The first time I ever met Shane Hmiel was before a race we were taping for the show we both work on, 3 Wide Life. It was the first time he ever raced on dirt… and he won the race.
Some people refer to Shane Hmiel as a former NASCAR driver, but in reality he’s actually a former USAC star and TV host. But in summation, he is a driver – and after his critical accident at Terre Haute Action Track on October 9th, a survivor. And suddenly, his hopes of running in the Indy 500 have turned to hopes of ever walking again.
He was Rookie of the Year at the Chili Bowl in 2009, finishing in the B-Main. But don’t say that to him. He is so humble he’ll go as far as to deny his accolades if you talk about them in front of him – which is preciously what he did when I introduced him to author Tucker Max. I saw Shane in Indy a few nights before his accident while I was on a book tour with Tucker. Shane joined us at the book signing and then we all went out to eat at St. Elmo.
Tucker asked the waiter to bring the Sommelier over to suggest which wine would best pair with our meals.
“Why did you just ask for a Somalian?”
That was just the start of a night full of “Shane-isms” Shane is as good and funny a friend as he is driver. That night he turned to me and said, “I am so lucky I got a second chance.”
He was talking about his career – the fact he still gets to race cars for a living, and all the things he’s done to turn his life around. And through a miracle following a tragedy, he’s now getting a second chance AT LIFE.
Because I’m sure you know … he had a promising career in NASCAR. But he blew it all away after failing two drug tests … diagnosed with bi-polar disorder while going through rehab for drug treatment, it made sense why he couldn’t give up the drugs … he was self medicating. After being treated with legal, accurate drugs for bi-polar Shane has turned his life around, and used the **** he had been given in life as fertilizer to grow roses.
Driving to him comes as natural as walking for others. And he will walk, and hopefully drive again. His progress is slow, but he’s making a comeback in life just like he did in racing.
And we are cheering for him as he does. You can too, by helping sponsor the healing of the real deal, Shane Hmiel. Because adding insult to literal injury, he now has a lot of medical bills. Every little bit helps. Click here to donate.
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