link

That wasn't to be -- plans changed after he told his family he is gay.

''I didn't go to college,'' he says. ``I came out when I was 18. My parents sent me to psychiatrists to find out what was wrong with me. When that didn't work, I moved out. It was not a good environment for me.''

...

Typified by handsome star drivers like Jeff Gordon who are married to voluptuous supermodels, auto racing is considered among the most macho of sports.

In 1992, veteran professional racer James Terrell Hayes had sexual reassignment surgery and became Terri O'Connell. Afterward, she continued to race and became a spokeswoman for transgender issues.