In 1986, he didn't even have a car, but within a few short years, he had won the Winston Cup championship and the esteem of fellow drivers and fans. This is his story, from his humble beginnings to his tragic death in a plane crash.

In 1986 a young man from Wisconsin sold everything he owned, packed up a borrowed pickup truck and headed south to start his racing career. He didn't have the big money of the major race teams; he didn't even have a car when he arrived in Charlotte, but he had faith in his abilities and the determination to find a way. He fought hardship throughout his career -- losing sponsors, scraping by on shoestring budgets, replacing entire crews over and over again. Through it all he gained the respect of his peers and the fans. In 1992, with a new sponsor and a team he believed would go to the wall for him, he chased the dream and won the closest points race in the history of NASCAR.