You always wondered if NASCAR drivers could turn right. Well, they can, but only once. The twisted remains of the vehicle you see here belonged to Michael McDowell, who rubbed the wall the wrong way (too hard, and straight on) in qualifying for this week's Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. But not only did McDowell walk away from that crazy crash, that corporate sponsor couldn't be in better spirits. But was this crash foretold in a press release?
The Orlando Sentinel's Nuts & Bolts blog finds a media release it received before the race about pesticide for fire ants and how it'll help the drivers in Texas this week. The ominous part:
So what drivers have ants in their pants this weekend and what drivers are trying to avoid getting stung?
...
• Michael McDowell - According to several veteran drivers, McDowell needs to curb his "ants in his pants" style of driving. If not, he could find his car wadded up in a mound after a "racing incident"
The evidence is clear. McDowell's fiery demise was the direct result of fire ant. Nightmare fire ants.
Oh, and the video, via PaddockTalk:
Press Release Forecasts Fiery Crash? [NASCAR Nuts & Bolts]