I am currently getting ready for an interesting weekend. It is the last race on the IndyCar calendar and I find myself in an interesting position. I can win the championship if I come fifth or higher in qualifying or the race. The only issue with that is I have to gain four places. I say four but it is actually five places but my teammate and I have agreed on the fact that he will give up his position if he needs to. Hopefully, he won't have to because I want to win the championship fairly. My thoughts are soon interrupted by my teammate. He seems unusually happy considering that he might have to give up his position in fifth for me. We will see what happens.

"Good morning Mickey. Are you ready for today?" My teammate, Marcus Ericsson asks as he gets to work on checking on me. It is something he has done before every race.

"Well, Marcus, that depends on how my mechanics are doing with the repairs from free practice," I reply. The thing is I know they would have pulled an all-nighter for me since a lot of them knew my father. Yes, I am a second-generation racer. Despite the fact that they are doing this as a favour to my father I appreciate the work that they have done to get me here.

"Anyway, I have to check on them," I pull myself away from Marcus. I soon made it to the garage. I reckon the mechanics are just about done. I am able to guess because my lead mechanic is writing some notes down. He seems a little bedraggled. The classic sign of an all-nighter. I definitely should have stayed back for an hour at least to help but the past is in the past. He is quick to list the repairs that have been done. There were a lot of them since I somehow lost control on my in-lap for practice. Not the smartest thing I've done.

"Felix you should get yourself a place to sleep," I dismissed the bedraggled mechanic. I also passed him some money for a cup of coffee from one of the better coffee shops around the track. I know how hit and miss coffee is in the hospitality area.

"Thank you, Mickey," He perks up a bit as he shuffles away. I don't know why the coffee in the hospitality area is bland. I put it down to the fact that it was my boss who made it. After thirty minutes of waiting the car is finally ready to go. The thing is I am not sure that I am ready. Well, I have to do what my dad was unable to do during his time in IndyCar. I get to work on making sure I can get the most out of the laps that I have. It doesn't take long for me to feel comfortable with where I am at. It doesn't take long for me to reach the garage where I find my eyes glued to the timesheet. It is looking like Marcus will not need to help me at this rate. After ten minutes of waiting, I am relieved to find my name in the fourth position with Marcus behind me. Thankfully that means I won't need to take the position from Marcus. It is the day after and it is finally the day of the race. I am a little worried that the issues with the car will flare up again. That is why I am checking with Felix.

"Felix, do you think the issues will flare up again?" I ask. I reckon I am annoying but Felix has put up with me for the whole season.

"I hope not," Felix replies.

"Mickey, you worry too much," Marcus interrupts as he joins us. Is it really that obvious that the pressure is getting to me? Well, it probably is.

"I can't help it. I'm this close to being the first female IndyCar champion," I respond with a gesture to emphasise my point. It will be interesting to see what would happen if I got the championship win. At least Marcus is someone that cares about his teammate. There are only a few people in my career that have truly cared like Marcus. After a five minute wait, the race has gotten underway. I get to work on gaining one more place. I would like to end this race on the podium. Thankfully I see a gap. I go for it as we reach the first bank. After thirty minutes of cruising along in third disaster strikes.

"Mickey, I need you to be careful. The breaks are just about gone," Felix uses the radio to inform me. Not now. I mean we have thirty minutes left but still. That means I might not have control around the corners.

"Will I be able to coast instead of all-out braking?" I ask. Hopefully, Felix doesn't notice the panic in my voice.

"That could work since we are on an oval," Felix replies. Ok, we have a plan. I just need to maintain my third place. It has been a long thirty minutes but I am happy. I have managed to win the championship with a podium to top it off. As soon as I bring the car back to the garage I am met by thunderous cheers. The sound brings a smile to my face even though they can't see it due to my helmet. It has been four months since my championship win and I am getting ready to do it all over again. The issue is I have something to prove. There are a lot of people that believe that my championship victory was a fluke or I had sabotaged Marcus' attempts. I know I won it fair and square but hey I'm smart enough to realise that fate often has other ideas. Right now I am getting ready to head to the test track that acts as the HQ of Chip Ganassi Racing. I am getting a lecture from my mum. She is worried about me trying to prove myself. It is that situation that claimed my father's life. However, she has been my most vocal supporter after Marcus.

"Look, mum, I can handle myself," I tried to reassure her. Unlike my father, I have no need to really prove myself. That has already been done and I have the trophy to prove it. I don't want her to know that I am getting help from Marcus. I asked him for help as he has had good experience with the media in his Formula one days.

"So I can't help my baby girl get ready?" my mum questions. That is not what I mean. She is avoiding the topic.

"You can but you are still worried about the media attacks," I responded. With the help of my mum, I finished sooner than expected.

"I'm getting some help as well," I let her know as I put the last item of clothing in my suitcase. I still don't want to tell her that the help is from Marcus but I want her to know that I will be fine. Of course, I am worried about what will happen if things take a turn for the worse but I don't want to deal with it right now.

"That's not going to stop me from worrying, after all, there is a chance that I might lose you too," My mum explains. I know exactly what she means. I am haunted by the image of the paramedics trying to keep my father alive after one of the worst IndyCar incidents. Unfortunately, he did not make it, hence my mum's worry. I wrap my hands around her left hand which is trembling. My mum was almost worse off than me. I find myself looking into her eyes.

"Mum, I promise you that I won't be reckless," I say. It is a genuine promise. I know that because I was able to look her in the eyes.

"Ok," The mood changes with my mum's response. I say goodbye with a long hug. It is the least that I can do. For all, I know something can go wrong. After three long hours, I have made it to the test track. Even though I have tried to clear my mind I have been unable to. My problem is I have an itch to race in IndyCar and it only got worse after my father's crash.

"Mickey, what's wrong?" Marcus asks as he catches up to me. I am impressed that he could see my concern from behind. I really want to tell him but I can't bring myself to.

"I'm fine," You respond. Hopefully, he can't tell that I am lying. I feel guilty lying to him but I am not sure if I can trust him. My issue is he will think that I am being stupid. Oh well, there is nothing that I can do about it. The good thing is Marcus is the kind of guy that understands the fact that I have boundaries. After a gruelling hour of media stuff, I am finally ready to get to work on getting the required data. Right now I am currently getting one last brief.

"Mickey, remember that you can go flat out," My boss reminds me. It is odd that he is talking to me now. After all, he has more media commitments than the drivers.

"Don't worry. It's just I promised my mum that I wouldn't do anything stupid," I reply. It is a promise that I don't want to break. It doesn't take me long to get on track. I am looking forward to seeing what the package brings. After an hour of driving, I encountered a problem.

"Guys I have to put the car in the grass. The brakes are gone," I use the radio to let Felix know. I seem to have run out of luck with the dam brakes. I can feel the panic settle in. I try my best to be level headed as I brace for the impending crash. To my surprise, it is not as bad as I thought it was. I put it down to the fact that safety has come a long way since my father's crash. Despite that, I see the horrid image of my father lying in a stretcher clinging to life.

"Mickey, are you ok?" Felix asks as he helps me out of the car.

"I don't know," I reply as I start the walk back to the pit lane. The thing is I know I will be fine physically but I am not sure about my mental status. It doesn't take me long to reach somewhere a little more private. I slump to the ground finally giving up in trying to hold back my emotions. I can feel the tears flow. To my surprise, it doesn't take long for Marcus to find me.

"Sorry Marcus. I-," For some reason, Marcus cuts me off by putting his finger over my lips. Odd.

"I can tell that you don't want to talk about the issue yet," Marcus explains. I am glad that I have ended up with someone like Marcus as a teammate. I find some comfort in having Marcus as a teammate but I couldn't tell you why. I put it down to the fact that he understands the position I am in.