Ryan Preece was one restart away from a shot at NASCAR’s $1 million All-Star Race when a barely visible track marking wiped it all away — and his response left no doubt how he felt.
Preece, driving the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford, surged to second late in the All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway, poised to race his way into the main event.
But NASCAR hit him with a penalty for crossing the “Choose Cone” commitment line — a painted V on the track nearly obscured by rubber from earlier events. The result: he was sent to the back, ending his chances and setting off a dramatic meltdown.
“Ultimately, we had a fast… Ford Mustang,” Preece said in a raw post-race interview. “Sorry, I’m just really, really [expletive] pissed. So, I mean that, at least we could, a rule’s a rule, but… I don’t know.”
The incident became the flashpoint of the night. Preece, visibly furious, marched to pit road, grabbed an orange traffic cone, and slammed it on the inside wall — a silent protest that quickly went viral.
NASCAR responded by repainting the Choose Cone marking before the All-Star Race, but for Preece, the damage was already done.
“You can’t see it,” he explained. “So I just hooked a hard left going across the line, figuring it’s in that area. If you have a situation like that, put a cone out there so we can see it.”
Ryan Preece was not happy about how his bid to make it into the NASCAR All-Star Race came to an end, and he sought to make a physical change to how the choose cone area is marked at #NASCAR tracks. pic.twitter.com/wv4cAgnFsa
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) May 18, 2025
The penalty reignited criticism of NASCAR’s officiating, especially regarding track visibility and rule enforcement. Preece’s crew and fans argued the call was avoidable — and that NASCAR’s reactive fix came too late.
Now 15th in points, Preece leaves Wilkesboro with more questions than answers. But his fire — and frustration — may have just forced NASCAR to take another look at how it draws the lines that define a driver’s fate.
Related: Joey Logano Sends Blunt Message After NASCAR All-Star Caution Costs Him the Win
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