Tanner Thorson, one of Windom’s rivals in the USAC national midget ranks, is another driver who found himself needing to “get back on the horse” after a rough road.
In Thorson’s case, however, it was a highway crash in California — not an accident on the race track — that led to his strength being tested.
Thorson did not race for three months while he healed from numerous broken bones, injuries and surgeries.
“Being out for three months is hard. Everyone says it’s like riding a bike, which it is, but you lose your finesse a bit,” Thorson noted. “With my left arm and right foot being the two things I use the most in the car, I had to make sure that all that would be right when I got back in and got going again; and so far it has been.
“Mentally, though … you do wonder and ask yourself those questions. I think it’s a bit of human nature,” he added. “I just focused on my love of the sport and how important it is to me to be behind the wheel of a race car, and just pushed myself to get better and not give up on it. It’s worked out well in my case.”
Other times, the circumstances are simpler, revolving around sheer bad luck.
That was the case for rookie Cannon McIntosh, who won the Shamrock Classic in DuQuoin, Ill., during March but was then besieged with a similar spate of bad luck — without the crashes — as what befell Windom.
Though he’s only 16, McIntosh displayed the wisdom of a veteran when asked how he’s pushed himself to remain diligent and committed behind the wheel, even amid the bad days.
“As young as I am, I just keep telling myself that I have a lot of time left and that it’s going to get better,” said McIntosh. “Everyone always says that you’re only as good as your last race, but you’re also only as good as you push yourself to be … and that perseverance is what separates the elite drivers from the rest when it comes down to that last little bit.
“That’s something that I’ve been learning, particularly as we’ve gotten on the road more this year.”
Though his two appearances in Indy Lights machines haven’t produced stellar finishes, Windom is attracted to the sleek, ground-hugging machines.
“The Indy Lights car is something that’s so cool for me every time I get the chance to go and do that at Indianapolis, because it’s so much fun and so different than anything else that I’ve ever done,” Windom said. “I like learning, I like challenges and I like trying to get good at something that I’ve never done before.
“That’s probably at the top of my personal list.”
For a brief period, however, Windom’s to-do rostrum focused solely on rebounding. It’s a skill he believes is necessary for race car drivers.
“If you don’t have that push to get back up again, you won’t go as far as you can. That’s a major key.”