Race car driver Robert Wickens was paralyzed in a crash. But he didn’t want to stop racing. He worked hard to come back. On Friday, he and his co-driver won a championship.

Mr. Wickens and Harry Gottsacker won their category of the Michelin Pilot Challenge. They came in fourth in a Friday race in Georgia. All they needed was an eighth-place finish or better in that last race. That earned them the championship title!

Mr. Wickens was paralyzed from the waist down in his crash five years ago. He is a paraplegic. That means he can’t use his legs. Now he drives racing cars with a hand control system.

After the accident, Mr. Wickens worked hard to grow stronger. He trained for six hours each day, six days per week. But he’ll never be able to walk on his own again. Being in a wheelchair can be frustrating. But he says, “You just try to make the best quality of life with what you have.”

“Always, in the back of my mind, I was wanting to return to racing,” Mr. Wickens says.

One day, he hopes to race in the famous Indianapolis 500. An Indy car with hand controls suited for Mr. Wickens doesn’t yet exist. It would be very expensive to build. But he’s determined to continue as a racer.

When Mr. Wickens started his career, he “just wanted to win races and drive cars,” he says. “Now I feel there is a bigger story than just driving. And I think if I can achieve both those things and bring awareness to spinal cord injuries by being a racing driver again . . .  it’s a win-win.”

Mr. Wickens’ story might remind you of some Bible verses. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul compares following Jesus and sharing the good news to running a race. You might not be a race car driver, but if you are a Christian, you are part of that important race.

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. — 1 Corinthians 9:25-26