360 - Lyndon Amick: Freedom on the Other Side

Nothing is more powerful than redemption. Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits down with friend. and former NASCAR racer, Lyndon Amick, about his life as racecar driver, combat soldier, and his miraculous journey to pick up the pieces of a broken life. A young man from a family of South Carolina chicken farmers decided to take the path of most resistance. He wanted to be a racecar driver. Sugartit Speedway in the Palmetto state fueled his desire to give racing a try. And boy did he try. The big boy stuffed himself in a go-kart with the goal of being fast. His ascension into the upper ranks of the sport came just as fast. Fast forward some race wins and a championship in the Goody's Dash Series, and suddenly the Amick Family Farms had their very own NASCAR Xfinity Series team. And with it came struggles. A new team, a driver trying to learn. Although he showed glimpses of raw talent, things never seemed to work out for Lyndon Amick. Shortly after the birth of his first son, a race at Talladega was the pivot point for Lyndon Amick. While spinning backward in a massive 20-something car crash, he decided that he was done. Lyndon walked away from the life of a NASCAR driver. He decided to enlist in the military. His life switched from race days, interviews, and appearances to drill sergeants stripping down his being to build the perfect soldier. His mindset was clear. Not only did he want to serve his country, he wanted to fight for it. The journey took him across the globe to Afghanistan. While there he learned the mindset of what it took to stay alive amidst the everyday reality that each day could be his last. No day more apparent than when his company ended up in a fire-fight. With bullets forming a canopy of smoke above him, Amick turned into the proven leader. But when the combat stopped, he admits the realities that faced him when he got back home, were not so fulfilling. What he escaped for was something he now had to face, himself. An imperfect husband, a dead-beat dad. Simply put, his marriage was broken and his life was about to come off the rails. Just how did the story transform from darkness to light? Lyndon shares his soul with Dale Jr. and co-host Mike Davis. He reveals the inner workings of the healing that put back the pieces of his broken life. Before Lyndon came into the studio to share his incredible journey, Dale Jr. admitted to some faults of his own. His came in the NBC broadcast booth. The two-time Daytona 500 winner and rookie play-by-play broadcaster asked producer Matthew Dillner to point out his mistakes calling Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity race at Talladega Superspeedway. The result provided a look into Dale's life as a broadcaster, his goals, and some laughter too. Dale Jr. also brings up his disappointment with the rain-filled weekend and race postponement at Talladega Superspeedway and offers a solution that can be done within the fine print of a race weekend. Dale, Mike, Matthew, and Leah pull the curtain back on the Texas World Speedway episode and what made the visit to America's only Lost Superspeedway such a moving explore for the team. Recently, daddy-Dale-Jr. had a day alone with his youngest daughter Nicole. What sort of adventures did they get into? Well, let's just say it ended with a hot air balloon in the buffalo pen on his property. Ask Jr brings out that story and so much more. Everyone on the entire Dale Jr. Download team agrees, this is an episode full of amazing moments, but most importantly, one that a lot of us can learn from. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices