When people say time heals all wounds, they rarely offer the recommended daily dose. They just say time heals all wounds and leave it at that.

If the dose was measured by the magnitude of the wound, one could say Rick Hendrick's dose should be a lifetime.

He has endured core-shaking tragedies; the loss of his father, only son and only brother -- and not before Hendrick, 58, would overcome a life-threatening battle with leukemia.

But instead of time, NASCAR's most successful team owner self-medicates through charity in an efforts to ensure his family legacy lives on.

Such was the case this week when Hendrick donated $1 million to a small community college in Matthews, N.C.

Through his contribution, the campus dedicated its new automotive training center -- Joe Hendrick Center for Automotive Technology -- to Hendrick's late father.

"It's very emotional for me to see a picture of my dad up there," said Hendrick, as he turned to look at an oil painting of "Papa Joe" unveiled during the dedication.

Inside the bright and shiny 35,000 square foot facility -- geared to create opportunity for young people in search of high-tech automotive careers -- is another cause of emotion for Hendrick: his first car, undoubtedly the vehicle for his success today.

It's a red 1931 Chevy that Hendrick bought for $250 when he was 14. He and his father built the car inside an abandoned schoolhouse restroom from parts found in a salvage yard located in rural Virginia.

"I owe the racing to that car. ... I owe everything to my dad for taking the time to teach me how to work on cars," Hendrick said. "With a torch and a hammer, he could build anything.

"It was there in that schoolhouse that I learned the desire for Saturday night racing, the love of being a gear head. I raced that car before I had a driver's license."

Another property of healing is the Hendrick Foundation for Children, created in memory of his late brother John L. Hendrick, who in 2004 was killed in a private plane crash en route to a race in Martinsville, Va. It was the same plane crash that took his son, his twin nieces and a hand full of Hendrick Motor Sports employees.

Hendrick was still grieving the loss of his father's who passed a few months prior to the crash. Hendrick wasn't on the plane, because he was suffering from the flu, likely because his system was not fully recovered from leukemia treatments.

Is it humanly possible to heal from such a series of unfortunate, life-altering events?

"I've always said without my faith and my family I would go nuts," Hendrick said. "On a good day you feel guilty that you're not thinking about them and then on a bad day you wish you could think about something else."

Ricky Hendrick

And so Hendrick continues his healing process through more charity, ensuring his iconic legacy of a family rooted in racing and the automobile industry would go on. And because giving to those in need has always been the family mantra.

In 2004 in honor of Hendrick's brother John, the Hendrick Foundation for Children was created improving the quality of life for thousands of sick children around the country.

Another branch of Hendrick's charitable efforts includes the Hendrick Marrow Program, established in 1997 to support those suffering from leukemia and other blood-related issues.

Since its inception, the group has raised millions of dollars, added more than 75,000 volunteers to the National Marrow Donor Program Registry and helped more than 2,000 patients with grants from the Hendrick Family Fund for Patient Assistance.

In 1999, Hendrick was honored with The Marrow Foundation's Leadership for Life Award; fitting for a man who continues to be a leader in life as well.

And this fall, through the foundation's more than $3 million worth of charitable donations, a pediatric intensive care center inside Charlotte's Levine Children's Hospital will be named after Hendrick's late son, Ricky.

"This is what my son was passionate about, children's charities so this is a way to keep his memory alive," Hendrick said. "To see children and people have another chance at life is important to me, it was important for my son, so it's important for me."