SHERILL'S FORD, N.C. -- A NASCAR star famous for his moves on the track is now in trouble for a crash off of it.

Michael Waltrip is charged with reckless driving and failure to report an accident after a crash on Molly's Backbone Road in Catawba County.

The Highway Patrol says Waltrip was driving about 70 miles per hour in the 55 mile-per-hour zone when he went off the right side of the road in a curve around 1:50 a.m. Saturday. His car then traveled back across the pavement and off the left side of the roadway, sliding sideways and striking a utility pole as it overturned. The car then rolled over and came to a rest on its side.

Troopers said a witness saw Waltrip crawl out of the vehicle and leave the scene. When a trooper went to his home around 2:30 a.m. no one was there, but when he went back at 8 p.m. he found Waltrip, who admitted he'd fallen asleep at the wheel.

Waltrip, with scratches on his face and some deep cuts on his finger, spoke with Eyewitness News about the crash. He said he was on his way home to Sherill's Ford from Charlotte.

"I was almost home. I relaxed a little bit and ran off the road," he explained. "I woke up with gravel hitting the car and I tried to correct but it was too late.

"I had so many emotions when the car came to a stop. I was sad I wrecked. I was embarrassed I wrecked and thankful I wasn't hurt."

The seasoned driver says he instinctively got out of his car, and then decided to walk home because he often runs the route and was only a mile away.

"I hope this is a lesson to kids and adults that you have to be on your game when driving a vehicle," Waltrip said.

Waltrip will be in court in Newton on May 14.

Waltrip has spent significant time raising money for charity. One of his biggest causes is a charity called Give Kids The World, which provides children with life-threatening illnesses an opportunity to visit Florida attractions, like Disney World.