Eric Saunders, a 22-year-old race-car driver, won his first career sprint car-race on Sunday, a 20-lap Sprint feature at Plymouth Speedway in Plymouth, Indiana.
Saunders accomplished the feat without the help of his legs but with the help of another driver who is trying to avoid the spotlight at all costs - Tony Stewart.
Saunders, who grew up aspiring to be a motocross rider, is paralyzed from the waist down - having suffered an accident a day before his 18th birthday, according to speed51.com. He crashed attempting a jump and landed sideways.
He had multiple surgeries and rehabilitation but has not regained the use of his legs. Still, Saunders hoped to race again competitively.
Stewart was a longtime family friend, according to speed51.com, and when he heard about Saunders' aspirations to race, he helped Saunders acquire a sprint car equipped with a steering wheel with hand controls that allows Saunders to race around the track.
"We basically use the throttle off of a watercraft and the brake of a bicycle to get the idea of we make it work," Saunders explained to speed51.com. "It was really basic, but we had to figure the best way to make work so I would be more comfortable."
Saunders was competitive in the races he entered but hadn't received the checkered flag until Sunday - four years and 36 days since his accident that left him paralyzed.
"I remember walking down and I said to myself, 'Holy s-t.' I am balling like a baby down to victory lane," Saunders' father, Irish Saunders, told speed51.com. "I never thought I would ever see him win again. Eric looked at me and told me to quit my balling. He then said, 'Dad...I am back!'"
One of the first people to congratulate him after the race was Stewart.
Stewart has been involved in his own tragedy, having killed 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr., on Aug. 9 in a sprint-car race in New York. Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, went on a three-week hiatus before returning to racing.
Stewart was under investigation for the death of Ward, who apparently blamed Stewart for sending Ward's car into a wall. Ward climbed out of his car and approached Stewart's car but got caught by Stewart's right rear wheel, was hurled about 50 feet and died.
Stewart was investigated, and then cleared of any wrongdoing in the tragedy. The Ward family has hinted that it plans to file a civil suit against Stewart.
But after Saunders' win on Sunday, Stewart was one of the first people to congratulate him, speed51.com reported.
"He was one of the first people I talked to," Saunders said. "He told me how proud he was of me and it was so good to hear that from him."
It remains to be seen whether Saunders' story now can help Stewart overcome his own dealings with tragedy.
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