That night Channel Five reported that the chance of another truckers' strike was nil.

The day runs on. After two or three entrants run the course, it all looks pretty much the same. People in the grandstands sit back for a wait, a long wait: each driver is allowed 12 minutes before he is flagged off the course, and most use at least ten. Kids play in the grass, and everyone grumbles a bit that no refreshment truck ever showed up with lunch.

The old man was having a great time. He didn't seem to know anyone there, but had come alone, drawn by the trucks.

He hung around with the drivers, talking to anyone who would listen:

"I used to be a teamster. Drove one-horse, two-horse rigs. Then when trucks came in I started driving trucks. I was a trucker for 40 years, and it was the best damned 40 years of my life."

"You should have seen me then, I tell you. Cocky as hell. Why I used to carry an extra pair of glasses all the time cause I was always getting them busted up in fights. Denim pants and shirt and a gray cap with a Local 25 button on the back. I used to think I could beat any man I met. Course I couldn't always.

"Hell, I'm getting old, though. Seventy-three last year. I guess you might say I am getting to where the old days just look better and better all the time." His voice quavered as he spoke, and people listened politely and went their own ways.

Lowell Crouse was one driver who cared about winning. Soft spoken, a little retiring, he wasn't the kind to make a strong impression on anyone. But when his turn came to drive, everyone watched.

"He's been out practicing for weeks," his wife said in the stands. She was more nervous-looking than he.

Driving a five-axle tank trailer, he drove the course with incredible ease, hitting no barricades and never stopping. He wound the truck backwards through the serpentine course without a moment's hesitation, and finished in nearly three minutes under the allotted time.

The crowd, until now indifferent, cheered as he stepped from the cab.

Lowell and his family will be going to Minneapolis in the fall.