Geoffrey Bodine glad he was in wreck in Daytona truck race.(The Orlando Sentinel)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. _ Geoffrey Bodine says he asked for this.

Believe it or not, Bodine is glad he was the driver of a truck that millions of horrified spectators watched tumble down the frontstretch of Daytona International Speedway in a fury of flames on Feb. 18.

"I prayed for it," Bodine explained in his return to the speedway where many thought they'd watched him lose his life.

He knows it sounds crazy. He knows he's opening himself up to criticism. But Bodine says he's willing to have people believe he's a "quack."

Bodine, a devout Christian, says that following the accident he had a near-death experience in which he communicated with …