For a while, Ryan Preece is always going to be known as the driver who survived two high-flying accidents. The first one was back in 2023 at the Daytona International Speedway during the Coke Zero Sugar 400. Meanwhile, his second crash was at the 2025 Daytona 500, arguably less dramatic, but no less scary. On the outside, the crashes were terrifying, but imagine how it must have been, experiencing it firsthand.
So far, the 34-year-old is still chasing his first Cup Series win, but he’s been delivering solid performances for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. Despite two crashes that continue to linger in memory, he remains determined, pushing hard for the best possible finish each weekend.
Recently, Preece appeared on the Dale Jr. Download, where he revisited his crash at the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400. Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked if the #60 driver remembered the details, especially the moment his car spun, slammed into the ground, and tumbled violently through the infield.
Ryan Preece reflects on the frightening experience
Preece told the Dale Jr. Download, “Just happened. It was violent, I would imagine I’ve never been in a tornado, but it was loud and aggressive. I had a lot of black and blue on me that following week. I’m the type of person, when I’m coming to the wall and it’s going to hurt. I’ve have throttles hang, I head into a corner and I close my eyes. Tense up real tight and brace for impact. That’s all you can do, you’re helpless at that point. So for me, as far as the flipping and all that, I’d be lying to you if I said, ‘Yeah man! Tumbling, and all this stuff, I was ready for it to be over, and it was over.’”
What really fueled his recovery was his 2-week-old daughter and his desire to reunite with her. He also explained that he was hesitant to buy a motorhome, owing to the fact that it was expensive. Naturally, the worry was also about his wife watching the race back home. One family member who stuck around at the racetrack was his father, Jeff. Preece acknowledged that as racers, they know that crashes and wrecks are part and parcel of NASCAR.
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA October 12 NASCAR Cup Series 2024: Bank of America ROVAL 400 NASCAR Cup Series driver, RYAN PREECE 41, prepares to practice for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in Concord, NC. LicenseRM 22353824 Copyright: xZoonar.com/GrindstonexMediaxGroup/ASPInc/WalterxGxArcexSrx 22353824
However, something that violent had a massive effect. The 34-year-old reported that the halo by his head got damaged in the accident, but still held up. After he was released from hospital, his father picked him up to drive him back home. Admittedly, he never got a good look at himself, but it was pretty grizzly. Dale Jr. actually joked that he was surprised no one sent a plane for him, and he would have done it.
The RFK Racing driver admitted that some people empathized with him
The #60 driver said that when he reached home, the first thing he did was to hold his daughter. The damage assessment was that the area around his collarbone was black and blue, as well as his hips and thighs. His car wasn’t any better as his then Stewart-Haas Racing #41 car endured a destroyed steering wheel.
He later admitted that in the aftermath of the accident, many people phoned him to relate their own accidents. While he acknowledged that many people could relate, he knew that kind of accident was one of a kind. According to him though, there have been other occasions where he crashed and things were out of his control. Particularly when the throttle hung, and he was just a passenger.
Ryan Preece recalled a scary incident at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Heading into Turn 1, his throttle stuck, sending him hard into the wall. The impact was brutal; there were no SAFER barriers then, just solid concrete. He also mentioned a similar crash at Bronson Speedway, again caused by a hung throttle. Despite these moments, Preece emphasized that racers understand wrecks are part of the sport. You brush it off, fix the car, and get back to racing.
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