Winner At A Losing Game

Big thanks to ProcrastinationIsMyCrime for helping me come up with this story. This will be a post Cars 1 story with maybe some hints of at least Cars 3 characters. The story starts immediately after the big tiebreaker race at the end of Cars and continues from there. So here it is- the Chick Hicks redemption arc you didn't know you needed!

Part 1- Are You Happy Now

The streets were still filled with racing fans, even at such a late hour. It wasn't unusual- Chick was used to it, living in such a large city. Racing was an incredibly popular sport after all, and so many times after the Piston Cup race fans would convene for hours to discuss the final race and the others in length, usually arguing that their favorite racer could have done better that season, or boasting that their favorite racer had won, if that were the case. The excitement seemed moreso this year- the tiebreaker race had drawn a huge crowd. It was a first in Piston Cup history; race fans all across the country had been ecstatic for the big day. There were still many late night commentaries speaking about statistics and memorable moments; some cars avidly tuned in, listening to the in depth analysis of the race. Other cars were more eagerly debating the race as usual, but the tone this year seemed, different, to say the least.

His drive home wasn't a long one from the stadium, and since Los Angeles was filled with light, he'd opted to make it himself. Not like it was too much of a long shot even without headlights; no, what was discouraging was the conversations he was overhearing. There were usually an even amount of fans mentioning his name after such a race, defending his decisions during that season and such- this year, it was much more talk about what McQueen had done and how it was upsetting that the King had almost not been able to finish the race. No, the things he was hearing about himself were incredibly negative.

Cheat. Heartless. Uncaring. Less empathetic than a tractor field. Desperate. Poor sport. Bitter.

He'd won. And wrecks were a part of his racing, simple as that. They happened; it was no big deal. If that rookie kid had done it, would they really have been going after him so viciously? He'd done what he needed to do to win. After all those years of being the second best, of being the runner up, why wouldn't he have done everything to win? So why was it suddenly that it was cheating to take a chance on the track?

He rolled his eyes, catching another conversation where a gruff pickup truck dubbed him a natural disaster in car form. He'd gotten wrecked before, and usually he was able to get back out on the track- dents didn't stop him. Hell, he'd gone back onto the track with far more than a few dents before, and despite the fact that his crew chief got all exasperated about it, he didn't care. He should've gotten a Piston Cup years ago, but somehow he was always behind; a fact that he really hated. He'd been at this for a long time.

He wasn't going to let the bitterness about anyone else's attitudes get to him- it wasn't like any of the cars discussing the tiebreaker knew what it was like to lose every time victory was in range, and they definitely didn't know what it meant to do anything to win.

He finally got home nearing one in the morning- traffic was terrible of course, and thankfully the other cars had been more concerned with their own conversations than paying attention to a famous racer in traffic with them. Home wasn't much- a downtown apartment decorated sparsely with a few newspaper cutouts from races he was alright with the results of and an empty trophy case, and a few other odds and ends he needed. Considering he often was out of town for months at a time during race season depending on where the races were, he didn't need anything fancy. He hardly knew the neighbors, and he doubted they even cared that Chick Hicks lived in the same building as them. The landlady was nice enough- an older army Jeep named Ranger who had acquired this apartment building and seemed to now make a living off of the residents. She wasn't a racing fan, and he was alright with that; he considered her an aquaintance, and she would usually keep an eye on his apartment during the racing season just to make sure nothing problematic came up.

He locked the door behind him, then went about getting the Piston Cup into his trophy case. It took a bit of maneuvering- he wasn't exactly a small car, as it were, and the apartment wasn't exactly large, not to mention he'd never actually figured out how to open the case to begin with- but finally he got it inside the case. He backed up to admire it for a moment- a victory, at long last. It felt well overdue, that was for sure.

He yawned, and it was like suddenly all the exhaustion from the race had caught up with him. Considering the time, he wasn't at all surprised. He quickly checked the TV to make sure that the race and subsequent post shows and such had recorded; he'd had time to stop by the apartment before the big race to make sure he got it set to record. He usually rewatched past season's races to see where he could improve, but he still felt it rarely helped. After he made sure that was all set, he figured it was time to get some rest.

After all, they usually liked to interview the winners he day after the final race of the season, and he didn't want to look too exhausted.

WAALG

He was woken up a little before eight by his phone ringing, and he groggily drove into his living room. It took a few tries to answer the damned thing- after all, he was hardly awake- but eventually he got it.

"Who's this?" He wasn't really concerned about pleasantries in the morning.

"Angela Carmichael. I'm with scheduling at RSN. I assume I'm speaking to Chick Hicks?" She sounded curt, like there was an edge to her voice, but he could have been imagining it.

"Yep, last time I checked that was me."

"Great. Would you be available around noon to come to the station for the post race day interviews?"

"Absolutely."

"Fantastic. We'll have an intern to meet you at the lobby. If you could, please try to arrive by 11:30."

"Cool. Thanks." She hung up without another word. Short, sweet, and to the point. They had a good scheduling crew over there at RSN, it seemed. Thanks to the early wakeup call, he had a few hours to kill before then. After a bit of thinking he decided he'd just watch some of the tiebreaker. He'd recorded it for a reason, after all.

WAALG

He got to the RSN LA studio at 11:35, even though he'd left with plenty of time. The studio wasn't really far from his apartment, but on the way over some asshole of a Hummer with a 43 sticker on one of his windows had nearly run Chick off the road. The nerve of some cars was astounding. Thankfully he'd avoided a serious fight- the Hummer had been ready to knock him into next week, it seemed- but the Hummer's companions had stopped him, although they weren't too friendly themselves.

"Mr. Hicks?" A pink Mustang he'd ignored on the way in caught his attention.

"Let me guess, you're the intern Carmichael sent down?"

"Yes. Star Sylvan. If you'll follow me, we'll get right to the studio." She led him through the building quickly, and it didn't take long to get to the soundstage where the interview set was almost completely prepped.

"If you wait here, our producer will be with you shortly." He nodded, and the intern drove off. Admittedly, despite having done thousands of interviews over the years, he was a little bit nervous- he had never won the Piston Cup before, and after the conversations he'd overheard last night, should he really be so boastful about it? He figured it'd be out of character for him to not boast about it, to say the least. His fans for sure would be rooting for him.

"Whoa, didn't know they were bringing you on too, Hicks." Immediately all the good mood he had flew out the window, and he turned to see the all too smug grill of none other than Lightning McQueen. Of course. After that stunt he'd pulled during the last lap, he'd have to be here.

"McQueen. What a pleasure to see you again. Just had to stick around, huh?" The rookie had the most forced grin on, and Chick could tell he'd rather be anywhere but here as well. Good. At least he wasn't the only one having to force pleasantries.

"I mean, there was really no point in going out of town last night, y'know? What with how bad traffic is around here. I also wanted to make sure the King was alright." That rubbed Chick the wrong way for some reason- of course Strip was alright. The veteran had been in plenty of crashes. Wasn't like the rookie had to be that much of a goody four tires.

"Listen McQueen, just back off."

"Or what, you'll crash me too?" It was said in such a challenging tone that Chick was about ready to fight him, disregarding the fact they were in a news studio, when a red Chevy Prism drove over. The Prism seemed to ignore the tense vibe between the two with ease.

"Oh good, you're both here. I'm Digit Cartmann, producer of the show today. I have to say it is an absolute pleasure to have you both here today." As neutral as Digit was attempting to be, Chick didn't miss the flick of a look towards him on the word pleasure, a look that said he'd rather have used a different word in regards to the Hostile Takeover Bank racer. Chick just gritted his teeth, holding back snapping at the car.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Cartmann." Lightning easily pulled the polite rookie card, a real grin replacing the fake one. Chick remained silent, settling on a glare.

"Yes, thank you Lightning. I assume Mr. Hudson won't be joining us?"

"Nah, Doc decided to skip on the interview. Said he's got better things to do than get fawned over again." Digit chuckled. Chick had forgotten that the Hudson Hornet had reappeared- as McQueen's crew chief, no less- and was momentarily disappointed that the legendary racer wouldn't be there. His grandfather had raced alongside the Hudson back in the day, and the stories of the spectacular stunts that the old racer could pull off had always amazed him.

"Fair enough. Didn't really expect him- I have a feeling he doesn't much feel like being in the spotlight too much anymore." McQueen laughed.

"You'd be right on that one."

"Well, we're gonna start the show in about ten minutes, so if you need anything, just ask the PAs- Jessie and Misty over there will be happy to help." Digit gestured to a tan Ford pickup and a black Mustang who were off to the side, keeping an eye on the studio.

"Thank you, sir." Chick just nodded as confirmation, and the red car drove off. An awkward silence fell between the two racers; McQueen had been playing the part of the cocky rookie all season, and then after disappearing to whatever that little town's name was came back a completely different car; it was rather annoying. Chick would have preferred not having to share an interview slot with McQueen, but they also probably wanted to get anything about the tiebreaker race out of the way at the same time. The minutes felt like they crawled by in the silence.

"Can I get Chick Hicks and Lightning McQueen to the stage for final lighting checks please?" Chick and the rookie obliged. He had to squint for a minute, the studio lights blinding, but that's what adjustments were for.

"Bob Cutlass and Darrell Cartrip to the stage please." The two commentators pulled up opposite of him and McQueen.

"Stage set."

"Talent set."

"Light set."

"We good to roll?" Digit's voice was the only recognizable one from off stage, especially against the lights.

"All good on set, sir. Ready to roll."

"Alright, your call DeSoto."

"Sound?"

"Speeding."

"Camera?"

"Speeding."

"Going live in 5. 4. 3. 2. 1." After the one, the Pontiac who seemed to be directing the show gestured to Bob.

"Hi, I'm Bob Cutlass, here with Darrell Cartrip. We're coming to you live from our LA studio with Piston Cup winner Chick Hicks and third place finisher Lightning McQueen- second place racer the King, Strip Weathers, couldn't make it out today."

"Sadly Bob- he was a little under the weather after yesterday's race unfortunately, but wife Lynda Weathers says he would've loved to come out today."

"For shame too Darrell- yesterday's race was a historic day in racing. For the first time in the Piston Cup Racing Series history, we had a three way tie for the Cup, and the turnout was phenomenal. A huge portion of the country was closed down for race day, and viewers got a special treat with the reappearance of the Hudson Hornet. As many race fans know, the Hudson Hornet was a well respected racer in the 50s, and is still a legendary icon in racing history. Lightning, I've got to ask, how did you come to get him as your crew chief?"

"Well Bob..." Chick tuned out, begrudgingly admitting that yes, the Hudson Hornet's return warranted some attention. But he was pretty sure this interview was meant to be about the winner.

"So Chick, how's it feel to win your first Piston Cup?" Bob's question pulled him back in. McQueen must have had a short answer.

"Y'now, pretty good. I've been stuck in last so long that it's finally nice to get some recognition."

"A lot of the racing community is decidedly against your win. There's been accusations of cheating, poor sportmanship, and dirty racing since yesterday's race. Is there anything you'd like to say about that?" If Darrell hadn't been smiling in such a mock pleasant way, Chick might have brushed it off. But it really hit him that both Bob and Darrell didn't seem to be too pleased to have him on the show at the moment; Bob was just better about not showing it.

"Wrecks are a part of racing, Darrell. It's a fast sport, and sometimes split second decisions lead to cars getting hurt. I'd think you'd know that."

"I dunno about wrecks being a part of racing when they seem to have malicious intent. I'd argue that around you, wrecks are just a bit more ill intentioned."

"Darrell." Bob said it as a warning, but it played as an acknowledgment for the cameras. The tone had shifted very quickly, and Chick didn't much prefer where this was heading. He and Darrell had been on the track for a few seasons before the 17 car retired to become a news commentator, and they'd always butted hoods out there too.

"Are you implying that I'm not deserving of my win, Cartrip?" He really didn't mask that he was pissed off- he hadn't come out here to get ambushed.

"I'm implying that the mindset that wrecks are a part of racing is a dangerous way of thinking and one that impressionable rookies might pick up on, and then who knows- racing might just turn into a free for all demolition derby. I mean, by all means, if you're subscribing to the theory that you're not causing unnecessary violence out on the track, keep doing what you're doing." If looks could kill, the one Chick was aiming at Darrell would be doing a bang up job. Didn't seem to stop Darrell from grinning back in a way that was more a challenge than an expression of joy. Bob, sensing the heavy amount of tension between the current racer and his co-commentator, decided to do something about it.

"We're going to go to a word from a sponsors for a few minutes folks, but we'll be back with more after the break!"

"Cut, live feed off!"

"Darrell, that was wildly unprofessional."

"No shit." It was muttered by Chick, but Bob still caught it and sent him a warning look. McQueen remained quiet, seemingly content just to observe.

"Sorry Bob. I'll cut it out." Chick could see it was a fake apology- Darrell was in a mood today, and it sure as hell wasn't going to end that easily. Bob seemed to not pick up on the signs however.

"Good. Now is not the time or the place for this kind of animosity." With the warnings through, there was quiet on set for the next few minutes, and when it felt like those minutes were stretching into forever finally the signal that they were going live came back.

"And we're back! So Lightning, I heard you were offered the Dinoco sponsorship?" This was news to Chick- Dinoco was one of the most highly sought after sponsorships in racing.

"Yeah. I turned it down though- Rusteze gave me the break I needed to get out there on the track and I just couldn't switch. They've been great sponsors this season, and I'd like to stick by them." Chick had to refrain from an eye roll- that would have certainly gone over well on camera. Dinoco was not a sponsorship to just turn down if the offer came about- with Dinoco as a sponsor any racer would be set for life.

"I guess Dinoco's gonna have to find someone else to sponsor next season. I mean, this year's Piston Cup winner certainly doesn't deserve it." Darrell said it so matter of factly that it took a moment to hit the other three at the meaning. When it did, Bob looked shocked and Chick aimed another glare at the former racer.

"Oh? I'm undeserving of that huh?" It was more a thinly veiled threat than a question, and Bob shot him a warning look. McQueen backed up a short ways, seeming to not want to get involved in whatever argument was about to go down, if there was going to be one. Chick had thought better of Darrell; as much as they'd butted hoods on the track, they'd for the most part gotten along. Of course, Darrell had also been friends with Strip for years, so that seemed to throw a wrench into things.

"Honestly Hicks, at this point you don't even deserve to be on the track. You're ruining the sport, turning it less into a display of skill and more into a lousy excuse for a good fight." There was an audible gasp from someone off set, and Chick might have been amused were it not for the tension on set.

"Well, if you're so adamant that I'm undeserving, who is?"

"Literally anyone but you."

"I bet I could beat you without a single crash, Cartrip. You wanna test that?"

"Considering you're nothing but a dirty fucking cheat, I wouldn't trust that bet because at this rate I'd be more likely to wind up in some junkyard as scraps. I mean if I was kicking your ass on the track, who knows what kind of bullshit you'd pull if you got too desperate?"

"Cut!"

"Cancel the rest of the show, tell PR to announce technical difficulties and run the Strip Weathers retirement segment in place of the rest of the show. Darrell, I need to see you in my office, NOW!" Digit looked absolutely livid, and the crew around the stage started to turn off the studio lights. The former racer left the set without a second glance at any of them, leaving his co-host and McQueen stunned, and Chick steaming.

"So uh, see you around Bob." It came out hesitantly from McQueen, and Chick had a fleeting feeling of sorrow for the kid, but it quickly passed. Rookie should learn to deal with some tension.

"Yeah. See you around kid." Lightning sped off, seeming all too happy to leave.

"Thanks for the interview." It came off far icier than intended; after all, Bob hadn't been the one pulling verbal jabs at him. He couldn't be bothered to apologize at the moment however.

"He could get fired because of this, you know." Bob also sounded cool, although he was still more level hooded than Darrell had been. Bob and Darrell were good friends as well as co-hosts. Chick had no doubts that if Darrell was canned there wouldn't be as lively a duo the next racing season. They did well as a team.

"I think they've got enough proof I egged him on. Besides, he's so popular with the fans it'd cost more to fire him than it would be to keep him." That actually seemed to relax Bob a little- the silver car was always more level.

"Fair point. You can go- you're probably not going to want to be out here when Darrell comes back."

"Yeah." Chick easily found his way out of the studio even without the intern to help him. Once outside, he almost started heading home. But he changed his mind quickly- he was still livid as hell, and if he went back to his apartment he'd just stew and watch the tiebreaker. In the end, he decided to go out to the racetrack- as a current racer he was allowed access to the track even in the off season for practice.

A few laps might help to cool him down anyways.

I may not have any of my old Cars stories on here anymore, but if you've been reading my stories since the beginning you may notice the old characters from other stories who came back for cameos. Misty, Star Sylvan, Digit Cartmann, and Jessie are all from my original story series, the Life Is A Highway Series. Ranger the Army Jeep comes from a story called The Tale of Ranger; her character can actually still be found in another cameo role in smile-clarenet's stories Staying Strong and Holding On.

Buick Regal Racecar 56