For Ryan Preece, the 2025 Daytona 500 ended in another brutal, airborne crash—his second in less than two years at NASCAR’s most unpredictable battleground.
The No. 60 RFK Racing driver was caught in a high-speed, multi-car wreck with just five laps to go, resulting in one of the most violent flips of the night. And while Preece miraculously walked away, his post-race comments sent a chilling warning to NASCAR:
“I’m lucky to walk away, but we’re getting really close to somebody not being able to.”
How Preece’s Wreck Unfolded
The chaos erupted at the front of the field when Christopher Bell—leading the outside lane—was turned into the wall after contact from Cole Custer.
As the field stormed past, Preece, running around 12th, had nowhere to go.
- The impact sent Preece’s car nose-first into the air.
- He never landed on all four wheels. Instead, the car flipped over, landed on its roof, and slid up the banking before tumbling back over.
- In seconds, another Daytona 500 had delivered another horrifying airborne wreck.
“I don’t know if it’s the diffuser or what that makes these cars like a sheet of plywood when you walk out on a windy day,” Preece said.
A Disturbing Trend: Preece’s Second Daytona Flip in Two Years
If this crash felt eerily familiar, it’s because Preece suffered another horrifying airborne wreck at Daytona in 2023.
- Summer 2023: Preece was spun from the middle of the pack on the backstretch.
- His Ford Mustang violently rolled through the grass multiple times before finally coming to a stop.
- NASCAR responded by removing all grass from the backstretch in hopes of preventing another similar wreck.
Yet here we are again in 2025—Preece’s Daytona demons returned, proving that safety concerns at superspeedways remain as urgent as ever.
“It’s frustrating when you end your day like this.”
Preece’s No. 60 Ford Mustang was ultimately credited with a 32nd-place finish, a cruel ending for a car fast enough to lead six laps before disaster struck.
How Close Is Too Close? NASCAR’s Safety Debate Heats Up
Preece’s latest frightening crash raises serious questions about how much more NASCAR can do to prevent airborne accidents at superspeedways.
His words serve as a stark warning:
“All I thought about was my daughter.”
“We’re getting really close to somebody not being able to [walk away].”
With cars still going airborne despite NASCAR’s safety tweaks, could we see more drastic changes to the Next-Gen car’s aerodynamics and rear diffuser design?
One thing is certain—after another harrowing Daytona wreck, NASCAR can’t afford to ignore Preece’s warning.
The sport has made tremendous strides in safety, but as Ryan Preece’s terrifying flips remind us, Daytona still demands respect.
The question remains—how much longer before luck runs out?