Marooned on Beaver Planet

I stood next to my Top Fuel dragster, waiting to climb in and race again.
The helmet felt heavy and warm around my head, and sometimes it wasnt really there at all.
This is the drag strip at the Pomona Fairgrounds in California. I was at the head of a long line of racecars waiting to make a run on the quarter mile.
It was hot and noisy, the announcer droned on about the activities at the track. People were everywhere.

Someone indicated that I should get into my car, but I'm not a professional drag racer, I dont own one of these half million dollar missiles, but I'm supposed to be the driver.

The realization hits me...I was in a dream, and I am now lucid. The little dream gauge in the back of my subconcious feels like this is going to be a long and intense LD. I decide what the hell...I'm going to drive this beast!

The car is a tradional top fuel rail, it is blue with yellow bands running lengthwise. My dream car appears a little on the small side, but everything else looks authentic.
I step in and squirm down into the cockpit, just like I had seen 100's of drivers do over the years. I had to put on my own safety straps, no one helped me. Most of the standard dragster controls were there, including the steering handle, hand brake, and parachute release.

I was aware of activity behind me and the engine roared to life, and the 30 foot dragster started to roll. It was shaking and vibrating, and I can feel the heat of the 7000 horsepower engine behind me as I struggled to steer the car into my lane. A DC, my crew chief, gave me the sign to do a burn out, which I did smoothly, I stopped the car with the hand brake and looked for the reverse gear, there wasnt one, but the car started backing up automatically.

I stopped the car again, and the crew chief guided me forward. At this point I had completely forgotten that I was in a LD, I was fighting to keep the dragster under control so hard.
He stepped out of the way, and I stopped the car in the staging beams, That is when I looked over to my right through the roll cage to see my unidentified opponent doing the same. I can smell the burning nitromethane pouring from the headers.

The grandstands are full of spectators, the sky is blue, the sun is beating down on us as we wait for the green lights to flash.
They do, and I slam the throttle and release the brake, I feel the car rear up on its huge back tires, the pavement begins to slip past me at incredible speed.
I'm doing all that I can to keep the car going in a straight line, I grip the steering hard and hold the front wheels straight.
My opponent is next to me as our cars pass 200 mph, and I begin to fall behind, he shoots past me, my engine revs and shakes as I know that I've lost traction and spun the rear tires in a cloud of smoke.

I still have to stop the car from 250 mph, I release the throttle, pull the parachutes, and pull the hand brake. I bounce and swerve as I look for the fuel shut off, of course there isnt one, I steer the car towards the exit as it slows...

I can hear the announcer saying something about me as I awaken.