'Mr. Burton,' McDowell chat after M'ville mends tension (cont'd)

McDowell realizes that his situation is somewhat unique. His career path began with go-kart, formula open-wheel machines and sports cars -- and his transition to NASCAR has only been under way since the end of the 2006 season, when he ran a handful of ARCA events.

He took over the No. 00 Toyota ride for the first time last weekend when David Reutimann replaced the retiring Dale Jarrett in the No. 44.

"I'm kind of like the new kid that comes into school in mid-season, so it's tough to make friends," McDowell said. "I lean on Michael, obviously a lot. David Reutimann is a great mentor because he was in this position last year. It is tough, because I don't have that Nationwide experience, that Truck experience to build upon. And I'm sure a lot of these guys have never heard of me at all. It's tough to go and build relationships, but it's something I'm working on."

Martinsville was a learning experience in many ways for McDowell, who was competitive all day -- and was in line for the free pass when he and Jamie McMurray made contact late in the race. The resulting spin cost McDowell two laps and a top-20 finish.

"It's hard to get out of the way on a short track, especially when we were running 18th, the first car a lap down," McDowell said. "I kind of felt like we got beat up this week and maybe we were deserving of that, but I don't think it takes away from how well we ran all day. Definitely I'll live and learn, and try to get on their good side and make as many friends as I can.

"I didn't leave there saying, 'Well, screw that guy. I don't care.' I do care. I want to be here for a long time and I have a lot of respect for all these guys. You have to earn your respect, and last weekend I didn't. But I'm going to do my best to get that back."

McDowell destroyed his primary car in qualifying, flipping at least eight times after losing control (watch video | read more). But he walked away from the accident and expects to continue the learning process in Sunday's Samsung 500, which includes being a considerate driver.

"Obviously, we're not a position now where we can afford to make anybody upset," McDowell said. "We'll go out there and be smart. But I think we have a good racecar. I'd love to stay on the lead lap. That's a big accomplishment here in this series. We know there's going to be a lot of green-flag runs. We need to get a top-25, top-20 to make sure we keep the points going solidly."