23-year-old NASCAR rookie Michael McDowell hit the wall at 180 mph and barrel rolled seven times before coming to a fiery halt during qualifying rounds for the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway for one of the most terrifying crashes in NASCAR history.
Michael walked away from the crash unharmed, saying, “I came off of (Turn 4) on that first lap and felt a little bit off, that something wasn’t quite right,” McDowell said. “I went down into one and I don’t know if it was the oil dry or if something happened. I hate to make that much work for the guys back at the shop. Fortunately, I’m OK, thank God. I got to see that replay and it wasn’t good, but for everyone back at the shop that spends time putting these seats in and making these cars safe — that’s one of the worst wrecks I’ve seen in a while. I’m not excited that I had to participate in it. We’ll pull the back-up out and we’ll get in race trim tomorrow and be fine.
“I feel great. Nothing broke. I didn’t pass out. I didn’t lose anything out there. I just wish I didn’t overcorrect there. We’ll have to go back and look at it. I don’t know if something happened or if I just lost it there, but it didn’t quite feel right. We were six-tenths off of what we ran in practice. I’m just glad to be alright.”
“The Car of Tomorrow has got a lot of room in it and allows for some impact like we saw today,” McDowell said. “I think the advancements in the seats and helmets and the headrests for sure. That was a violent wreck and I lived through all of it. I felt every roll and I’m standing here right now no problems, maybe a few little bumps and bruises but other than that I’m fine.
“For me to walk away from that wreck is unbelievable. I’m going to thank my lucky stars tonight. Thank God for the opportunity to walk away from that wreck.”
View video of the spectacular NASCAR crash below.