Austin Dillon has no reservations about getting back into his No. 3 Sprint Cup car this Saturday after a horrific crash at Daytona two days ago.
He will return to action Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway.
"I think all the drivers … they don't want to get out of their car," Dillon said during a conference call Tuesday morning. "It's what they love to do and be a part of. I love what I do. And if I was shaken, I promise you, I wouldn't be getting in that car next weekend. I'm a pretty honest person when it comes to things, if I'm hurt or don't feel good, I'll pretty much come outright and say I don't. But I feel fine, so why wouldn't I?"
MORE: Spectacular photos of Dillon's crash | Sprint Cup standings | Photos from Daytona
Dillon said on the Today Show Tuesday that he thinks NASCAR might need to reduce speed a bit, but was impressed by and thankful for the quick response of his team and NASCAR officials who ensured his safety following the crash.
Dillon has seen the wreck a number of times from several different angles, including views from the grandstands, where several fans suffered minor injuries. He wasn't sure just how bad it was until he talked to his brother prior to seeing the video.
"He's a tough guy, and to hear him be upset about it and worried about me, it was like, all right, I need to look at this wreck," Dillon said. "And I did, and you can see where a guy watching it from home not knowing how I was and the pit crew kind of running out to the car, it was pretty dramatic right there for 30 seconds, 38 seconds or so."
MORE: Dale Jr.'s in-car audio of Dillon's wreck
During the crash, the cord that transmits in-car audio ripped, so Dillon was worried about his family and team because he couldn't relay a message that he was uninjured.
He could hear them, but they couldn't hear him.
"I was saying 'I'm okay, I'm okay,' but it wasn't going through, and I could hear in their voice how scared they were, and they were saying, 'Talk to me, Buddy, talk to me,' and I couldn't respond to them," Dillon said. "So that was a time for them, I'm sure, it was just painful because they didn't know how good I was."
Dillon is good enough to get back in his car Saturday night for the Quaker State 400.
He thanked NASCAR for safety measures it has implemented that could have prevented serious injury or even death. But he knows at some point, something has to change.
"The way the racing is set up now ... it breeds these kind of wrecks," Dillon said. "It's three‑wide pack racing, and at Daytona it's tighter than Talladega, there's less room. I think if you're at Talladega, this wreck might not happen because it's a little bit wider. But it's just a part of the racing that we're in right now."