Thirty-four seconds after James Hinchcliffe woke up in the hospital from a disastrous racing crash at the Indy 500 last year, he had only one goal: to get back behind the wheel of a race car.

The IndyCar driver from Oakville, Ont. had sustained serious injuries in a crash during practice at the Indianapolis 500, after a piece of debris pierced his left leg and caused massive bleeding. But Hinchliffe says he was always certain he wanted to return to the sport he loves.

"I was on ventilators, I had a tube in my throat, I had to talk with a pen and a piece of paper, and the third question that I wrote down was, 'When can I get back in a race car?'" Hinchcliffe told CTV's Canada AM on Friday.

The crash happened in May of 2015. Now, one year later, Hinchcliffe has secured the pole position for the 2016 Indianapolis 500.

Hinchcliffe says doctors thought he was crazy to want to get back behind the wheel, but he insists that drivers are "just wired differently."

He added that he's been working out six days a week to get back in shape for racing, which can be extremely tough on a driver's body. His first race of the season was in March.

"It largely is about the (gravitational) forces that your body is subjected to," he said. "When you're going at 3, 4, 5 (times the force of gravity) through a corner, the force on your body is immense."

IndyCars do not use power steering, so drivers have to apply a great deal of strength to the wheel to turn it at high speeds. "It really is a massive cardio endurance training as well," Hinchcliffe said.

The Canadian driver says his passion for racing is as strong as ever, despite last year's near-catastrophic crash.

"Every year of my life I feel like I love this sport even more," he said.