Michael McDowell walked away from NASCAR crash

On April 4, 2008 during a qualifying race at the Texas Motor Speedway, Michael McDowell crashed nearly head-on into the wall at about 165 miles per hour. The crash resulted in his car flipping over 8 times before coming to a stop. McDowell amazingly walked away from the crash without injury.

The car was severely damaged in the crash, yet the driver compartment remained fairly intact, protecting McDowell from serious injury (or even death). I had no idea that NASCAR cars were built to such insane standards. I wonder if any of these safety mechanics are making their way into consumer cars.

DID YOU KNOW: The wall that surrounds a NASCAR race is called a SAFER barrier. SAFER stands for Steel and Foam Energy Reduction and it is actually made of a soft technology that spreads the impact of a crash throughout the wall so that the car does not bounce back onto the track after a crash. Cool!