when they tripped the second beam, that triggered the stage light, indicating that they were ready to race. The three amber lights lid up simultaneously and when the light turned green, they were off!!!

They both left out of the gate at the same time and just like John said would happen, his car was acting up and he started to lose ground. But after they passed the eighth mile mark, John began to pick up speed and in less than half a second, he was neck and neck with Eddie who looked over in John’s lane and couldn’t believe what he was seeing. About halfway down the track was when John started to leave Eddie and soon John was a car length ahead of Eddie, much to the dismay of Craig, who was blown away by what he was witnessing. The closer they got to the finish line, the more John pulled away from Eddie. When they reached the quarter-mile, John had put almost two car lengths on Eddie, who was disheartened as to what had just happened.

When they reached their respected camps, the moods were different just like night and day. There were hi-fives everywhere in John’s camp, but in Eddie’s camp, there was disappointment. John himself was amazed that, not only did he win, but his car actually seemed like it was running better than it did before he found out he had a problem. John then walked over to Eddie’s camp to thank him for a good race, but Eddie just wanted to be left alone.

“Hey, Eddie, I want to say thanks for the race. I had no idea I would win tonight.”

“Man, John, I gave it my best shot, and still came up short! I don’t know what else to do to beat you. You are AMAZING, man! Props to you!” Eddie told John, trying to keep his emotions in check.

“Thanks, man. I appreciate that. We’ll do it again soon,” John said as he gave Eddie a pat on the back.

“You can count me in, John.”

When they departed, Eddie walked over to his dad, who was also disappointed at the results.

“Dad, I gave it my all, and I STILL lost! I HATE losing! I can’t STAND it! And I ESPECIALLY hate losing to HIM! What is so special about that Camaro?!”

“I don’t know, son, and I hate it just as much as you do,” Craig said as he tried to calm down his son after he couldn’t keep his cool any longer.

“What can I do to beat him then?”

“I don’t know, son. But we will come up with something. I just don’t know what.”

“Yeah, dad. Maybe we need to get us a Camaro like him. That might even things out a bit,” Eddie said.

“Absolutely not!” Craig yelled back. “After ALL the man hours we put into this car! Are you CRAZY?! We will continue to race this car until the wheels fall off! Soon, we WILL win against him! TRUST me!”

“Whatever you say, dad. Whatever you say,” Eddie said, shrugging his shoulders.

Eddie then walked back to his car, got in, and put his head on the steering wheel, dejected and disgusted. That image of his son in that state was more than Craig could bear to look at. Seeing his son hurt like that made him want his son to win even more. So he came up with a plan for his son to be victorious, but would it be enough for him to cross the finish line first?

Craig walked over to John’s camp to congratulate him, which was something he was hesitant to do.

“Well John, it looks like you were wrong on this one. Not only did you win, but you won by a couple of car lengths. Are you sure your car is not running right, or you just said that to sike us out?” Craig said, folding his arms across his chest.

“Sir, I promise you, my car was running terrible the past couple of days. Even though I race this car, it is also my daily driver, as I drive it back and forth to my job. And when I drive to work and back, my car acts like it wants to shut down. This is a fairly new car, so I don’t know why it would be acting like that,” John said, scratching his head, amazed by the end result himself.

“My friend, I cannot answer that question offhand. But if you’d like, I could take a look at your car for you. I have a shop down on Jefferson and Park called Platt Performance. You could bring it in and I’ll pull up some reasons why your car is acting the way it is. And you’re right. A new car like yours shouldn’t be sputtering when you drive. That’s dangerous!” Craig told John.

“You’re telling me. I swear one day I was driving and it almost cut off on me altogether. I could have got hit or something.”

“I’ll tell you what, bring it in and I’ll take a look at it. And don’t worry about the repair costs. If it needs repairing, I’ll do it free of charge. Ok?”

John at first thought he was joking, but then came to realize he wasn't.

“You will do that for me? I...I don’t know what to say?”

“Any friend of Eddie’s is a friend of mine. Just drop it off and consider it done.”

“Cool! Is next Saturday Ok?”

“Why don’t you bring it in tomorrow. I have nothing planned. Next Saturday will not be good for me. I have an engagement to attend to.”

“Tomorrow is fine. What time?” John asked.

“Bring it in around eight in the morning,” Craig replied back.

“Will do. See you then.”

“See you John. And once again, congratulations on your win. You have an amazing car.”

“Thank you, sir.”

John felt like the luckiest man alive. Not only did he win his race, but his opponent’s father just offered to fix his car free of charge! But there is an old saying, 'when something seems like it’s too good to be true, it usually is.' Craig fixing John’s car for free seems like a nice gesture, but Craig and his son don’t like to lose and trying to beat John and his Camaro has consumed them both to a point that they might can’t come back from.

Sunday arrived and John was at the shop before eight. Five minutes later, Craig pulled up and was surprised to see John already there.

“Hey John, I didn’t expect to see you here this early. What a surprise! Let me open the shop and get you in so we can see what we are dealing with,” Craig said as he pulled up the gate to his shop.

“Ok. Do you mind if I wait while you check out my car?” John asked.

“Not at all. I’ll turn on the TV for you in the waiting area. Do you have a preference of a channel you’d like you watch?”

“I don’t have a special channel I watch, but the news will be fine. I appreciate all that you are doing for me, Mr. Craig.”

“No problem. Lets get her in. And it’s just Craig. No formalities around here.”

Craig then drove John’s car straight to the dyno to get some power numbers and just like John had said, the car was not putting down the power it was supposed to. But, he was still winning races. And Craig wanted to know why.

So he took the car off the dyno and did some routine maintenance and saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was when he put the car on the lift did he notice something wrong.

“Hey, John. Let me ask you something. Have you had any aftermarket headers put on your car?” Craig asked shining a flashlight under the motor.

“Yes. I put on some long tube headers about six months ago, and they seem to give me some extra power,” John answered back.

“Yes, they do, but do you know the difference between long tube and short tube headers John?”

“I know that short tube headers are good for low end torque and long tube headers are good for high revving engines. Since I race and I run my car to redline, I chose the long tube headers. Plus, I think they’re cool,” John said.

“You are correct. But since your car has a large displacement V8, the short tube headers, or “shorty headers” would be better suited for you because your car produces a lot of torque already and if you installed the shorty headers, you would have more torque down low and that would mean your launches would be a lot more quicker, allowing you to get down the track faster,” Craig explained.

“So you’re saying the shorty headers would work better for my car because of the torque and my takeoff would improve? That sounds great! But what about the driving condition of my car? Would the shorty headers eliminate that problem?” John asked.

“It’s a possibility. And upon further inspection, I noticed a small leak coming from the header on the driver side. Maybe that is why your car is running like it does. But since these are long tube headers, they work better in the upper rev range where your car picks up speed rapidly,” Craig said, shining his light in the direction of the leak.

“Let me ask you this, if I were to get some shorties, where would I get them from? Amazon, Ebay?” John asked anxiously.

“No. Not from any of those places. I have a fabrication department here and we make our own headers. My son uses some shorties on his Hemi 'Cuda. Here, take a look at these,” Craig said, showing John pictures of his son’s car as well as other cars he worked on.

Catching his interest, John then asked Craig,

“Well, could you fabricate some for my car?

Craig replied back, “I can do one better. I have a huge stock of shorties in my warehouse and I’m sure I can find some to fit your vehicle. I could start today and be done later this afternoon. Since this is a top priority and I know you need your car for work, I will see to it personally that your car is finished on time. As a matter of fact, I will work on the headers myself to insure they get done properly. By the way, I talked to my son last night about the race you two ran and he was so upset that he almost quit the game and I don’t want him to do that. He loves to race as that is his passion. Hey, John, I would like to ask a favor of you.”

“Sure. After what you are doing for me, I don’t have a problem with that. Go ahead and ask.”

“Well, since my son almost quit, would you give him another shot at the title?” Craig asked.

“I would LOVE to. But suppose I beat him again. Wouldn’t that put a damper on his comeback?”

“It might. But just seeing him back out there will push him in the right direction. Plus, I added a smaller pulley on his car and it increased the power significantly. He doesn't know it yet, but he will see the difference when he drives it,” Craig said.

“Well, when you put it like that, I would welcome it. When would you like us to run?”

“How about this coming Friday around 7?”

“That will be fine. Tell Eddie I will see him Friday.”

“I sure will. Do you have a ride home, John?”

“I’ll call my dad to come and get me.”

“Great. Come back this afternoon and I will have your car ready.”

“Ok. I will see you later, Craig.”

“Ahh, see, that wasn’t so bad now was it. Calling me Craig. It feels like we have known each other for a long time. See you later,” Craig said smiling.

John called his dad to come and pick him up from the auto shop and fifteen minutes later, he was there to take John back home.

About three hours later, Craig came in from working on John’s car and he had a talk with his son, Eddie, who was watching TV.

“Hey, son. Boy, do I have some news for you!” Craig said in excitement.

“What is it, dad? And DON'T tell me about racing! I TOLD you I’m not feeling it anymore!” Eddie shouted to his dad, still upset about his loss to John.

“But what I was about to tell you was I had a talk with John and he said he would race you again if you came back.”

“So wait, you set up a “comeback” race for me with the dude that has beaten be EVERY SINGLE TIME??? AND with a car that was not supposed to be running right but STILL beat me?! What were you thinking dad?!” Eddie said furiously.

“Look, Eddie, I know it sounds crazy but trust me, I have a plan that will not fail. And THIS time, you WILL get the victory! For one thing, I added a smaller pulley on your ride and it added at least 30-40 horsepower easy. And another, I asked John to bring me his car so I can work on it because he said it wasn't running right.”

It was at this point that Eddie had heard enough.

“STOP! Just STOP IT! Let me see if I’m understanding your correctly! You have the man, who has defeated me over and over in races' car in your shop... RIGHT NOW! PLEASE tell me that you are not adding a pulley to HIS car as well! You must want me to lose much worse that I HAVE been! What’s the deal POPS?!” Eddie shouted at his dad.

“You didn’t let me finish. Yes, I have John’s car in my shop, but I’m not fixing it to win. I’m setting it up to fail when he goes down the dragstrip. Don’t ask me how, just know that it’s being done. I’m tired of you losing to that guy,” Craig said, popping open a can of soda.

“But dad, isn't that unfair? Wouldn’t it be better if we just kept on working on our car until we beat him fair and square without cheating?” Eddie asked, blindsided by his dad’s statement.

“Life is unfair, Eddie, and in this business, it’s cutthroat! In MY camp, it’s win or lose by ANY MEANS NECESSARY and right now, I want YOU to win! Is that so bad, my son?”

“Yeah, kinda, because it seems like we can't beat him with the work that we do, and we do good work in Tillsdale AND beyond. People know who we are and we are very well respected. We NEVER cheated to win and I want to keep it that way!”

“Then THAT’S why you won't tell anyone about what I’m doing, right?

Eddie hesitated with his answer, then he reluctantly agreed with his dad.

“Well, if it will help me win, I don’t see why not. And besides, he acts like he can't be beat and I want to see the look on his face when I come across that finish line first. What a glorious day that will be!” Eddie said in a joyous manner.

“NOW you’re talking, son! You won’t have long to wait either. I set up a race for the two of you for Friday. I’m giving him his car back later today. When he drives it at normal speed, it will work fine. But the minute he floors it, he is gonna be in for a surprise! I can’t WAIT to see the look on his face when he guns it! It’s going to be priceless!” Craig said as he rubbed his two hands together in anticipation of the race.

“Can’t you tell me what you did, dad?” Eddie asked anxiously.

“Not yet, my boy. But first, let me explain the concept of my plan. I will let him get a few runs down the track. And with each run, I will make the car run slower. I have the technology in my shop to make it happen. All you have to do is watch and observe,” Craig said.

“Ok. That sounds all well and good. But suppose he finds out what you did to his car. He’ll come looking for you,” Eddie replied nervously.

“He’ll NEVER find out because I have a way to reverse the process whenever he takes his car into a different shop to be checked out. I have hidden a small microphone in his car where I can hear every conversation he has. Whenever he decides to come here or go anyplace else to get his car looked at, I will reverse the problem with an app on my phone that is hooked up to the onboard computer in his car and I will make the issue disappear. When he gets back in his car and drives away, I will hit the activate button and the problem will return without him ever finding out.

With the technology I’m using, the other shops won’t discover the problem because my software cannot be detected by their diagnostic equipment. Believe me, I went to a few spots in town with a clunker I was working on with the technology, and no one ever found out what was going on with my car when I told them I had a problem. It is literally untraceable! I have a degree in engineering and one in computer technology so I know what I’m doing, son.”

“That sounds fantastic! But, even with all that technology, I STILL couldn’t beat him. You must didn’t want me to win or something,” Eddie told his dad.

“That’s not it at all. I didn’t put all that ‘hi-tech’ stuff in your car because your car doesn't need it. You have an original 426 Hemi under your hood and it had been restored back to its factory specs. Adding all of that computer nonsense would have been an injustice to that motor. And if I did that, your car would be just like John’s Camaro, which uses a lot of hi-tech stuff. And since his car is equipped with a computer where I can input data, it wasn't hard for me to work my magic and turn his beloved Camaro into an old Chevy Chevette. Now if he had a 69’ Camaro with a 350 in it, I wouldn’t have been able to work my magic because those motors did not come with an onboard computer. So it wasn't that I didn’t want you to win, it was because your car has more heritage and prestige than his and I was NOT going to defame that marvelous engine with some computer add-ons that it didn’t need.”

“Well, since you put it like that dad, I don’t feel so bad. Everywhere I go, people are always complimenting me on my car. And when I tell them where it came from, they tell me your company does excellent work and they would bring their cars there if they needed work. Now I’m ready to race and see the look on this man’s face when he loses for the first time.”

“And every time after that, son. Remember, I have total control of his car and I will say when as to making it available to run properly again.”

“Awesome, dad! Well, it’s been a rough morning for me and I’m about to take a nap.”

“Go ahead and get some rest and in a week, YOU will be the new king of the drag strip!

“That is something I can live with for the rest of my life!”

“Then so be it, son. Have it your way. I have to get back to work and finish on my masterpiece. See you tonight.”

“See you dad and thanks for the talk. It really helped me out a lot.“

“That’s what I’m here for.”

It was close to Sunday evening, and Craig was finished with John’s car. He called John to come and pick up his Camaro and his dad brought him to the shop. John was excited about getting his car back and he didn’t hide his feelings about it.

“Good evening to you my friend. It took a little longer than I expected, but I am done with your vehicle. Let me show you what work I’ve done. Come on in,” Craig said as he led John in the shop.

Craig then took John to the dyno area where he showed John a chart of how much power his car was now making. Since he added the shorty headers, it added about 30 extra horsepower but the torque rose significantly to 90 pound-feet, where the long tube headers were only putting out around 25 horsepower and 40 pound-feet of torque. Satisfied with the newly installed headers, John got his keys and departed Craig’s shop and headed to his favorite patch of open road to test out his fixed ride. On the way over, he noticed that the car had stopped sputtering, so that was a good sign.

When he got to the long stretch of road, he floored it and the car took off like a bolt of lightning. By the look on John’s face, he was impressed by the results. Not only did Craig fix the sputtering, now the Camaro was undoubtedly running better than before and he didn’t have to pay for it! It was the best time of John’s life. He made several passes that day down the road and each one with the same result. 0-60 in 3.3 seconds, where before with the long tubes he was running a 3.7 0-60. And the quarter mile was equally impressive. 11.1 at 123 to an 11.9 at 118 with the long tubes. His car had dramatically increased in speed and it didn’t cost him a cent! He didn’t feel right racing Eddie with this much of a power increase but at the same time, Craig told John that his son’s car also had work done to it, but he didn't say how much faster it was. So John figured it might be a closer race this time and his momentary guilt trip left his presence.

After more than 100 practice runs with no problems, John headed home for some rest because he had to go to work the next day. When John made it home, he called Craig to once again thank him for working on his car.

“No problem, John. Glad everything worked out for you,” Craig said.

John went to bed knowing that when Friday came, he would still be the drag strip king and he might even break his own record for the quarter-mile. Meanwhile, Craig and his son had a conversation that all but assured them the race was theirs.

“Soon son, the streets will belong to you, and NO one, not even John will be able to take them back from you,” Craig told his son, smirking.

“Dad, at first, I was feeling down about losing to John, but when I think about it, why does he has to win EVERY, SINGLE TIME??? I know dudes that have raced against him and they say that he does cheat by putting in a code on his onboard computer that increases the horsepower when he races. Kind of like nitrous does when you need that extra boost. Whatever the case, when Friday comes, there will be a NEW king in town, and I will be that King!!!” Eddie said defiantly.

“Son, this has been a long time coming, and I can’t wait for you to be the champ! Bring the title back to our house where it belongs, my boy!”

“Consider it done, dad!”

And with those words, all the Platt men had to do was wait until Friday for the race, and watch as Eddie unseat John as the new drag racing champion.

That night, they slept knowing that when Friday came, it would be a day of redemption for the Platt family, as John would fire up his Camaro that day and drive down the drag strip only to lose to Eddie by a plot devised by Eddie’s father, Craig. If everything goes as planned, John will be handed his first loss at the drag strip and that will change everything he holds dear about racing ever again. There can only be one winner and one loser in this game, and Eddie is determined to be on the winning side of the track this time.

Monday arrived, and John’s Camaro was fixed and running better than it was when it was brand new. If John’s car was running good before, now it was a certified monster, as his 0-60 and his quarter-mile times had both increased. Eddie’s car also had work done to it, but it still might not be enough to unseat the drag champ John. Unbeknownst to John, Craig had installed a device inside one of the shorty headers to make his engine shut down before he made it down the track, therefore making him lose the race. He also added a microphone in his car to listen to his conversations as to when he took his car in to be serviced because of the apparatus Craig installed, giving Craig a heads-up to disable or enable it whenever he wanted to. But all John wanted to do was win, because losing was not an option for him at this stage in his life.

All week, John’s car had been running flawlessly, and it was getting close to the big race. On Thursday, the day before the race, John was heading home from work and everything was performing fine. Eddie just happened to be getting off work at the same time, but he had to run to the store to pick up some items for dinner. John usually took the highway home but today, he wanted to run his car down his favorite stretch of road he practices on. So he made a detour through downtown Tillsdale and headed to the road to get one last run in before tomorrow, just to see if his car was in fact running right.

He made his way to a stop light which had just turned red, so he had to wait. About two minutes later, the light turned green and he was on his way. Five minutes away from his destination, he was coming down the main boulevard when he heard a strange noise coming from under the hood. But before he could slow down to see what the problem was, he heard a loud ‘thump’ this time, and when it made that noise, the car suddenly accelerated at full speed and John was spinning from left to right out of control. He tried to straighten the car out but he was going too fast and by the time he got a firm grasp on the steering wheel, it was too late. John had ran up a sidewalk and crashed into a group of people waiting for the bus. He was traveling so fast that after he ran the pedestrians down, his car continued down the sidewalk for another 200 feet before it finally came to rest at the side of a building.

John’s car was destroyed and although all the airbags deployed, John himself was not it the best of shape. The store owner who’s building was destroyed by John’s car came to his aid and when he got to John, he was slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious. Another man who witnessed the accident from across the street called 911 and within minutes, the paramedics were there on the scene. When they arrived, they witnessed at least twelve bodies all laid out across the sidewalk and upon further investigation, all were pronounced dead at the scene. Then they approached John’s vehicle and saw John still slumped over the wheel. When they finally removed John from his car, his body fell motionless on the ground. They then checked to see if he had any vital signs and there were none. They tried to revive him by using shock treatment, but it was of no use. John did not survive the crash and had died on the spot from his injuries. They pronounced him dead at the scene in their report. It wasn't long until the news media made their way to the scene, and it was broadcast on the next TV airing.

Craig had just sat down to watch TV after working long hours at the shop when a news report came on talking about a crash in downtown Tillsdale where twelve people were killed and the driver died at the scene. When they showed the area of the crash and the car involved, Craig instantly knew who it was and he was in shock. He knew that was John’s Camaro in the background, all totaled out. Devastated to learn that John had died in a car accident, he called his son, Eddie, to see if he had heard the tragic news. When he called Eddie, his phone went straight to voicemail. He tried again and again, all to no avail. It kept going straight to his voicemail. He knew his son was going to the store to pick up some supplies for his dinner, so he should be answering his phone.

“This is not like my boy to not answer his phone,” Craig said to himself. Craig ran into the bedroom, put on his shoes, and drove down to the scene, speeding as he drove. When he arrived on the scene, all he could do was fall to his knees. A man then walked up to Craig and put his hand on his shoulder.

“Excuse me, aren't you the mechanic that worked on my son’s car?” the man asked.

When Craig looked up, he didn’t recognize who the man was.

“Do I know you, sir?” Craig asked crying.

“We never met personally, but we are kind of connected,” the man replied back.

“In what way may I ask?”

“ Well, for one, that is my son’s Camaro that is smashed up against the wall.”

“Are you John’s dad?” Craig asked as he stood to his knees.

“Yes, I am. My name is Graham Evans and my son John is…..dead. He did not survive the crash. My son is dead!”

All Graham could do was fall to the ground and cry, and Craig, finding out that this was the man who brought John to his shop a few days ago to pick up his car, and who just lost his son in a violent crash, started to cry again as well. He had already knew John had died, but hearing it from his father made his heart sink in his chest.

“I am soooo sorry for your loss. I’m at a loss for words. If there is anything I can do…” Craig said to Graham, who was trying to keep it together in spite of all that was going on.

“No. I am fine. I appreciate you coming down. I know you knew my son. Like I said, you worked on his car and he spoke highly of you.”

“He DID? I didn’t know him all that well, but my son Eddie knew him. They raced a lot and became kind of like rivals.”

“Yes, he did mention an ‘Eddie’ a lot. An Eddie who raced a Hemi 'Cuda. Which brings me to this. When I pulled up, I noticed an old Hemi 'Cuda parked across the street that my son used to talk about a lot and who said that a kid named Edward Platt drove it. It that your son’s car?”

Craig looked across the street and to his astonishment, it was indeed Eddie’s car sitting there, untouched by the accident.

“YES! YES, that IS my son’s car across the street! If that’s his car, then where is my son?”

“I don’t know, but I think you need to ask the paramedics over there if they know anything about Eddie.”

There were bodies laid out on the sidewalk covered in sheets, but Craig wanted answers and he wasn't leaving until he got them.

“Excuse me sir,” Craig said to one of the paramedics. “My name is Craig Platt, and I was wondering if…”

And before he could get the rest of his sentence out, the medic stopped him and gave him some news.

“Did you say your name was ‘Craig’ Platt?” the paramedic said.

“Yes, my name is Craig Platt, What’s going on?” Craig replied back with uneasiness in his voice.

“I think you need to take a walk with me, sir.”

“What’s this all about?”

“We have to ask you this before the news report it over the air. Are you in any way related to an ‘Edward’ Platt?”

“Eddie? Why, yes, that is my son. What does HE have to do with this?”

“Mr. Platt, we have ID some of the victims here, and one of the ID’s came back to an Edward Platt.”

“Was my son HURT here? Tell me SOMETHING!!!!!” Craig screamed out, grabbing the paramedic by the shirt.

“No sir, he wasn't hurt. He was killed. I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you.”

“WHAT??? Are you sure it was MY Eddie??? How can this BE???”

“When the driver of the Camaro jumped the sidewalk and crashed into the bus stop, before it came to rest on the side of this building, he hit your son coming out of this grocery store and killed him on impact. He had groceries in his hand and I think he was going back to his car across the street. But he never made it.

“Oh, Oh, my GOD!!!! HOW??? How did this happen??? WHY ME????

Craig was crushed by the news and passed out from the shock. His son was dead along with John, and that was too much for him to take. He had to go home and explain to his wife that their only child, Eddie, was dead. Graham had already told his wife the grim news and she was devastated. Two hours ago, The Evans and The Platt families had their children with them and in the blink of an eye, they both lost something precious they can never get back. It wasn't the racing that killed the men, but a freak accident that snuffed the lives out of the thing they loved to do.

When they got John’s car in the police garage to determine the cause of the accident, they came to the conclusion that his car had a faulty shorty header on the passenger side and in the midst of driving, it somehow dislodged itself and got tangled up with the motor, disabling the throttle linkage locking the car in first gear thus making John’s car accelerate and without him able to control it. What it came down to was that the same shorty header Craig installed in John’s car to make him lose races was the thing that took his life. It broke apart from the engine, which it was not supposed to do, and made his car go out of control and killed him. Even the investigators said they had never seen anything like this before in their lives. They had never heard of a header, long or short, being the cause of an accident. But this was the case, and now they had to break the news to John’s family the cause of his death. They do not know his opponent’s father intentionally installed the header for him to lose his races. But Craig had to be notified that it was his product that was the cause of this tragedy.

Craig was told of this unfortunate situation and all he could do was put his head on the table and cry. If it wasn't for his jealousy, both his son and John would still be alive. He wanted his son Eddie to win so bad, he installed what he thought would be a shorty header that would activate John’s car to malfunction when he drove down the quarter-mile. Instead, John’s headers became his death sentence and it is what killed him and his “rival” Eddie. Craig will have to live with this tragedy for the rest of his life, and the guilt he harbors inside will haunt him until his dying days.

But something inside of him made him get the courage to go to John’s family and tell them exactly why his car crashed. He told the family that he installed the shorty headers to make his car run slower in the quarter-mile so his son could win the race. He did not know that it would turn out to be a catastrophic event that would end in the deaths of both his son and his opponent. When John’s parents heard the confession, they didn’t say a work. But when they did speak, they asked Craig if they could pray for him and he obliged. They were not angry at what he told them; they were more worried about what God would do to him for his actions. So they prayed that God would have mercy on him and not destroy him like he did to their son. They wanted Craig to go through the rest of his life with the memory that not only did he kill their son, but as punishment, his son also died. So there will be no revenge on John’s parents part.

It will be up to Craig to make it right with God and ask for his forgiveness. His son Eddie was gone and if it be the will of God for this to happen, then this is what he will have to deal with for the rest of his life.