7Cal had calmed down since he started racing in the Piston Cup. Cal also had some great friends in his fellow racers; Junior, Lightning and Bobby were as tight as could be. Playing pranks with each other off track and joking both on and off.
Cal could easily be caught off guard with some jokes leaving him stammering for a good comeback and often failing, though that tended to happen more when there were cameras around. When he couldn't get in a good comeback, he would just get a good natured 'good comeback Cal.' It never bothered Cal and he'd get them back with a prank later.
Even he would remark to Cal 'good comeback' after a try at one, it was too fun to not. Tex would join in the teasing too, sometimes though he thought Tex would take it to far. He knew Tex cared about Cal as much as anyone, but he did wish Tex would stop teasing the boy by always asking Lighting to join Dinoco in front of Cal. That and telling him that Cal he wasn't quite as good as previous racers Dinoco had sponsored.
It simply wasn't true, Cal was right up there and had won a Piston Cup, it just so happened there was a lot of talent on the track. Lightning just so happened to have more natural talent than any of them, so the rest had to work just that bit harder. It was a good thing Lightning was so loyal to his sponsors as he was or with all Tex's asking Cal would be without a sponsor. Though it seemed almost to be a game between Tex and Lightning at this point and time, neither being overly serious about the asking and refusal.
As his nephew's crew chief, he knew Cal was good at what he did, he just so happened to be the youngest of their group. Cal was the last of their main core to join the circuit and that made him the youngest even though he was about the same age as Lightning, they all treated him like a younger brother.
Junior was the first of the four to retire. It wasn't unexpected Junior had been out there the longest a good five to ten years more than the others, and had had a fairly bad crash the past year. Luckily it wasn't anything close to his own. And you do get to a point where as much as racing is your life, you can't always go that fast and you need to slow down. They sent Junior off with a grand party and a big prank after his final race of the season.
That had sent Cal to asking him how he knew it was his time to retire. He had responded honestly that the kids coming into the circuit would tell him when it's time. He hadn't expected that it would only be a year or two later that Cal would retire being the next of his friends to leave. Cal had told him that it was so he could retire on his own terms. He hadn't wanted to feel like he was being pushed out by those new next gen. racers. So, he retired much to the shock of the racing world and his friends.
Tex didn't sign anyone new for the rest of the year, instead keeping Cal as the face of Dinoco. Tex had told Cal that he was glad he had raced for him, even if he didn't have multiple cups to show just how good he is and that he reserved all his rights to tease him about being his worst racer because he knows it's not true. Tex teased Cal about being Dinoco's worst racer just because he didn't have the cups to show for it. But Tex told Cal 'I tease because you're one of my favourites.' That and Cal gets all riled up when teased like that and often leads into some fake pouting. It's the reaction that Tex gets that's why he teases poor Cal like that.
It wouldn't be until the next season that Tex would find his next racer.
The next one to retire was Bobby. For Bobby though, it wasn't really retirement as he was forced out, not given a choice, just like Cal had feared would happen to him if he didn't retire when he did. That only left Lightning racing against the next gens. The three retired ones continued to cheer for Lightning and he had to admit he was still rooting for him himself.
All of them were watching as Lightning crashed. They were all in the Dinoco area watching together in horror as he lost control and rolled. As Lightning tumbled along the track he flashed back to his own crash, this time there would be no rookie with a newly learned lesson stopping to help the veteran. With that thought it made him think of Lightning's late crew chief, the Fabulous Hudson Hornet and his crash. He hoped this didn't end the boy's career.
Tex sent his condolences while Cal, Junior and Bobby would visit Lightning as much as they could. He would phone and visit him as much as his schedule would allow since he had a crash that was comparable and he could sympathise the most. Lightning was sure missing his crew chief, who had become a father figure to the boy. Lightning had admitted to him that before he had crashed quite literally into Radiator Springs he didn't have anyone. Which was what he had always expected and how he wished he could tell Lynda they were right.
It ended up being Cal who told him Lightning was going to try racing this season again. When he was told, Tex was with him and when Tex heard he got that gleam in his eyes that said he had a plan in mind. That meant he was going to try and get Lightning again. He had heard that Rust-eze had changed hands and now with Cal retired, maybe Tex finally had a chance.
About a week before the first race of the season Lightning had made the news again and it was all Cal would talk about. After racing in a crazy 8's demo course under a fake name, Lightning was unintentionally un-mudded to be his famous self. The story that a famous race car was found so called slumming it at a track like that and got caught blew up everywhere. It also brought attention to the fact Lightning hadn't shown up for qualifying. And no one had heard one lug nut or bolt of him until he showed up just in time for race day.
Boy did that make him think of the kid's rookie year. He even dragged up some old racing legends and his crew chief's old crew chief. Boy oh boy, did he have talent for digging up old racing legends.
Lightning started in last from missing qualifying but was holding his own and was half way through the pack when he pulled into the pits for no apparent reason. He shouldn't have needed gas or tires. He, Cal, Bobby and Junior were all watching together and were voicing their confusion when Lightning switched out for a young, possibly 20 something young woman.
At first, she was having trouble and you could see her struggling until Lightning switched into the crew chief position. Together they worked well and he knew Lighting had found his next step.
When he looked over at Tex he knew there was likely going to be a new face of Dinoco after this race and with that smile on Tex's face he might have thought of how to get Lightning in the deal too.
It was so noticeable Cal whispered to him. "I think Tex has thought up a way to get Lightning, hasn't he?"
He had to reply, "it sure looks like it."
Tex didn't disappoint them. When they went to go congratulate the two of them on the race won, Cruz the one who took over from Lighting was quitting from her boss. Tex of course jumped on that and just like he and Cal guessed Dinoco had a new racer and a new face, a female face this time.
It was only the next day when Tex phoned saying he had bought Rust-eze and that Lightning was quite pleased to officially become Cruz Ramirez's crew chief. Tex had finally got what he wanted since he had stopped racing. Cal was excited that he and Lightning would get to work together. Everyone was content and his nephew was happy, it was all he could ask for.
So, when I sat down to write this one Strip Weathers was not the one who I had in mind for writing. It was Cal I had in mind, so while it's mainly stayed Cal centered I had intended for it to be Cal as the narrating thoughts. Strip Weathers had other ideas.
