McDowell was going into the first turn of his second lap when his No. 00 Toyota got loose, then slammed almost headfirst into the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier. The car ricocheted off the wall and onto its roof, then rolled at least eight times before finally coming to rest at the bottom of the high-banked track.
As he got out of the crumbled car, McDowell waved to the crowd indicating that he was OK.
"I feel great, nothing broke," McDowell said. "I didn't lose consciousness. I felt every roll down the hill."
McDowell said he had "few little bumps and bruises," but was fine other than that.
While McDowell said he didn't know what happened, he said something "didn't quite feel right" on the car when he came out of fourth turn on the first lap.
"For me to walk away from that wreck is unbelievable," McDowell said. "I'm going to count by blessings tonight and thank God for this opportunity to walk away from that wreck."
Car owner Michael Waltrip had some anxious moments waiting for McDowell to get out of the car.
"Just from the time it stopped flipping until we saw Michael come out, it seemed like forever," Waltrip said. "That was an amazing crash."
Qualifying was delayed for more than an hour while track officials made temporary repairs to the wall. After qualifying, a 20-foot section of the SAFER barrier was replaced.
"With the initial hit and everything that happened after, I'm real happy he walked away," said Carl Edwards, who qualified second in a run before McDowell's accident. "I'm surprised he's not hurt in any way. That's a testament to the safety equipment."
