Canada's Robert Wickens on cusp of winning a championship 5 years after he was paralyzed in IndyCar crash

Robert Wickens was determined from the very first days after his life-changing 2018 IndyCar accident not to let it define — or end — his racing career.

The Canadian was 29 years old at the time, engaged to be married, and a breakout rookie star in a United States-based racing series after a successful career in Europe. Wickens nearly won his IndyCar debut, scored four podiums, and was sixth in the championship race when he sailed into the fence at Pocono Raceway with three races remaining in the season.

He was paralyzed from the waist down.

Wickens moved to a rehabilitation facility in Colorado, at first as an in-patient, before he moved into an extended stay motel to continue the work. Six hours a day, six days a week.

"In the months and years that I spent rehabbing my body, trying to get the best quality of life possible for myself and for my family, always in the back of my mind I was wanting to return to racing," Wickens told The Associated Press. "I wanted my own closure on my racing career. How it ended in Pocono in 2018 was not how I was going to end things.

"I'd been racing since I was 7 years old. It's all I know. And before I started another motorsports journey, I felt like I needed closure on me as a driver."

Wickens was retained by his race team (he drove for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, which is now Arrow McLaren) as a consultant but was still angling for ways to drive. He got his opportunity with Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai, which had experience in building and racing cars fitted with a hand control system to accommodate a paralyzed driver.

Just two seasons and 19 races into his comeback, Wickens heads into the Touring Car Class finale of the Michelin Pilot Challenge season as the championship