BRISTOL, Tenn. -- A smashed truck the last time he attempted Martinsville Speedway told Michael McDowell all he needed to know about how tough his Sprint Cup debut for Michael Waltrip Racing will be.

On top of that, worrying about staying in the top 35 in the owner standings is the last thing he needs to concern himself with. But on Saturday at Bristol, McDowell said he might be in that position next weekend when he attempts to break into Cup racing in the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville.

"We're just going to keep our fingers crossed that all three cars are in the top 35," McDowell said. "It's not just the 00; it's the 44 and the 55. Hopefully we'll leave here not worrying about that and we'll have all three cars in [the top 35]. I do know that whichever of the cars that is out will most likely be the points that I'm going to get, starting out. One of the things going into it was knowing that if we had to qualify then we needed to be in position to do that. We know how difficult it is and by no means do I feel like it's something that's going to be easy.

"One thing I do feel comfortable about is that I've had some good success in the past with qualifying -- I had nine poles in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and all the other series I've been in, I've been able to qualify pretty well [but] I've never been in a series with this amount of great teams and great drivers."

Heading into Sunday's Food City 500, MWR's No. 00 Toyota, currently being driven by David Reutimann, is in 27th in the owner standings, 60 points clear of 35th. The organization's No. 44 Camry -- which Dale Jarrett will vacate after Sunday -- is 32nd, and Waltrip's No. 55 Toyota is 33rd.

It's already understood that Reutimann, while switching from the 00 to the 44, will remain with crew chief Ryan Pemberton, using the same fleet of cars he's been in. McDowell, however, raised the point of what might be done to enable the team's two fully sponsored cars -- the No. 44 backed by UPS and the No. 55 backed by NAPA -- in guaranteed spots.

"I don't really think it's a Reutimann or Michael Waltrip situation -- I think it's more of a situation where we have great partners in UPS and NAPA and the most important thing is making sure those cars are in the race," McDowell said. "The 00 right now that I am moving into is not fully funded. Therefore, the UPS and the NAPA cars will take priority over the 00."

McDowell's done everything he knows to do, including spending the previous four Cup races this season in the spotters' stand and doing extensive "on-track sessions" at Martinsville via computer simulation, to get ready for his first race in NASCAR's premier division.

All he's waiting on is to see if the MWR Toyota he gets into will be in or out of the top 35 in the Sprint Cup owner standings, which for him will be his critical benchmark for the rest of the season.

"We know that it's a process that's going to take time," McDowell said. "On the same side we all know that you're not going to be able to run in the back for too long before they get rid of you. I know when I get out there I need to get going as quick as possible, but the No. 1 goal is to stay in the top 35 and keep the car in the top 35 -- hopefully we'll go to Martinsville in the top 35."