Michael McDowell: Racing to the Cross
CBN.com It was one of the worst crashes in the history of NASCAR. In 2008 Driver Michael McDowell was blazing his qualifying run at the Texas Motor Speedway when his car spun out of control and smacked into a wall.
CBN Sports Reporter Shawn Brown caught up with Michael in Daytona to talk about the story behind the story.
“I remember, just kind of checking my body, and I was like well, I feel alright,” says Michael. “I just hopped out. And I didn’t have any broken bones, didn’t have any, you know really any side effects from the accident. People look at that wreck and they’re like, wow, look at the safety of the car, look how much has been done in such a short time since Dale Earnhart Sr. died, but I also know that, just like my career, God has that opportunity. He could have either right then and there be okay, this is your last day racing, this is your last day on earth…or I’m just going to make this thing miraculous. And, so I know God’s hand was on that.”
Since 2008, Michael McDowell has made a name for himself as one of NASCAR’s top young drivers. As a rookie in the Nationwide Series, he scored five top 10 finishes and eighteen top 20 finishes. His journey to life on the track began when he was just 10 years old.
“We went go-kart racing in Phoenix and that’s really where I got the bug to really want to be, you know, a race car driver,” says Michael.
Michael dove in to competitive go-kart racing and quickly became a standout. But despite his success, he recalls feeling that something was missing. When he was a teenager a friend invited him to church.
“I heard the pastor speak about forgiveness and about sharing a new life and starting a new day,” remembers Michael. “And I was like, ‘man, that kind of sounds good. I don’t know how to do that, but it sounds good.’ And he talked about not being able to earn it. That there was nothing you could do to earn God’s grace, that it’s a free gift. And all you need to do is accept it. And I was just thinking to myself, ‘man that would be awesome, just start a new day, a new life. Just have your plate wiped clean.’ And God just took a hold of me from that day forward.”
In 2004, Michael married his high school sweetheart and together, he and Jami were ready for Michael’s career to reach new heights.
“I was actually, racing in the Star Series, which is open wheel cars,” recalls Michael, “and I was having a lot of success. I won the championship, won 8 out of 10 races, and you know things were just going great. And my career was skyrocketing. And it continued to do that for the next couple of years, consistently winning races and sort of being that lead guy or in that lead role.”
But when Michael debuted on the NASCAR circuit in 2007 it was a different story.
“When I got to NASCAR,” remembers Michael, “it was an extremely humbling experience because everybody at this level is champions and race winners. And so you’re entering this field of the greatest drivers there are. And so you being good isn’t necessarily meaning that you’re going to be the best in this sport.”
Michael changed teams a few times until he landed with Whitney Motor Sports. It didn’t quite turn out the way he expected because he failed to qualify for five races.
“I go to this new team and I end up missing five races in a row,” says Michael. Five of those I missed in a row after I felt God calling me to this other racing team. And I’m like, okay like I know I didn’t miss the boat. I know that I felt your tug. I know that you’re leading me here. And I’ll never forget this moment. My wife and I were driving in the car. We had our son with us. And I got a call. It was the cup team that I was driving for, Whitney Motor Sports. And they said we’re not going to need you anymore, you know, we don’t need your services anymore. You know, it just didn’t work out. And I was like, oh, that’s funny. I started laughing. Cause like, God said he’s going to provide and I get fired. And I told my wife, I remember thinking that if my ability’s not enough…and I stopped myself right there. And I said, my ability’s is from God. It’s enough. It has to be enough. My ability has to be enough.”
When Michael got home that night he got a phone call from Joe Gibbs Racing.
“Now to give you background, Joe Gibbs Racing, if you’re going to be a NASCAR driver, it’s one of three top places you want to be. If you’re a Christian driver its the only place you want to be,” says Michael. “They said, ‘hey, we’ve got an opportunity, we were wondering if you’d be interested in driving the 18 car in the Nationwide Series when Kyle Bush is not.’ If you’re going to drive and car in the Nationwide Series, the 18 car has won more races in the last two years than any other car out there. Like it doesn’t get any better than this, right? And so, I’m like, wow, this is amazing. I was blown away, you know, because, not because of that phone call, but because God like said I’ll take care of it.”
Michael is currently driving for HP Racing in the sprint cup series and part –time for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series. It’s been three years since his heart-stopping accident. But he says it’s because of his crash that he has a stage to share the love of Christ.
“Its really given me a platform to share Christ in different settings and just through that accident, people might not know who Mike McDowell is from race and from championships, and I hope someday that they do because obviously, you know what drives us in racing is to win races, but I know that God has a bigger plan. It’s not just about my own personal success. But uh, you know, how we think and how we grow the kingdom for Him and bring glory to Him.”
Michael continues, “whether I go out there and win 15 races this year or I go and fall flat on my face, it doesn’t matter. Like it’s still the same God that provided that opportunity. It was just an unbelievable feeling just to know that God cares enough about me personally, that personal relationship with Christ, that he would say look at what I could do and look what I can do.”
