"Real" NASCAR fans swear that they love the sport in spite of the crashes, not because of them. Whatever.

There may be a measure of truth to that lie, but, well, crashes are cool. And really, since Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s death in 2001, NASCAR has made so many advances in safety -- to the point that no one racing at NASCAR's top level has died -- that even fearsome-looking crashes are more nuisance than cause for serious alarm.

No, the possibility of dying can never be eliminated completely, but judging by some of the gruesome wrecks and massive hits we've seen, wrecks and hits that drivers walked away from -- shaken, but definitely alive -- you don't need to feel quite so macabre admitting that crashes are ... cool.

Need proof? Look no further than Michael McDowell's wreck during qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway last year:

NASCAR Crash - Watch more