“In this book, you get to meet the Michael Waltrip I know.”
—Dale Earnhardt Jr.

There was one lap to go in the 2001 Daytona 500, NASCAR’s most celebrated event. Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were running one-two. Junior’s legendary dad—and Michael’s good friend and mentor—was close behind in third, blocking anyone who might try to pass. As Michael’s car roared toward the finish line, he had no clue that the greatest triumph of his life was about to get mired in terrible tragedy.

For the first time ever, Michael tells how he went from a boy from small-town Kentucky to a champion at Daytona, and how his own life changed after the tragic events of that day as he dealt with guilt, faced his grief, and searched for the fortitude to climb into a race car again. Told with Michael’s trademark honesty and humor, it’s an inspiring story of family, fulfillment, and redemption—and a well-earned victory in the end.