After your miraculous championship win, everything possible got better. It began with the sponsors. Every major company was amazed at how fast you had entered and taken over NASCAR. They wanted in on your successes. Almost every nation-wide company that had previously sponsored a driver in NASCAR contacted you. This, of course, meant that a decision had to be made on which one to pick. Instead of choosing the proposal that offered the most money, you chose the one that you thought had the best terms and conditions. This was Fredrico’s, a Home Improvement store that covered the east coast. Their offer was worth $14.5 million for the primary sponsorship, which was around the median of the other teams. All of the other smaller sponsors’ advertisements reached a total of $3 million. This was an average amount for your class of drivers. In your previous seasons, sponsors only contributed about $10 million to your team, with your uncle paying for the remaining costs.

This put a large strain on him financially, because his income had not changed and he was quickly running out of funding for you and your brother, Jared. Your brother has had consistency in his finishes through the years, usually placing in the top fifteen. He has earned better sponsors this year too, mainly because of your win. His team was not making as much as yours, which put your Uncle Tom under even more stress. However, you gave him a generous portion of your winnings from the previous year, which totaled $32 million. He then retired, with quite a lot of money in his pocket, and no longer needed to fund you or Jared because of the increased sponsorships.

With all of this extra funding, your team bought a new car. This new car was more modern and better equipped than your previous car. This meant more speed, better handling, and better fuel economy. Your old car would now be used as a new back up car, to replace the previous back up car. It was slowly falling into disrepair after the victory, because it would never need to be used again.

Everything else was also improved, such as the transportation between tracks, the pit crew, and the luxury of everyday life for your entire team. Instead of riding on a coach bus between destinations, you flew on a jet that was only used by the other drivers going to that track. You bought a tractor trailer to transport your cars, instead of using your uncle’s thirty foot car trailer. Every member in the pit crew earned a raise. The equipment that they used was completely new and improved. Your team even bought a new RV to relax in before and after races.

All of this is what triggered a spectacular season for you. During your championship win interview, you stated that you hoped to be in the chase next year and intended on winning the cup again sometime soon. You, your family, and your fans, had no idea of what would happen in the next thirty-six races.