“This is Gonna Hurt”- Revisit Michael McDowell’s Spine-Chilling Crash That Sent Shockwaves Across the NASCAR World

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series has made landfall at the Texas Motor Speedway. Ahead of the race weekend, Michael McDowell will enter the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 with bad memories. Admittedly, the No. 34 missed out on the Round of 12 after the Bristol Cup Series race. Along with him were Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr., retiring Kevin Harvick, and defending champion Joey Logano.

Although they are no longer in championship contention, that doesn’t mean that the season is over. McDowell and the others still have to score points to try and finish as high as possible. With qualifying wrapped up, he starts all the way down in 17th place, which is a bit of a task for the #34 driver. Nevertheless, he will definitely try to salvage whatever is left of his disappointing 2023 campaign.

READ MORE: “He Almost Got Impaled”- Michael McDowell’s Resurfaced Vicious Wreck at Chase Elliott’s Favorite Track Sends Shockwaves Across NASCAR Community

Michael McDowell recently revisited a tough moment in Texas

Back in 2008, McDowell was a victim of an almighty accident at the Texas Motor Speedway. It happened to be his debut season in NASCAR, and the 38-year-old drove for Michael Waltrip Racing in the #00 car. During the qualifying session at the Texas Motor Speedway, Michael lost control of his car and crashed heavily into the outside wall. The impact was so bad that the car caught fire and barrel-rolled for ages. It was like something out of the movie ‘Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby’.

Speaking about the incident, Michael told NASCAR, “When you said painful, I knew what you were going to show me. It was my rookie season and second race in the Cup Series and it all went big, real quick. Was very vivid for me, as far as my memory and being kind of in-tune with what was going on. So I can really recall it, step by step. The biggest thing that stuck in my mind is, when the car hooked and went right, I was like, ‘This is going to hurt’. I knew it was going to hurt, just because of how fast I was going and how quick it turned right.”

The Front Row Motorsports driver broke down in the accident

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When the car made the initial impact and barrel-rolled, he wondered when it would end. According to Michael McDowell, the accident seemed to go on for ages. When it landed, the No. 34 Ford Mustang driver was relieved to have landed on all four wheels. At that point, checking to see if the driver had all of his fingers and toes, he figured that he was all right.

In the end, Michael acknowledged that it was a miracle that he got out on his own and walked away. However, the Front Row Motorsports star driver confessed that the accident had a positive impact by ‘putting him on the map’.

WATCH THIS STORY: NASCAR Overlooks Michael McDowell’s Winning Streak Amid Chase Elliott’s Unsuccessful Crucial Moment at Daytona

The good news for No. 34 now is that he finally has something else for people to remember him by. To be precise, the 38-year-old is a Daytona 500 race winner and also won at the Indianapolis road course.