Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Spotlight by Dillon Hunter Spotlight or not, William Byron’s confidence is peaking. Is William Byron and his No. 24 team getting their due? Outside of regular season points leader , Byron’s been the most consistent driver through the first 10 races of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. If Byron’s performance hasn’t quite matched Hamlin’s, he’s got a one-up: A playoff berth, courtesy of his February win at Miami. That victory began a streak of eight consecutive top-10 finishes for Byron going into Sunday race at (3 p.m. ET, FS1). Granted, Byron hasn’t been a front-runner during this run (102 laps led in his Miami win; 48 laps led in the seven races since). But reliably knocking out results is impressive in itself. So… Should we be paying more attention? “I think yes and no,” Byron said in a Wednesday media teleconference on the subject. “As soon as we win another race – hopefully soon – you guys will be forced to talk about us and the competition will be forced to deal with us. “But I think we’re running well. We’re in the mix every week. I feel like the competition around us probably knows that and understands that, so I think it’s just a matter of continuing to execute, and put ourselves in position to make ourselves have a chance at winning more races. “Honestly, I don’t focus much on the other people we are racing against. I just focus on doing what we can to try to win. We’re doing that every week so far.” No question about that. From Byron’s perspective, all the elements have been on point for the 24 team – the cars, the engines, the pit crew, and last but not least, the communication between himself and both crew chief Rudy Fugle and spotter Tab Boyd. It’s all led to a more confident driver, not just behind the wheel but also leading up to the weekend. “I show up to the track every week now knowing that I can prepare the way that I have been and have success,” Byron said. “…A little bit of iRacing, a little bit of film and talking with my guys. We have great meetings throughout the week. We’ve got a really good system going. I feel like we’re able to go to every race track and kind of build on what we’ve been doing.” Following his runner-up finish last Sunday at , Byron believed he and his team had cleared some potentially tough tracks in the early schedule and are heading toward tracks that were their “bread and butter.” The mile-and-a-half at Kansas seems to fit that bill. Byron has finished fifth, 10th and eighth in his last three races there. “I think it’s just a track that I have good memories on,” said Byron, who earned a Truck win at Kansas with Fugle back in 2016, when they were with Motorsports. “It’s a track that’s pretty straightforward. It’s not one of those unique places where experience really matters. I think it’s just all about having the right combination with your car and having the right feel. So, I think it’s just one of those standard 1.5-mile tracks. It’s not anything special, but I feel like we’ve done a good job of trying to identify what we need in the car there and it’s worked the past couple of times.” Should it work again at Kansas with another top-10 finish, it will give Byron a unique record. Per Racing Insights, the 23-year-old can become the youngest Cup driver to claim nine consecutive top 10s, eclipsing Hall of Famer and Hendrick legend (who was 24 years, 22 days at the time). Regardless of how Sunday works out, Byron’s on the best run of his Cup career – a long way from when he entered the premier division four years ago. “I don’t feel uncomfortable at all,” Byron said. “I don’t look at any of the people I race against as any different. I treat everyone the same, I feel like now. Whereas, when I was coming into the series, guys like and Kyle Busch and ; I raced for Kyle Busch, so that was nerve-wracking to race against him every week. “And those things were there and those elements of feeling like I was out of place were there. Once you get past that feeling, which, you have to have those results to have that feeling go away, it comes hand-in-hand with results.” Spotlight by Dillon Hunter. Everyone heads to Hollywood with a dream. The last thing Micah Hart expects when he follows his best friend to L.A. is to come face-to-face with the man whose hot, big-screen love scenes were instrumental in his own sexual awakening. Micah--along with a million other movie goers--has fantasized about Asher Cain for as long as he can remember, but actually living out those fantasies awakens something else altogether. his heart. And some achieve it, for a price. Asher Cain's agent has steered his career into box-office gold, and after fifteen years in Hollywood, Ash has achieved everything he's ever wanted. The only price has been staying in the closet, but the adulation of millions has made up for never having love of his own. Until he meets Micah. Ghost Hunter. I could smell the musty funk as soon as I yanked opened the door. I flinched as if I had been punched in the nose with a fistful of dust and unfamiliar sweetness. My mother begged me not to go; afraid I might touch something unclean and bring something unwanted home. Afraid I might be unable to easily banish it from my life. I didn’t listen. Who listens to their mother? She doesn’t get it. I’m a hunter. It’s the thrill of chase. You never know what you might find. Something that wasn’t there weeks ago may suddenly appear. It’s exhilarating but not without its deterrents. I walked from room to room debating what was okay to touch and what was best left alone. A flickering overhead light created the perfect spotlight for a well-loved porcelain doll balanced atop an antique tricycle. She looked exactly like one I had when I had when I child, except for a small chip in her neck. Cradling her in my arms I hoped to resurrect a forgotten childhood memory. I ran my finger over the old neck wound. But unfortunately my memories had been buried way too deep. Her timeworn injury was smooth except for one small spot which preserved the pain from its prior damage. It nipped my finger, drawing a tiny swell of blood. Aggravated, I tossed the vampiric doll back onto the tricycle. Disregarding my mother’s warnings I sucked the blood from my finger hoping I wouldn’t come regret my decision. Who wants their mom to always be right? As I shuffled through the room I heard whispers to my right. A set of lovely mermaid bookends carved from alabaster sat on a shelf. Their ornately-etched eyes stared at me, begging for my attention. I couldn’t afford being at their mercy. But their siren song was persuasive, with their enticing voices singing “We see you. Come over here. There’s something we have to tell you.” If I gave in and listened to their pleas, I knew I’d be taken down like a wayward sailor and eventually drowned. That’s not why I came here. I took out my phone and snapped a photo. You never know what you may capture. Somehow, I found the strength to turn my head and continue on. That’s when I felt the possession. My attention was trapped by a worn mink stole perched on a coat rack decorated with various dated hats. I loathe fur, even fur that was taken decades ago. But for whatever reason I had the overwhelming urge to touch it, as if something had taken control of my movements. I found myself draping the stole across my shoulders. Clipping the hinged mouth of the mink to its once glorious tail, I suddenly caught a glimpse of an elderly woman primping for Sunday services. She slipped on her pressed white gloves before adorning herself with what seemed like her prized possession. The sheen on the mink’s blonde fur was wet and glossy. And the eyes were intact,embellished with highly polished glass. The woman inspected herself one last time and disappeared,leaving me alone in her fur. I could hear my mom now. “I warned you not to touch it. You don’t know where it’s been.” In this instance I did agree a proper cleansing would be necessary before anyone should wear the piece. And with that thought, I stripped the stole from my shoulders and returned it to the coat rack, no longer in its thrall. A slight chill ran through my body. I could hear my mother. “Someone’s walking on your grave.” This was always her answer when I’d shiver without being cold. It would creep me out when I was a kid. And I hate to admit it, but the idea still creeps me out. My time was almost up for this hunting expedition. As I inched toward the door I could feel something pulling at me. I reached into my pocket, referring back to the photo I had taken earlier. The mermaids were still tempting me but there was something else vying for my attention. An elegant brooch, encrusted with crystals, was almost hidden behind the jealous bookends. I ran back to the mermaids, ignoring their seductive airs. I snapped up the jewelry and inspected it. I could feel an electric energy oozing from the piece, filling me with the excitement of a hunter snaring his prey. I held the piece to my chest. This is it. This is why I was here. This is what I came here for. I could feel an all-too-familiar force rotating the brooch, turning it over in my hand. I was horrified at what I saw. Forty-five dollars! That price is a bit stiff for costume jewelery. Disappointed, I tossed the piece back onto the shelf and heaved the cheering mermaid bookends into my handcart. As I hauled my quarry from the thrift store I could hear my mother’s warning echoing in my head. “What junk are you bringing home now? You didn’t try anything on did you? You don’t know what bugs you’re going to pick up. They can be tough to get rid of.” My neck started to itch. Dammit, why does my mother always have to be right? I suddenly felt compelled to turn around. Returning to the shelves strewn with the rejected ghosts of strangers past I snaked my way through the aisles and found myself at the mercy of the mink stole. As if bitten by the dead critter’s teeth, I was pricked by a sharp and wicked thought. It made me smirk as I dug my fingers into the skin of my neck even deeper. I snagged the influential little devil off the rack and added it to my stash. It would make a nice birthday gift for my mom. I’m certain it will remind her of gramma. Maybe I’ll have it cleaned…maybe. About Ruschelle E. Dillon. Ruschelle Dillon is a freelance writer whose efforts focus on the dark humor and the horror genres. Ms. Dillon’s brand of humor has been incorporated in a wide variety of projects, including the irreverent “Caustic Cookbook” and "Bone-sai", as well as the live-action video shorts “Don’t Punch the Corpse” and “Mothman”. Ruschelle lives in Johnstown with her husband Ed and the numerous critters they share their home with. When she isn’t writing, she can be found teaching guitar and performing vocals and guitar in the band Ribbon Grass Acoustic Group. Find her at https://ruschelledillon.blogspot.com/ Taleforge: Creative writing exercise. Expect the unexpected. Set a timer and complete prompts while you write. The more you manage, the higher your score. Actor Matt Dillon puts rare celebrity spotlight on Rohingya. SITTWE, Myanmar (AP) — American actor Matt Dillon put a rare star-powered spotlight on Myanmar’s long-persecuted Rohingya Muslims, visiting a hot, squalid camp for tens of thousands displaced by violence and a port that has been one of the main launching pads for their exodus by sea. It was “heartbreaking,” he said after meeting a young man with a raw, open leg wound from a road accident and no means to treat it. Mothers carrying babies with clear signs of malnutrition stood listlessly outside row after row of identical bamboo huts, toddlers playing nearby in the chalky white dust. “No one should have to live like this, people are really suffering,” said Dillon, one of the first celebrities to get a first-hand look at what life is like for Rohingya in the western state of Rakhine. “They are being strangled slowly, they have no hope for the future and nowhere to go.” Though Rohingya have been victims of state-sponsored discrimination for decades, conditions started deteriorating three years ago after the predominantly Buddhist country of 50 million began its bumpy transition from a half-century of dictatorship to democracy. Taking advantage of newfound freedoms of expression, radical monks started fanning deep-seated societal hatred for the religious minority. Hundreds have been killed by machete-wielding mobs and a quarter million others now live under apartheid-like conditions in camps or have fled by boat -hundreds of dehydrated, hungry Rohingya washing onto Southeast Asian shores in recent weeks. Denied citizenship, they are effectively stateless with almost no basic rights. As they become increasingly marginalized, several groups are warning that the building blocks of genocide are in place. “I know that’s a very touchy word to use,” said Dillon, wearing his trademark black T-shirt and jeans. “But there’s a very ominous feeling here.” “I’ve been to some places where the threats of violence seemed more imminent,” said Dillon, who has also visited refugee camps in Sudan, the Congo and elsewhere. “Here it’s something else. It feels more like people are going to be left to wither away and die.” Dillon said he decided to come to Myanmar following a desperate, urgent appeal by Rohingya activist Thun Khin at a Refugees International fundraiser in Washington, D.C., just over a month ago. In Japan to promote his new television series, “Wayward Pines,” he decided it was a good time to make the trip. “There are people working here, people who know a hell of a lot more about it than I do,” Dillon said after hearing grumbling from some aid workers about what he hoped to achieve. “But listen, if I can use my voice to draw attention to something, where I see people suffering, I’ll do that any day of the week. I’m happy to do that.” He spoke to two teenage boys who tried to flee by boat, only to find themselves in the hands of human traffickers, and was chased away by armed security guards when trying to snap pictures of the last standing Rohingya neighborhood in the state capital – a ghetto surrounded by tall walls topped by rolls of heavy barbed wire. But what really choked him up were the camps: “It affected me more than I thought it would.” While there were clear signs humanitarian agencies are active — new latrines, well-placed hand pumps, concrete open sewers — he noted in contrast to camps he’s visited in Sudan and the Congo, he didn’t run into a single Western aid worker during his two-day visit. Nor were NGO trucks rumbling through with medical equipment, food or other supplies — due primarily to severe restrictions placed on aid agencies by the government following pressure from Buddhist extremists. “A lot of people are suffering,” he said. “I’m really glad I had a chance to come, to see for myself what’s happening here.” Xfinity Series Spotlight: . Ty Dillon was exposed to racing from every angle as a child. His father, Mike, once competed in all three national NASCAR series. His grandfather, , went from competing in the Cup Series to being a very successful car owner. Mike even drove for Richard during his career. Ty, at 24 years old, now does the same in the Xfinity Series, while his brother, Austin, competes in the Sprint Cup Series. Not surprising, Ty’s earliest racing memories also involve family. “Just being a kid at the racetrack when my dad raced,” Dillon told NBC Sports. “Going with my grandfather and just hanging out with them; being a fan as a kid.” In his rise through the racing ranks, Dillon captured the 2011 ARCA Racing Series championship after winning seven of the season’s 19 races. In 2012, Dillon was named Rookie of the Year in the Camping World Truck Series. He finished runner-up for the 2013 championship before moving to the Xfinity Series. He captured his first career series win in 2014 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where his grandfather and were victorious in the second annual Brickyard 400. No matter where Ty has been or what he’s accomplished, his father and grandfather are never far. Mike Dillon, who serves as the Vice President of Competition at RCR, can often be heard on the No. 3 radio during race weekend. Richard Childress not only plays grandfather and car owner but confidant and hunting buddy. But when did Ty realize that Richard Childress was more than just his grandfather? “I always knew who he was and how important he was to the sport and knew that he was famous,” Dillon said. “But I didn’t really know the impact he had on people and the way that he impacted the sport and done things as a person until I was driving and starting to meet different people and getting involved with sponsors and stuff. I didn’t really realize how special he really was until that time; he always first been a great grandfather more than anything.” The following Q&A has been edited and condensed. NBC Sports: At home is it hard for you and the rest of the family to separate racing and be together as a family or does it seep over? Dillon: It seeps over. We talk about it almost every time we’re together; there’s some kind of racing conversation that comes up. But as we get a little bit older and we’ve been in the sport a little bit longer, Austin and I, our conversations start to change, and we’re not so hell-bent on talking about racing 24/7. As our lives are changing and we’re growing up, and I’m married, Austin’s engaged, there are different things going in our lives, and we’re still very involved in racing, but our conversations have changed throughout the family. NBC Sports: How did your love of the outdoors start? Dillon: I’d say it had to start with my grandfather. When I was about seven or eight years old was the first time he took me hunting and we really starting going on hunting trips. He started that with Austin and I at a young age and it’s something that as you get older you grow more and more respect for and it’s something that I grew fond of. Just last week I went out and hunted and just sat in a deer blind by myself; it’s nice to get out and appreciate nature. Some people never get out and really see what this world has to offer. I also enjoy doing that with mountain biking, which has kind of grown my outdoors side even more. I love to go to different areas, whether it’s in North Carolina or different states and ride my mountain bike up in the mountains or up in the woods. It’s always fun to see different parts of the world. NBC Sports: Do you have a favorite hunting story or something you consider an accomplishment? Dillon: Nothing really specific. Just the times I’ve gotten to spend with good friends and people while hunting is something that I love more than anything about it. The time sitting by a campfire and just talking and telling stories is what I’ve enjoyed. NBC Sports: You once mentioned that you had a motorcycle but don’t ride anymore because you got hurt, what happened? Dillon: I used to ride a YZX 250 every day, we had a motocross track behind our house and probably from the time I was 16-17 until the time I was 19 or 20 I rode with a couple of buddies and my dad almost every single day and got pretty decent at it. I was showing my buddy how to do a jump one day, on a rainy day, and over-jumped a jump and broke my fibula and tibia in my left leg and kind of slowed down my racing. That was the end of me riding motorcycles for a while. NBC Sports: So no more motorcycles or dirt bikes? Dillon: I still have my dirt bike, but I don’t hardly ever ride it. I did do the Supercross Holeshot with Clint (Bowyer) and all those guys. That’s about as far as I need to go. NBC Sports: Fantasy Football is a big deal for you and you are all-in when it comes to statistics and players, how did it get that far? Dillon: It’s kind of like that for all sports; I played all sports growing up until I was probably 16 or 17 and had a passion for all of them. I appreciate the guys who are the top level and what it takes and Fantasy Football is about as close as I’m going to get to being a part of a professional sports team. So I got into that, and then the statistical side grew on me and I enjoyed starting to research it and learning more about it, just playing different stuff, playing the daily fantasy stuff, and you can get better at it by learning the statistical analysis side of it. Plus, it’s something that just keeps my brain going and just doing research. It’s fun, it’s a little hobby of mine and keeps my brain fresh it feels like. NBC Sports: How did you and (wife) Haley meet? Dillon: We met when we were both probably 13 or 14, her family is from Seattle, Washington, and they used to race Legends cars out West and they came down for the Summer Shootout, in 2011 maybe, at Charlotte (Motor Speedway) and just so happened that their family was parked beside our family for about the two or three months of time the Summer Shootout was going on. We got to know them pretty well; one of the guys that was working on our car that was also living with us at the time became really good friends with her two brothers. One of them actually came down and started living with our friend and we all became really close. I started asking about his sister because I remember seeing her at the racetrack and being so shy I didn’t even want to look her way because she was so pretty. I finally got him to give me her phone number, and I tried to text her and call her for the longest time, and she wasn’t having anything to do with me. I kept wearing her out until we were about 18, 19 years old and I think it was around New Year’s her brother invited us to come out to their place in the mountains in Seattle. Around that time, she started to talk to me knowing I was going to be coming out there and the first time we really talked on the phone I think we talked for about five hours. Once she finally gave me a chance we really hit it off and ever since I went on that trip out to Seattle we’ve been together. NBC Sports: How is married life? (Ty and Haley married in December 2014) Dillon: It’s been great. Everybody kind of tries to scare you from being married and whatnot, but she’s been an awesome wife. Married life has been awesome for me. NBC Sports: In an interview a few months ago you’ve mentioned being OCD about doing chores around the house, which ones specifically do you do, and I’m sure that makes Haley very happy? Dillon: I think I’m probably the best husband (laughs). I do whatever; I don’t mind doing the dishes. I like vacuuming. Vacuuming is very satisfying to me. I got a leaf blower, probably my favorite thing I got at our new house. Haley in the background says he’s handy. Dillon: Yeah, I just changed the brakes on Haley’s car the other day. I just like doing little projects, and stuff that I can see a difference from start to finish is mentally satisfying.