The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season kicked off with Daytona’s signature brand of chaos—but for Ryan Preece, the Daytona 500 turned into a near-tragic repeat of his 2023 airborne wreck.
Preece, making his RFK Racing debut, was caught in one of the biggest wrecks of the night, flipping violently with just four laps to go. And this time, he’s not staying silent—he’s demanding change before it’s too late.
“When the car took off like that and it got real quiet, all I thought about was my daughter. I’m lucky to walk away. But we’re getting really close to somebody not being able to.”
Lap 196: The Wreck That Sent Preece Airborne—Again
The disaster unfolded at the front of the pack, when Christopher Bell, leading alongside his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, got a bad push from behind.
- Bell lost control, slammed hard into the outside wall, and ricocheted into the field.
- Preece, running mid-pack, had nowhere to go—his No. 60 Ford was sent flying into the air after heavy contact.
- The car flipped, landed on its roof, and skidded down the banking before flipping back over.
“I don’t know if it’s the diffuser or what that makes these cars like a sheet of plywood when you walk outside on a windy day,” Preece explained.
This wasn’t his first time experiencing such a terrifying wreck—it was eerily similar to his 2023 crash at Daytona, when he barrel-rolled multiple times in the regular-season finale.
A Clear Warning to NASCAR: “Something Needs to Be Done”
After walking away from his second airborne crash at Daytona in less than two years, Preece isn’t just frustrated—he’s genuinely concerned for his life and the safety of his competitors.
“As a father and a racer, we keep beating on a door hoping for a different result, and I think we know where there’s a problem—it’s superspeedways. I don’t want to be the example of when it finally does get somebody.”
His message to NASCAR was loud and clear:
- The current superspeedway package isn’t working.
- The risk of cars going airborne is still far too high.
- If changes aren’t made, the next driver might not be as lucky.
“I’ve got a two-year-old daughter… Something needs to be done. Because cars lifting off the ground like that—it felt, honestly, worse than Daytona in 2023.”
That statement alone should send shockwaves through NASCAR.
If Preece believes this crash was worse than his terrifying 2023 wreck, it raises serious questions about whether NASCAR has done enough to fix the problem.
Will NASCAR Finally Take Action?
Preece’s crash adds to a growing list of superspeedway wrecks that have left drivers and teams demanding change.
- In 2023, NASCAR removed grass from the backstretch after Preece’s Talladega flip—but that didn’t stop airborne wrecks from happening.
- Now, Preece is calling out the sport directly, urging them to take real action before tragedy strikes.
The sanctioning body can’t afford to ignore this warning. If a veteran driver like Preece is openly saying he fears for his life, NASCAR has a responsibility to act.
The question is—will they?
How many more violent flips will it take before NASCAR makes the necessary changes?
One thing is certain: Ryan Preece doesn’t want to be the example of when “it finally does get somebody.”
