“The Brake Pedal Wasn’t There”: Michael McDowell Explains His 2008 Texas Motor Speedway Crash

In 2008, current Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell had a horrific accident during the qualifying race of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway.

The driver was in his rookie Cup Series season with Michael Waltrip Racing and it was his first race at the Texas venus. During the qualifying, he went overboard with his speed at Turn 1, and his car lost control.

Unable to handle the car, he went for the brakes but it was of no use. The car bumped into the sidewall at over 180 miles per hour and flew up in the air. After that, it rolled a couple of times and caught fire before coming to a halt.

The debris was all around Turn 1 and the car was completely destroyed. However, Michael was fortunate and escaped the accident without any major injuries.

He was even able to compete in the race in a backup car and started from the last stop on the grid.

Michael McDowell talks about the incident

In a recent interaction with NASCAR, he talked about the horrific accident, “It was my second Cup race, rookie season, going out for qualifying. I got a little bit high on Turn 1 and got loose.”

He added, “I went to go for the brake pedal but the brake pedal wasn’t there. The brakes were pulled back, so I didn’t know what to do but to hit the gas. So I smashed the gas and that was the wrong choice.

“I should have just rode it out. The car took a hard right and went right into the wall head-on. And then barrelled about 13 times.”

After that, he stated that the incident was so impactful that he can still see it in his mind in slow motion. Finally, he said, “I remember when it landed. It landed on all fours and I kind off wiggled my toes and moved around a little bit.

And realized that I wasn’t hurt and climbed out. The biggest thing that when in my mind was that I hope I don’t get fired”

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