GREENSBORO — It’s not easy being Cody Ware, but he’s not complaining. He’s in Daytona Beach this week, and he has a full-time ride in NASCAR’s Cup series and he’s not thinking about killing himself anymore.

Every day is a test, and the 23-year-old resident of Greensboro now knows he’s up to it.

“There was a time,” he said, his voice trailing off.

There was a time when Ware did think about taking his own life, a result of severe depression and anxiety that has followed him, tortured him, throughout his life. But he has found strength in family and friends, in God and stock-car racing, and on the eve of the 2019 NASCAR season, Ware is confident in himself and proud to finally figure out where he wants to go.

That hasn’t been easy, either.

“I’m not your typical racer,” Ware said this afternoon from Daytona Beach. “I’m all over the place. I’ve driven everything trying to find my niche in motorsports.”