Spencer

Sometimes it's during those unlucky times that I realize how lucky I really am. Funny how that happens.

At this particular time, I had just hit the wall going down the Dover International Speedway backstretch. This was last Saturday in the NASCAR Busch Series race, and my No. 1 Yellow Chevrolet was running pretty good. We had already led some laps thanks to excellent pit work, and I was feeling good about the day. But before I knew it, our good day was over.

I was hit from behind, and my car went head-on into the concrete barrier. The whole front end of the Team Yellow Chevy was smashed, and I was mad and disgusted, not to mention a little sore!

I took my mandatory ride to the infield care center, wondering when our luck was going to change. Last year, we won three races with the Yellow Racing team and collected a couple of poles in the process. Now, I was riding in the back of an ambulance, knowing that another opportunity to win had just gone down the drain. As I entered the infield care center, I couldn't get out of my head the senselessness of that incident. There was no reason for it, and I was fuming inside.

Then, my wife walked in.

I'm proud to say I'm the luckiest guy in the world, and it's not because I drive cars on weekends in front of hundreds of thousands screaming fans. It's a very nice perk to my life, but it wouldn't be the same without my family. My wife has a way of easing me; of setting me straight. And my kids are the reason I enjoy getting up every morning.

Lately, I've answered a lot of questions concerning my decision to sit out of the Busch race at New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago. Instead of being there with my team that weekend, I chose to be at home with my son on his 16th birthday. Many people wondered why? It's actually quite simple.

It was 1994, and I had just won the spring race at Daytona for my first career Winston Cup win. It was the highlight of my life, and as I drove into Victory Lane, the atmosphere of winning a Cup race was everything I had ever imagined. I climbed out of the car, hugged my crew, did several interviews, and soaked in the winning feeling. At the same time, however, I knew the real celebration wouldn't start until later that evening when I was alone with my family -- my biggest supporters.

Unfortunately, that never happened. I had made a commitment earlier that weekend to make an appearance in Des Moines, Iowa. So 30 minutes after the race was all over and I was getting ready to celebrate with my family, I had to leave. I climbed aboard an airplane, leaving my wife and two kids in Daytona. It was at that moment I told myself that would never happen again. Fortunately for me, I drive for two understanding owners -- Chip Ganassi and James Finch -- and two understanding sponsors -- Target and Yellow.

As my wife walked into the care center last Saturday, the stress and tension of a meaningless incident went away. I was still upset, but I was reminded there are more important things in life.

I decided to make light of a bad situation by playing a joke on the media. As I waited to be released from the care center, I wrapped my head in bandages and found a couple of crutches to lean on. I came hobbling and out of the care center, moaning like a little kid. Of course, I couldn't help but laugh when I saw all the confused faces of the media. After all, they had seen me hop in and out of the ambulance under my own power only minutes earlier. My attempt at humor gave everyone a good laugh, and it was more than enough indication that I was OK after the hard crash.

I soon unwrapped my head, and I gave the crutches back to the friendly nurses at the care center. My wife and I walked back to our motor coach, where my daughter, son and dog were waiting.

Lucky me.

Jimmy Spencer is the driver of the No. 41 Target Dodge Intrepid R/T. He will be providing a regular diary to ESPN.com throughout the Winston Cup season.