2011 Daytona 500: Drivers Faced Personal Potholes Along The Road

With the exception of lottery winners and people with wealthy relatives, most of us have to pay our dues on the way up the career ladder.

Whether it’s an aspiring lawyer who interns for a slave-driving boss, a future doctor pulling all-night shifts in the emergency room or a sports writer who covers Little League baseball for the community paper, it’s hard to move up without putting in hard work – and facing adversity at times.

It’s no different for many of the drivers who will race in this Sunday’s Daytona 500. While their lives are full of fame and fortune now, it wasn’t always that way. In fact, given their humble beginnings, it didn’t seem like many of them would ever reach NASCAR.

These success stories get lost in the shuffle sometimes, but they should be celebrated. If nothing else, it shows that those willing to completely dedicate themselves to their dreams can achieve their goals.

We could all use the reminder at times.