Instead, that December, he had a ruptured disc removed from the base of his neck and his spine fused. He returned to racing with new vigor. He finished second in the 2000 Winston Cup Standings. He was in third Sunday when he was bumped into an uncontrollable spin and fatal crash into the wall. He was at Daytona, a place that had tortured his heart until he won in 1998, a place where fate often ditched him as it had nowhere else.
Some people hang on too long just trying to get one last victory.
For me, racing is in my blood. It's who I am. Right now, I think I can win championships and go after it as hard as I ever have. It will be tough getting out of the car for the last time, but I'll know when to do it. You imagine Jesse James said something similar before deciding on one last score.