Tom Wisdom and Kurt Kreuger both grabbed hold of Woody as he entered the hotel lobby.
"You're coming with us," they said, and they dragged him off to a seat at the head table. The Mayor presided at the banquet, and there were officials of the state government and a number of sports-car organizations. Woody couldn't remember how many people he was introduced to by Tom Wisdom, who had taken him under his wing.
"You drove the finest race I've seen in a long time," Tom said. "Kurt and I are both agreed on that. Right before the start, to be honest, I didn't know whether you were going to make it. But you came through like a veteran. You had me plenty worried those last few laps."
"I had the willies all right," Woody confessed.
"Say, Kurt," said Tom. "What were you doing right before the race tearing up all those cigarettes?"
"Me?" said Kurt surprised. "I wasn't tearing up any cigarettes, was I?"
"You sure were."
"Well, if I was, I didn't know about it. But right before the start I'd made up my mind that this was the last race I was ever going to drive in. That's how I felt."
"How do you feel now?"
"Right now," said Kurt, "I think that was the silliest decision I ever made in my life."