As he prepared to jump off the wall in August 2018 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Daniel Smith felt abnormally calm in changing tires for Kevin Harvick. He loosened and tightened lug nuts routinely as cars whizzed by him, while keeping a heavy secret, something only three members of his Stewart-Haas Racing team even knew.

Truth be told: Smith didn’t know if he ever again would change tires. And that concern ranked as the least of his worries.

He would soon start treatment for Stage 3c testicular cancer, where the cancer had spread to other parts of his body. The American Cancer Society lists the survival rate at 74%, and while not an insurmountable diagnosis, it’s one that will scare even the toughest of individuals.

“I knew that night I was going into surgery in a day or two and I had an uphill climb ahead of me,” Smith said. “My goal then was just being alive. Changing tires was very low on that list.”