“I know the guys in the back will dissect that.” These words of reassurance came from NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition, Elton Sawyer. He referred to Ryan Preece’s second Daytona wreck that unfolded in February this year. But the problem is that these crashes have happened many times before, not only to Brad Keselowski’s driver but also to many others. So even though NASCAR’s backend experts came up with solutions, fans are not at all convinced.
A large team in NASCAR examines crashes after they occur. But some prominent names are Dr. John Patalak, Matt Harper, and David Green, who are part of the safety team. Then, Dr. Eric Jacuzzi is part of the aerodynamic fold. Despite the expertise of these people, people found it hard to trust their recent discussions about fixing Preece’s disaster.
Is there any hope to avoid another Ryan Preece incident?
Well, NASCAR executives believe so. However, the past comes back to mind and tells us how many times they have failed. In August 2023, Ryan Preece barrel-rolled in a violent airborne crash that lasted eight seconds. He got bloodshot, swollen eyes and spent a night in the hospital. NASCAR removed a chunk of the infield grass in response. In mid-August 2024, Corey Lajoie spun down the backstretch of the Michigan track and flipped upside down, sliding hundreds of feet on his lid. NASCAR responded by introducing a right-side air deflector. But barely two weeks later, Josh Berry encountered a terrifying wreck in Daytona wherein his car flipped and slammed into the wall.
This year at the Daytona 500, Ryan Preece encountered a spinning Christopher Bell. That sent the RFK Racing driver’s No. 60 into a bizarre wheelie down the backstretch before going completely over at the entrance of Turn 3. Considering the latest debacle, NASCAR’s officials have decided to roll out a solution. Journalist Steven Taranto shared the idea on X: “Dr. Eric Jacuzzi shared on Inside The Race that NASCAR is developing a new flap on the A Post to better keep cars from going airborne. The plan is to have the device ready for Daytona in August, and Jacuzzi says it yielded a 40-50% increase in liftoff speed at 90 degrees.” This is a result of months of testing, and the flap first hit the tracks during a Goodyear tire test in Michigan earlier this month.
NASCAR VP of Performance Dr. Eric Jacuzzi shared on Inside The Race that NASCAR is developing a new flap on the A Post to better keep cars from going airborne. The plan is to have the device ready for Daytona in August, and Jacuzzi says it yielded a 40-50% increase in liftoff… pic.twitter.com/yEKH4COmjF
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) April 24, 2025
Taranto also shared another line of thought that Jacuzzi and other NASCAR operatives are undertaking. However, the prospect does not look so promising. “In the same podcast, Dr. Jacuzzi mentions that NASCAR tried removing parts of the floor (I assume he means the underbody) in CFD testing while studying the Ryan Preece crash to see if it’d change anything and said it didn’t have any affect more than 1-2 mph.” For now, the additional flap’s goal will be to decrease lift in the early part of the spin and ultimately reduce the amount of airborne crashes.
Despite another innovative solution around the block, fans are not satisfied. The community flooded the comments with pessimism.
Fans call NASCAR’s bluff
“When it finally does get somebody, I don’t want it to be me.” Ryan Preece helplessly admitted these words after his second Daytona wreck unfolded this year. Brad Keselowski‘s driver confessed that despite the lower impact, the second time felt worse in his No. 60 RFK Racing Ford. That should be a clear pointer for worry among fans despite NASCAR’s attempts to appease them. One fan pointed out the repeated failures that the sport encountered, calling out Dr. Jacuzzi: “Worth mentioning that nothing dr jacuzzi has ever done in CFD has worked the way he claims it would in real life.”
The Next-Gen car, since its debut in 2022, has been a hot spot for controversy. During the first year of its operation, we saw several wrecks. Ranging from Kurt Busch‘s career-derailing concussion to Denny Hamlin’s back injury, the car was the cause of many issues. So, one fan pointed out that Dr. Jacuzzi’s points may have been too narrow about improving safety. “Instead of preventing the flips, which is basically impossible, why don’t we instead just try and make the cars as safe as possible for when it inevitably happens?”
Somebody else harped on the same point, emphasizing that keeping the car totally on the ground may not be feasible. “During the interview he said the only thing that could’ve kept a car on the ground in that type of scenario is if the hood was somehow able to pop up like a roof flap does, which is pretty much impractical.”
Another fan commented on Dr. Eric Jacuzzi’s second line of thought. It involved a theory that maybe the car lifted off the ground because it was lighter. Somebody cracked a joke about how another NASCAR journalist would soon give an update about another pointless solution. “Adam Stern reports that all drivers are now forced to carry an entire circus in their race vehicles following the “cheap labor operating with neglect” car mandate.” Somebody dropped a hilarious tag for the NASCAR official, delivering a harsh jab at his theories. It summed up the fan’s sarcastic acceptance: “Ok Dr Hot Tub.”
Clearly, the community is not confident about Ryan Preece and his peers’ safety. Only time will tell if NASCAR’s proposed solutions will work or not.
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