Harmon walks away after spectacular crash

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Not one for the dramatic, Mike Harmon shrugged off his horrific accident Thursday at Bristol Motor Speedway, saying he was simply glad to be alive after his car was bisected by the Turn 2 wall.

Some 10 minutes into the first practice for Friday's Busch Series Food City 250, Harmon entered Turn 2 when something broke in the right front of his car, sending Harmon hard into an outside wall that doubles as a crossover gate.

	Workers assist Mike Harmon from the wreckage. Credit: Autostock

When closed, the wall is bolstered by six, four-inch by four-inch, 3/8-inch thick metal posts. Said posts were not put in place Thursday, and when Harmon impacted the wall, it gave way.

Hence, Harmon's No. 44 Chevrolet was cut in half by the concrete outside retaining wall. When the smoke cleared, Harmon's car came to rest on the apron in Turn 2.

Meanwhile, his engine and steering column wound up halfway down the back straightaway. The right front clip from his Chevrolet came to rest up the track from Johnny Sauter, who T-boned Harmon as he shot down the track near the entrance of Turn 3.

	Workers and drivers survey the damage. Credit: Autostock

"I got into 4 and something happened to the car, it just went to the right," Harmon said. "I thought it'd be a normal deal. All the sudden, I didn't realize what had happened.

"I knew I was too close to the wall with my body, but didn't realize the car was cut in two until I got out of it. Looking back, I'm glad to have survived this deal."

	Harmon fared better than his No. 44 car after the accident. Credit: Autostock

Amazingly, Harmon walked away with nothing more than a few scratches and some bruising on his right side from the flailing sheet metal. He was taken to the hospital via ambulance, but was quickly released and returned to the track in time to practice his backup car prior to qualifying.

"Looking at the pictures on the Internet, I'm surprised I'm alive," he said. "I thank the good Lord for that. All I can say is, it just wasn't my day."

Michael Waltrip can sympathize. Waltrip was involved in a virtually identical wreck in 1991. Once Harmon exited the car and all in attendance breathed a collective sigh of relief, he and Waltrip shared a good chuckle.

	The No. 2 car suffered damage as well. Credit: Autostock

"We can laugh about it because we lived it, survived it," Waltrip said.

"I told him I was sitting at home watching when it happened to him, and I couldn't believe what I'd seen," Harmon said. "His car is down at Talladega, at the museum. To go by and look at it, you can't believe he lived through it. In a million years, I'd have never thought I'd get in a situation like that."

Harmon, who will start 42nd in Friday night's race after taking a provisional, said little about the gate, and had no reservations about returning to the cockpit.

"I don't really got a comment on that. Human error? I'd rather not say," Harmon said. "Hopefully it was a big, big lesson learned from it, because it would've been terrible if myself or anyone else would have lost their life because of somebody not doing their job.

"We've been through the worst now. Just get back in and go. Been doing it for years."