As observers, Myatt Snider’s violent crash at the end of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway took only a moment to unfold.
For the man himself, it didn’t feel that way.
“I knew the part where I was going up in the air happened pretty slow,” he recalled Thursday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “But as soon as the car caught the fence, everything happened real fast. That was probably the most violent part of the crash, for sure.”
He would walk away from a No. 31 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet that was almost completely destroyed.
One of the few parts of his race car left intact was the driver’s side door. It included a Bible verse he said he received from Jordan’s father, Clif Anderson, prior to the race.
Myatt’s father, NASCAR on NBC reporter Marty Snider, revealed the verse as Isaiah 40:31 on social media Saturday night. The verse begins: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”
So thankful @MyattSnider is ok. Blessed to have save race cars from @JARnascar @NASCAR @TeamChevy This verse was in Myatt’s car tonight was Isaiah 40:31
— Marty Snider (@heymartysnider) February 20, 2022
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength...” He was certainly watching after Myatt tonight! 🙏🏻
Less than a week after the crash, Myatt Snider certainly believes the Almighty was looking out for him.
“I think that played a big part in keeping me safe,” he said Thursday. “That was a really cool moment and a really cool thing to think about, considering all that happened and considering how safe I stayed throughout all of this. Definitely had a little bit of protection around me.”
But if he had divine protection, he also had the protection of his race car - built with hard-earned lessons from previous wild wrecks at Daytona such as Kyle Larson’s in the 2013 Xfinity race and Austin Dillon’s in the July 2015 Cup race.
It’s a big reason why the only thing bothering him as he prepares to go racing this weekend at Auto Club Speedway is a banged-up foot.
Since Saturday, Myatt Snider not only stayed in contact with NASCAR regarding medical clearance for this weekend, but also telling them what he felt inside the cockpit during the crash.
He hopes his insights will help lead to even safer race cars in the future.
“I talked with them yesterday about what did what in the car, all the accelerations and the G-forces and all that stuff,” he said Thursday. “I feel like they gave me a really in-depth look of everything. They’ve been really on top of everything and they’ve just really helped me out a lot.
”...With the crashes that Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson have had, those guys sort of paved the way for me to have a safer crash than I would have if it had been the previous iteration of the car on Saturday night.
“So, I’m glad that now, I can do my part and pay it forward and help the cars continue to be safer and really make sure everybody’s able to have a safe racing experience and also go out and have fun. I’m definitely willing to help NASCAR in any way I can.”
In the meantime, he’s happy to get back to it at Auto Club Speedway, which fits his preference for high-wear tracks where drivers must hunt for grip.
It’s the second in a run of four completely different tracks to open the season. After this weekend comes the traditional mile-and-a-half at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, followed by the asymmetrical mile at Phoenix Raceway.
"(The stretch) is definitely is a good measuring stick for everything, whether it’s keeping the equipment together, keeping the shop flowing well, (keeping) the chemistry between the driver and crew chief and the team,” he said Thursday.
“Luckily, I think we have all that. Things have been running pretty smoothly here at Jordan Anderson Racing and that gives me a lot of confidence to do my job well. I think we’re going to do really well with these next couple of races and I’m so excited to get out there and play it with the team and play it on the track.”