Michael McDowell told his story to Geraldo. He repeated it to Matt and Meredith on the "Today" show. And again to "Inside Edition."
Today, he and his wife are scheduled to be on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
This whirlwind NASCAR-publicity tour is parading the sport in front of those who might not normally watch it and is touting the sport's safety standards. The guide is the 23-year-old with the telegenic smile and witty charm who survived last week's harrowing crash at Texas.
"Let's face it: Before Dale Earnhardt's death, that one right there may have killed him," said Clint Bowyer, noting the safety changes in the sport since Earnhardt's fatal crash at Daytona in 2001.
McDowell, who made his Cup debut last month at Martinsville, hit the wall head-on last week during qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway and rolled eight times. He walked away.
"This was a good example of everything working together," said Tom Gideon, a safety expert for General Motors who has helped revolutionize safety changes since Earnhardt's crash. This isn't the end of safety for NASCAR.
"There's always something to be learned on it, whether it's a better way to do things or not," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. "You never stop (learning). There's always new issues."
The SAFER barrier helped cushion McDowell's impact instead of slamming into a concrete wall. The new car, designed with additional safety precautions, protected McDowell.
The HANS device kept his head and neck from jerking too far forward and causing serious injuries.
A stronger seat kept him from bouncing around as the car rolled. A better seat belt system kept him secure.
Those were all changes in the sport since Earnhardt's accident.
"Ten years ago, you didn't have anything... by today's standards," Pemberton said.
McDowell's crash is one of the biggest hits absorbed by the new car style, which debuted on shorter tracks last season and is to be used in all races in 2008. Jeff Gordon was uninjured in a fierce hit into a concrete wall along the backstretch at Las Vegas earlier this season, leading Gordon and others to question why not all walls have SAFER barriers.
Mayfield out of work
Haas CNC Racing announced that Jeremy Mayfield is no longer driver of the No. 70 car. Johnny Sauter, who was with the team last year before losing his ride, is scheduled to drive the car at Phoenix this weekend.
Sauter is not guaranteed a starting spot because Mayfield fell out of the top 35 in car owner points after last weekend's race at Texas. Mayfield, who joined the team in October, did not finish better than 16th in 11 races with the team.
Newman penalized 25 points
NASCAR docked Ryan Newman 25 points, dropping him from eighth to 10th in the points after his car failed post-race inspection at Texas. Newman finished fourth, but the right rear quarterpanel was found to be too high.
NASCAR also penalized Roger Penske 25 car owner points and fined crew chief Roy McCauley $25,000, along with putting him on probation until Dec. 31.
Petty gets new crew chief
Petty Enterprises announced that Kyle Petty's crew chief, Billy Wilburn, will oversee the test team.
Stewart Cooper, who had been in the Nationwide series, becomes Petty's new crew chief. The move comes after the team failed to qualify for its past two races with two different drivers.