(Courtesy NASCAR Media)

Texas Motor Speedway - April 5, 2008

MICHAEL McDOWELL, No. 00 Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

Tell us how you feel and how practice was for you today?
"I think it's pretty remarkable that I'm here today driving.  That was obviously a very serious wreck.  I want to thank everybody at NASCAR who have really worked hard on making this new car safe and all the tracks that have spent the money and took the time to add the SAFER Barriers.  Obviously it was a life saver yesterday.  There's tons of people who are a part of this whole process, but it still goes back to those guys at the shop at Michael Waltrip Racing who are tightening the bolts and welding things in.  They did a remarkable job and I really thank them and Toyota.  Toyota does all our chassis, TRD (Toyota Racing Development does.  Every body had a piece of this and I feel very fortunate to be here and be able to drive today.  I'm glad we got through those practices there without any drama.  We definitely need to get through tomorrow's race without any hiccups."

Have you guys been able to determine exactly what happened yesterday?
"No, we don't know what caused it.  There's obviously a couple different theories.  One was something broke, two was I got into the oil dry and three was the driver didn't know what he was doing.  I'm going to go with the first two, just because I was here yesterday morning talking about I didn't know what I was doing.  We'll go with the first two.  Unfortunately we hit so hard there's no way we're ever going to determine what happened.  I came off of turn four on the first lap and it was really tight.  I told the guys I'm going to run another lap this thing was really bad.  I got down in turn one and it got pretty crazy all of a sudden.  My first initial reaction was that something had broke because the car pulled a little bit to the right and that's when I yanked it to the left and it got loose.  It looks like it got loose coming off the wall, but I felt like there's something that happened before that point.  I don't know if that was the oil dry or if all the way against the wall there was oil.  The reason I opened up my line was I was so tight that first lap I knew I needed to open up my turn to be able to get it down to the bottom.  Like I said, it's really unfortunate for everyone on the No. 00 Aaron's Dream Machine because we don't have a ton of cars.  We are a three car team, but with the new car everyone is working hard to get a fleet going and we just took one out of the fleet.  Definitely sorry for all the guys back at the shop -- I know the fab shop will be working Saturday and Sunday to get another car ready. A lot of emotions yesterday.  Upset about the fact that we did wreck but at the same time I feel very grateful and blessed that I'm sitting here right now because four or five years ago -- maybe even a year ago -- that might not have been possible."

What were the reactions from people who care about you after yesterday's incident?
"My wife and I have been together since we were 15 years old, so we've been through some wrecks before.  Obviously this was the most severe one.  I think once she saw me she was okay but after she was pretty shaken up just about the whole ordeal.  They replayed it a thousand times and it's pretty horrific to watch.  She's doing well.  My dad back at home, he was pretty torn up watching it and not really knowing if I was okay.  They said I was okay, but he didn't really know because he wasn't here.  When I told him I was okay, he thought I was lying to him.  Everybody is good.  I woke up this morning feeling great and its tough to watch any race car driver, whether it's family or not have a wreck like that.  I'm done being the test dummy for the COT though.  I'm going to make that clear, I'm going to let someone else do it."

How does this new found celebrity status sitting with you?
"I have two feelings about it.  One is that I want to be in the media spotlight for the right reason and that's for being a good race car driver and running well.  The second part of it is that you'll take it whenever you can get it.  Especially with the way this sport is right now.  We don't want to go out there and wreck cars to get on TV, that's never the plan.  If you're going to do one as spectacular as we did yesterday, we'll definitely soak up as much as we can get.  I want you to write on Sunday that I had a horrific wreck and I came back and ran in the top-20 on the lead lap and moved up another two spots in the points because that's what matters to me.  Nobody is going to forget this wreck, but it doesn't guarantee me that I'm going to have a ride.  The only thing that guarantees me of having a ride is performance and that's what I'm going to focus on.  I'll climb back in there and do it."

Can you talk more about the reaction from your friends and family after yesterday?
"It is a tough situation.  Like I said, my dad, he didn't really believe that I was alright but I spoke to him a few times last night.  For me, it's something that we all know racing cars at 210 mph is dangerous.  It's just a part of the job that we do.  Unfortunately it takes big accidents like that for us to remember that.  If you're thinking of getting hurt out in a race car and you're worried about that, you won't be much of a race car driver.  My big goal this morning was to jump back in and get going and not take my time, but get going as quick as I could to let it get behind me.  I think we did a good job with that.  We definitely have a little bit of work to do on the No. 00 Aaron's Dream Machine, but David Reutimann was really quick in the Happy Hour, so we'll lead on him for some support set up-wise and hopefully we'll have a good race car for tomorrow."

What has been the reaction from those in the garage?
"The garage was obviously very concerned and was glad to see me okay.  There's a lot of people in the garage area that I don't know and they don't know me, but I got to know them a little bit yesterday.  I think that as a community and as a whole, everybody cares about each other.  We race hard on the weekends but nobody wants to see anyone get hurt.  Definitely everybody stressed that to me yesterday.  I think everybody was very supportive and glad to see the new car is doing what everybody has talked about and it is safer.  I don't know how many bad wrecks there's been like that -- I know a bunch.  That first initial impact straight into the wall was pretty severe.  To be able to walk away from that let alone, but also rolling down the track 10 more times after that.  I think that the new car is awesome and I really appreciate what NASCAR has done.  You know, Michael Waltrip says it best when everybody gives the new car a hard time that you have to remember it's a safer car and I think we proved that yesterday that it's for sure safer."

Has NASCAR sat you down to talk about the accident?
"The conversation was, 'I'm glad to see that you're alright.'  Everybody was happy about that.  As far as the circumstance goes, I'm already in trouble so I don't want to get myself in any more trouble.  I think that two cars went before me and they were fine.  Obviously there was a lot of oil dry.  I think I was up a half a line higher than they were and where I was it wasn't completely cleaned off and ready to be run.  It's a shame because in qualifying, you don't get a second chance -- you go in there as hard as you can and hope it sticks.  I know there's a lot of experience to this.  Every driver will probably tell you the same, when you go down in turn one you just hope the car is going to do what it's going to do because you commit so early to it.  Anything that can upset that makes it a busy day like it was yesterday.  You look back at the footage and there's a lot of things that I could have done differently, as well.  We'll learn from it and move forward.  I over corrected quite a bit.  It also happened before I even turned in.  I felt like my butt hasn't failed me yet.  It usually tells me the right thing to do and I haven't torn up a lot of race cars.  I usually rely on my butt a lot."

How did you feel this morning when you woke up?
"I was really nervous.  You know how when you're laying in bed and you're sick, and when you first wake up you don't know how you are until you get up?  I kind of had that sensation. 'Maybe I don't want to get up.'  Once I did get up, I was fine.  I actually felt better this morning than I did last night.  Last night, once the adrenaline wore off a little bit, I definitely felt some bumps and aches.  The bumps and aches that I'm feeling is like the first day going back to the gym -- just a little bit sore and a little bit tight.  To watch the wreck and the pain that I'm having -- on a scale of one to 10 -- is a two.  I figured for sure it would be an eight.  I'm really fortunate.  I feel great."
 
Have you talked to many drivers, and what did they say to you?
"I haven't talked to a lot of guys.  Just a lot of, 'Hey, glad you're okay.'  That kind of thing.  I watched some of the interviews last night from some of the guys, and a few of them thought that the track wasn't quite ready to go.  I know Jamie McMurray came in and said there was a bunch of oil on his car from running through it.  Maybe it's a combination of things.  Maybe we had something a little bit going wrong and that magnified it.  Maybe I made a mistake or maybe the track wasn't quite ready.  I'm not going to put blame on anything because two guys went before me and got through it with no problem."
 
In just two weeks, what have you learned and what is your outlook going forward?
"Martinsville was a whole different learning experience.  Looking back at it, I definitely had a lot of things to learn.  At the same time, I felt pretty good about our first run at Martinsville.  We ran almost all 500 laps, and it wasn't until the very end when we got spun that we went more than one lap down.  We ran in the top-20 all day, so I felt pretty proud there.  I was a little upset at the end of the race when we got spun, and I definitely felt I should've given a little bit more to the leaders, but I felt like we had a good first day.  I learned a lot from the practice.  What I asked of the car and what the race asked for the car were completely different, so I think I have a little bit more information going back there.  Yesterday, the biggest thing that I learned was when I came off of turn four, I keyed the mic and said, 'Something is not right, I'm going to run another lap.'  That was probably a dumb thing.  I should've said, 'Hey, something is not right.  Looks like we're going to start in the back.  We're locked into the race.  Sorry, guys.'  And Michael (Waltrip, team owner) made that very clear to me this morning.  It's tough because you try hard and you feel like you have something to prove.  For me, being locked in is a great feeling, but I don't feel like I've earned it or deserve it.  When I go out there, I pretend that I'm not locked into the race.  I pretend that I have to go out there and earn it.  I haven't earned it.  David Reutimann earned it.  The fact that he has to go out there and make these races is disappointing to me because he should be in the top-25 in points and moving forward closer to the 'Chase'."
 
What is the background story on your 'lucky' air freshener?
"The air freshener has a long story to it.  Last year, in the ARCA Re/Max Series, the guys with Eddie Sharp Racing thought it would be cool to put a pine tree air freshener in my race car.  The first weekend they did it, we went out and won.  And then we won the next three races.  I had kind of forgot about the air freshener, but when I got in the car in Martinsville, one of my crew guys from Eddie Sharp had actually came over when I wasn't in the shop and put it in the race car as just a little present.  We ran it in Martinsville and we had it here in Texas.  It definitely brought us luck in the ARCA Re/Max Series.  I feel lucky about yesterday.  I really do.  I feel like that was a gift from God, for sure, because surviving something like that is pretty amazing.  I just feel lucky.  I don't think it was the pine tree as much as it was somebody looking it out for me.  I'm not sure where it is.  I'm going to find it now."
 
Can you take us through the wreck, from start to finish?
"Obviously, coming off the wall it got loose.  By the time you correct, it already hooked.  When it hooked, it hooked pretty hard to the right.  I knew that part was going to be big.  And it was fairly big.  When that first happened, the actual steering column had broke.  I was still holding onto the wheel, but it wasn't connected to anything.  Those first two rolls -- as I backed in and started rolling -- those first two were pretty violent as far as flailing around.  But, those last five or six took forever.  I knew I was okay at that point.  I'm like, 'When is this thing going to stop rolling down the track?'  After the big impact, I knew I was all right.  It just kept rolling and rolling and rolling, and I didn't know when it was going to stop.  When it did stop, I couldn't believe it, because the safety crew was already there.  It was unbelievable.  I think these speedways and NASCAR, what they do in preparation for these races is unbelievable.  It really felt like as soon as I got my window net down, there was somebody there to put the fire out.  That was a very comforting feeling because I didn't panic.  I saw them and knew the fire was going to be put out.  I unplugged my radio and climbed out nonchalantly.  I wasn't in too big of a hurry.  I really feel like those guys have really perfected this and done a great job.  I know sometimes they get criticized for taking a little bit too long, but it was unbelievable yesterday."
 
Did you have to check to make sure you were okay?
"When you get hurt in a wreck, which I have a few times, you know right away.  The wind is knocked out of it, and you feel it.  You're not ready to move.  Your body says, 'Hey, we're going to sit here for a while.'  Yesterday, I didn't have that sensation at all.  I said, 'Well, everything is good.  I'm going to hop out of this thing before it catches too much fire.'  And then I walked to the ambulance on my own power.  The whole time I had my eyes wide open and I was conscious.  I never got knocked out.  The first few rolls were pretty violent, not knowing where I was at.  I didn't know if I was in the grandstands or hanging out in the infield with the fans.  I knew I wasn't where I was supposed to be.  When I landed on all four wheels I said, 'Dang, that was nice.  I landed on all fours.  That's going to make it easy to get out.'  There is nothing worse than getting trapped upside-down having to release your belts.  So, I felt pretty good about that, too.  I was a little bit shook up, trying to gather my balance.  It wasn't that bad.  I think I've had worse that didn't look that spectacular, but definitely hurt more the next day."