How Longshot Michael McDowell Pulled the Unthinkable at the 63rd Daytona 500

• Indeed, a 2008 crash in Texas was the defining moment of Michael McDowell’s career until his memorable first Cup Series victory last year.

• McDowell was 0-for-358 in Cup races when he started his 10th Great American Race on Feb. 14, 2021.

• For most of the first 499 miles in last year's Daytona 500, it seemed he was destined to drop to 0-for-359 lifetime.

Mention the name Michael McDowell to most American race fans and the first thing that likely comes to mind is his epic qualifying crash in 2008 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Only later will some fans add, “Oh, yeah… and isn’t he the same guy who won the 2021 Daytona 500?”

Indeed, the crash in Texas was the defining moment of McDowell’s career until his memorable first Cup Series victory last year. Clearly a talented and resourceful driver—although the stats haven’t always reflected it—the Phoenix-area native was virtually unknown until that moment at TMS. And while he remembers every second of it, he says it doesn’t bother him as much as fans might think.

“I don’t take myself too seriously, so I’m okay with people knowing me best for that wreck,” McDowell said late last year. “It’s been—what?—about 13 years and people are still asking me about it. It’s amazing how the brain can put those kinds of things aside so they don’t keep bothering you. It’s just part of the journey we’re all on.

“That wreck isn’t going to go away, but it doesn’t stay with me all the time. But, yes, I’m glad there’s something else that overshadows that crash. I think winning the Daytona 500 is something worth talking about.”

First: The crash that’s been a recurring staple of wreck-themed TV shows for years:

It was April 4, 2008 and McDowell was on his two-lap qualifying run for the Samsung 500. He had debuted the previous weekend with a 26th for Michael Waltrip Racing at Martinsville Speedway, and Texas was only his second career Cup start, his first in the twitchy Car of Tomorrow on an intermediate speedway. He was approaching Turn 1, where track workers had recently spread speedy-dry in response to David Gilliland’s blown motor minutes before.

“I got in the speedy-dry just a little and went high in Turn 1,” he recalled. “The car took a hard right, went almost head-on into the wall, then started barrel-rolling 13 times.” (Other angles show between eight and 1o). I was just holding on, riding it out because there was nothing I could do. It was pretty rough in there.”

FOX-TV commentator Darrell Waltrip—no stranger to scary high-speed accidents himself—could hardly contain his concern.

“Oh, no,” he yelled as McDowell’s car initially dipped left, then snapped around and went up the track, planting its left-front hard into the SAFER barrier. His car ricocheted off the wall and landed on its roof several times before starting to twist and roll and bounce down the track. “Oh, my gosh. I have never seen anything like that,” Waltrip continued. “He hit the wall a ton. It’s incredible how hard that car hit. I can’t hardly even watch it. I haven’t seen a wreck like that anywhere lately.”

Start to finish, the accident took 14 seconds and covered perhaps a quarter-mile from the top of Turn 1 to the apron in Turn 2. What remained of the car finally settled on all fours as a small fire erupted in the engine compartment. After a moment to compose himself, McDowell climbed out, chatted with safety workers, surveyed the damage, and walked to the waiting ambulance, no worse for wear.

“I wiggled my toes a little after it stopped and realized I wasn’t hurt,” he said. “As I was climbing out the biggest thing going through my mind was, ‘Oh, man, I hope I don’t get fired for this.’ You know, being a rookie in only his second Cup start and then wrecking like this. (McDowell and MWR parted ways after that disappointing season).