Doing his first driving since Oct. 12, Kenny Brack took a couple of laps last Sunday afternoon around the Rehabilitation Center of Indiana in his wheelchair.

While it wasn't the pace or vehicle of his preference, the 37-year-old Swede enjoyed being outside with his pregnant wife, Anita, on an uncharacteristic balmy 70-degree November afternoon in Indianapolis.

It was good to breathe some fresh air because Brack is very aware of just how lucky he is to still be breathing following his ferocious accident last month at Texas Motor Speedway.

"It's a miracle I'm alive, I know that," said the 1999 Indianapolis 500 winner, who suffered a broken back, sternum, right leg and fractures of both ankles. "I don't remember much about the race or anything about the crash, but I've seen the pictures.

"You only have to see them once to know how lucky I am. Sitting in the middle of something like that, I feel like I had help from above to still be here."

When he rubbed wheels with Tomas Scheckter at 220 mph, rocketed into the air and smashed into the catch fence, few gave Brack much chance of surviving. But his car came apart and dissipated energy, the tub bounced off the fence and landed on its side, and nobody else struck the cocoon as it spun like a top down the track.

"Obviously, it was an extremely big accident and I came close to not making it, but I think it shows the strength of the cars," he said. "I also owe a big thanks to the IRL safety team and my doctors in Texas and Indianapolis because they all did a great job.

"I didn't wake up until Thursday (after the accident), so I have no recollection of anything. But A.J. (Foyt) calls me 'Cowboy' because my one arm was flying around like a rodeo rider."

	The collision with Scheckter sent Brack airborne.

Brack no longer has raccoon eyes (they were both black from the violent flipping) or a black and blue left arm, but he has retained that splendid sense of humor that's made him so popular since coming to Indy cars in 1997.

"It takes three months for any bone to heal, and I told Anita it was good to get them all at once instead of one at a time or I'd never get healed," he chuckled.

And that, combined with his positive attitude and physical fitness, figures to help the '98 IRL champ heal even quicker.

"You never know how you're going to react until you're in this kind of situation, but I haven't had one negative thought, and I think it's helped tremendously," continued Brack. "My wife has gone through a lot, but she's a very strong, supportive woman who has been by my side every minute.

"The support from friends, fans and my team has been unbelievable. I had no idea so many people cared about me. It's easy to stay positive with so many good people around me."

Dr. Robert Gregori, who handles the rehabilitation aspects of the nationally-renowned Orthopedics Indy, is impressed by Brack's spirit. "He's obviously a champion because every word that comes out of his mouth is positive.

"I saw his crash, and any one of those injuries could be life-threatening, but he's got what it takes to recover from this multiple trauma."

Brack, who will undergo more surgery Tuesday to help strengthen his spine, fortunately suffered no spinal cord or nerve damage. "He still needs three or four months for his ankles to heal and three months in a brace to allow his spine to heal, but in a couple three months he'll be back to doing what he loves," said Gregori, who works with Dr. Terry Trammell and Dr. Kevin Scheid, the two surgeons tending to Brack.

	“	You only have to see them once to know how lucky I am. Sitting in the middle of something like that, I feel like I had help from above to still be here. ”
		— Kenny Brack

When he's healed "The Meatball" plans to be back to speed.

"I've had no thoughts about quitting," he responded when asked the obvious question on Monday's national teleconference. "Obviously, I need to be healed and fit to drive a race car again, and I'm determined to get back to 100 percent.

"But I still love racing."

In all his years of racing, Brack had never been seriously injured prior to last month. Coupled with Tony Renna's death during a test two weeks ago at Indy, the grim realities of motorsports have once again come into focus.

"You know that if you race on ovals 16 times a year, lots of times at over 200 mph, there can be huge consequences," he reasoned. "I know the results of my crash, and I'm thankful to be sitting here in a wheelchair knowing that I'm going to make a 100 percent comeback.

"I paid a cheap price."

Robin Miller covers open wheel racing for ESPN and ESPN.com.