After Mike McDowell’s horrific crash last week in qualifying, I wrote about how crash engineering saved the youngster’s life.

And Friday, Joe Menzer of NASCAR.com posted an excellent in-depth account about crash safety that’s a must-read if you dig the engineering of NASCAR.

If you intend to follow the above link and don’t want me to spoil the ending, stop reading now.

If you’re still reading, Menzer closes his story with a poignancy annecdote and comment from team owner Michael  Waltrip, as well as a telling quote from McDowell.

Wrote Menzer:

“Shortly after McDowell’s wreck, his car owner and fellow driver, Michael Waltrip, took a look at what was left of McDowell’s No. 00 Toyota in the garage and shook his head. Then he carefully went around and began hugging crew members and other employees at Michael Waltrip Racing. He knew that without the SAFER barrier to absorb much of the initial impact of McDowell’s hit, combined with the improved safety features of NASCAR’s new car and all else that was involved, they might have been hugging for different, far sadder reasons.

” ‘You appreciate the effort, not only by your own team but by NASCAR and others,’ Waltrip said. ‘Tony George was instrumental in the creation of the SAFER barrier, for instance. Millions of dollars were spent to try to make a car that is safer. It was through the passion of Brett Bodine and [vice president of competition] Robin Pemberton and the passion that NASCAR has in that car that it happened.

” ‘To make the tracks safer has been costly. But when you see a wreck like that, it sure does make you feel good about what we’ve accomplished.’

” McDowell added: ‘I want to thank everybody at NASCAR who worked hard on making this new car safe and all the tracks that have spent the money and took the time to add the SAFER barriers. Obviously, it was a life saver.’ “

Amen to that, brother.