Michael McDowell was in New York all day fulfilling national media obligations to talk about Friday’s terrifying accident during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway. Before departing for the city Sunday night, McDowell handled 500 miles like a pro at the 1.5-mile track. He posted a 33rd place finish in his #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry. “I started out the race sore and in a little pain, but it wasn’t too bad,” McDowell said. “It didn’t take very long until I felt it. I really want to thank my crew for absolutely everything. They did a great job with what they were faced with on Friday. This is only our second race and we are only in the beginning stages. We are just going to keep plugging away to make our cars better at the 1.5-mile tracks.” Following the Samsung 500 Sunday, McDowell departed to Statesville (N.C.) with all of Michael Waltrip Racing’s Cup teams to board Michael Waltrip’s King Air for New York. Because McDowell’s accident garnered national attention, he and his wife were invited to the set of The Today Show for an interview with Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira this morning. Afterwards, McDowell went in studio at MSNBC and Inside Edition. Tomorrow [Tues], he will travel to Burbank, Calif. to be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.(MWR)(4-8-2008)
