apy, Dale was right there to encour-
age him. And Dale saw the physical
therapy equipment they were using,
and he decided that Josh should have
his own equipment when he got home.
So Dale examined the equipment and
built a therapy room for Josh. In fact,
the equipment he built so impressed
the therapists that Dale’s been hired
to build custom equipment for several
other people.
Before the accident, Josh used to
help out as a rebuilder in the family’s
rebuilding shop. Today, Dale takes up
the slack for both of them. And then
he works with Josh in their hay baling
and equipment businesses. He’s mostly
given up his racing career to provide
more time for his family.
Josh is quick to acknowledge the
dedication of his family, particularly
Josh spends some time with Kyle Bush and his girlfriend,
his mother and brother. “I couldn’t do
Samantha, at the track.
it without them,” he says.
Attitude. We talk about it as if
it were some type of business tool
or management technique. But as the
Howard family proves, attitude is much
more… it’s a way of life. And for Josh
and his family, that attitude has been
the key to success in their daily lives.
Epilog: Still Racing?
Apparently, even being confined to
a wheelchair wasn’t enough to drain the
racing out of his blood: While Josh was
at one of his physical therapy sessions,
another guy started bragging about how
fast his wheelchair was. That didn’t sit
too well with Josh.
So while the therapists were busy,
the two men found the longest corridor
in the hospital, and sent someone to
the other end to keep watch and pre-
vent anyone from wandering onto the
“track.” Then they set out to prove,
once and for all, which one had the
fastest ride.
“I reached the finish line, and still
had time to turn around and watch the
other guy finish the race,” says Josh
with a grin. “They labeled me the ‘fast-
est wheelchair at Shepherd.’ Someone
even had a shirt made for me that said
‘Shepherd Wheelchair Champion.”
Just try and keep those wheels on
the ground, Josh!
Racing is a family ambition and is part of daily life.
Mr. Howard (James) taking the checker flag in the early 70's
GEARS January/February 2010 25
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