Rookie Survives Terrifying Qualifying Crash In No. 00 Toyota

FORT WORTH, Texas — NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie Michael McDowell was uninjured in a violent crash, which delayed qualifying more than an hour on Friday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway.
McDowell’s car got loose entering the first turn and when he overcorrected, it sailed into the wall with a violent impact. The Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota then flipped multiple times before finally skidding to a stop.
“I came off of four on that first lap and I just felt a little bit off,” said McDowell, “like something wasn’t right. I went into one and I didn’t know if it was the oil dry or something happened, but it’s real unfortunate. I hate to make that much work for the guys back at the shop.
“Fortunately, I’m OK. I got to see that replay, and it wasn’t very good. I’m thankful for everyone back at the shop that makes these cars safe. That’s one of the worst wrecks that I’ve seen in a while, and I’m not excited I had to participate in it, but we’ll pull the back up out and get in race trim tomorrow. We’ll be fine. I feel great, nothing broke and I didn’t pass out — just wish I didn’t over correct out there.
“For me to walk away from a wreck like that is unbelievable. I’m definitely going to count my blessings tonight. Thank God for this opportunity to walk away from that wreck.”
Many were impressed by how the safety features protected McDowell, including rival driver Carl Edwards.
“I went and looked at the car. That’s a hard hit,” he said. “That’s all you can say about that. That’s a very, very hard hit — that initial hit and then everything that happened afterwards. I’m real happy that he walked away. I’m surprised that he’s not hurt in any way. Like everybody said, that’s a testament to the safety equipment.”