The next day, back at the racing school, Stiller unveiled the two Chadwick C-1000s that he and Gannon will be using for the Rumble. Stiller's car was painted blue and yellow with the racing school's logos and the number 03, basically his secondary NSSCRA scheme last season but without the Glorious Free Republic Motorsports logos and with an extra zero. The other one, Gannon's, is black with yellow racing stripes on it, a reversal of the scheme he ran during his days in the Kanyean top tier. However, since his old #99 was taken, the car's number had an extra nine in it, putting him at the very end of the entry list. Their respective crews, many of who have worked for short track, dirt track and late model champions, then stepped up and introduced themselves.
Stiller realized that Gannon was not lying about having kept his skills sharp when two of them took their rides out for a spin in the test track. The veteran was putting up lap times up to a half second faster than him, and beat him a number of times when the two actually raced each other. However, the much younger and tech-savvier Stiller would find himself having an advantage during the battles on the simulator, including one where the Rumble venue itself, the Plum Lake Circuit, was loaded in. Stiller's wife Maryanne often visited during the training, infant twins Valerie and Vanessa in tow; Gannon may be the brash, loud, sometimes rude Max Gannon while on air, but in front of Stiller's three precious girls, he was nothing but warm and friendly, even volunteering to change the babies' diapers at times, among other things.
Soon it was time for Skip Stiller Speedworks (the name their two-car operation was registered as) to fly to Pharak. The Stiller couple marvelled at the views of nature and the whole rural, traditional vibe, Maryanne welcoming it as a pleasant new experience and Skip thinking how great it was to be back in one of his favorite countries to visit and race in. Gannon stayed with the kids at the inn, watching unsubbed movies, news and SIMS (local open wheel) races. There were a few NSSCRA highlights, and of course, RInzi Aogar Zakhilwal's (in)famous commercial for Mayhem deodorant.
During practice, Stiller and Gannon were able to scout their competition. A whopping six Dart cars - two backed by both the factory and tire giants Tropicorp, including one driven by WGPC/NSSCRA/who knows wherever else driver iBen Toralmintii; another two with sponsorship from Vilaye Energy Drink; one fielded by the NSSCRA's wealthiest team, Vilita & Turori Motorsports; and the last with local Mengxia Shao piloting. Daryl Mizushima, who had appeared in the recently concluded WGPC season as well as his home NSSCRA race in Squidroidia, in an Inklingcraft. Jamie Eirian of the up and coming Valentian team, with her Eveline Motors machine and her very distinctive (and beautiful, says Gannon) accent. Two Badai Angins from Filindostan. Among the rest, two-time NSSCRA participant Ongmu Yeti is perhaps the most well-known.
Qualifying day. The locals seem to have taken almost all of the good spots up front; of the first twelve fastest, only Vilaye's Jama'obo Pegasii was a foreigner. Perhaps this is a sign that IRACT has been improving in quality, not only with the drivers and crew but also with the equipment. Stiller, meanwhile, found himself in the sixteenth position in the grid, while Gannon will be rolling off twenty-fourth. However, both have been known for their ability to rise up the ranks quickly, so they felt they had a fighting chance.
And finally, race day. Gannon was able to climb a few spots in the first few laps, but his progress would stall after that, and he would end up only lingering between tenth and twentieth inclusive for the rest of the way. Maybe the newer generations have been giving birth to more and more talented racers, or maybe he was pushing himself too hard to win and get the open charter spot in North China. Either way, as the laps counted down and he found himself nowhere near the lead, Gannon knew that his fate now lies solely in his teammate's hands.
Now, Stiller had also made his way to the front at the start, but unlike Gannon, his mind was clear as he was just racing for fun. It seemed to have helped as he actually spent some time in the lead pack, fending off the likes of Pegasii, Toralmintii, and Mercy Binayas. In the end, however, it became a matter of helping Gannon. With just ten laps to go, Stiller would find himself in the middle of a fierce but clean battle with Mizushima and Toralmintii, the three of them giving each other nudges and taps and juggling the lead. He has the most stock car experience out of the three, and now he needs to act like it. After what felt like an eternity, they reached the second from last lap. Stiller rode Toralmintii's air for a while, then dove to his inside to steal away second place, with only Mizushima in the way. White flag. The Kanyean positioned his car just behind the Squidroidian's, looking as if he would ride his air too. But instead, Stiller executed a perfect bump and run, causing Mizushima to get loose and leaving Toralmintii to deal with him. He would then cruise the last few feet to the start/finish line, a few car lengths ahead of his challengers. A second and change later, Gannon would cross the stripe, finishing a mere sixteenth, but it wouldn't matter. The open charter spot in the Friendship 375 belongs to him.
"Alright! Yeah!" Stiller shouted on his radio. "It's all yours, Max! All yours!" Gannon was equally happy, saying "Way to get it done, Skipper!" Later, the two would celebrate, high five and hug on victory lane.
However, as noble Stiller's intentions were, there were of course people who opposed the transfer of the open charter, most notably local racer Kalden Tso. Stiller later explained to reporters, "See, the open charter was a prize, just like cash or a trophy or a Pencurve laptop. And it doesn't say in the rulebook that I can't give my prize to anyone else, does it? That's what I did with Mr. Gannon here, and I believe it's only fair." Gannon himself didn't comment, instead saving his opinions for the next episode of his show. Back in the garage, he typed up on his laptop: "Kalden Tso, if you wanted the spot so much, maybe you should have raced harder for it. Or at least made a deal with someone who can actually contend for the win but was only in it for the fun. Wait, that's just what I did. And it worked well enough for me."
The team did a few alterations on Gannon's car after the race, taking it from IRACT to NSSCRA specifications. Three-digit racing numbers were not allowed in the latter, so the #999 had to be changed. Gannon's choice was a no-brainer - he just picked his age.
) was broken by number of wins.
