He circled the track as he had for more than fifteen years.

In the beginning, he circled a dirt track in Paige, Texas driving a stock car held together by his own sweat.

She fell for him hard. It wasn’t that he was good - he was - it was his commitment to the craft.

He’d noticed her, at the Saturday night races with her friends, and asked her out after picking up his tiny winner’s check.

From that day forward, she was by his side, his personal pit crew as he raced his way up the ranks.

For years they didn’t have two nickels to rub together. She cleaned houses while he pursued his dream. They agreed to wait on children, her dream.

Through it all, his commitment to be the best race car driver never wavered. Soon enough he was sponsored and on the path to racing NASCAR.

She still loved his commitment to excellence, but she could tell his commitment to her was getting lost in the pomp and circumstance of his success.

He had more than enough nickels of his own now, and he didn’t need her in the pit. She felt herself fading away in his review mirror.

Sitting here now, watching him circle the famed Talladega Superspeedway on his way to the checkered flag, she knew it was over.

The crowd cheered. She sat silently shedding tears. Hers was part of his success story that likely would never be told.