Ryan Preece has been on the receiving end of two incredibly scary wrecks at Daytona Motor Speedway since 2023.
In the final race of the 2023 regular season, Preece got turned by Erik Jones, forcing him across the track and eventually sending him airborne. His car flipped nearly a dozen times before coming to a stop.
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It was a terrifying crash to witness, but a couple years removed from the moment, Preece has a good attitude about it.
“That was a wild one.” Preece said of the wreck on the Racin’ With the Boys podcast. “I just remember getting hit from behind, and then heading towards the grass, and then everything getting completely silent and that was it. I was along for the ride.”
It sounds like a scene out of a movie, where the audio cuts at the moment of impact to put you right inside the car with the driver. But beyond that, Preece actually had a specific movie in mind.
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“You ever see Talladega Nights, remember Ricky Bobby? He’s just like, ‘Alright, I’m flying through the air. This is not good.’ That’s exactly what was happening in my head.”
Preece added that many Daytona fans remain “pissed” at him, as his flips are the reason there is no longer grass on the backstretch of the track.
A year and a half later, Preece flipped at Daytona again, this time in the first race of the 2025 regular season. While the wreck didn’t look as bad as his previous one, it still was awful to watch, and according to Preece, in some ways more painful.
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“That one actually hurt worse,” he said. “My shoulder didn’t feel great for a solid two months after that. I thought I was going to fly out of the track. When the car took off, all I can see is just the sky. And I know I’m going 200 mph, so I’m thinking I’m going out of the race track.”
Preece has a simple strategy for once he’s realized his car is flipping.
“I close my eyes and I hope for the best, so it happens pretty quick. I feel like if you keep your eyes open, it’s probably going to go a lot slower, but they also say there’s a good chance that your eyes could like, fly out.”
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It’s terrifying, but it’s also a part of the life of a NASCAR driver.
“To most people, if they have an accident in their life, it’s a big deal,” Preece said. “For us, there’s a chance that we can end up wrecking.”
Preece has a good attitude about his wrecks now, but he also has been a strong advocate for ensuring proper safety measures are in place in the wake of the crashes that very easily could have ended in disaster.
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“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,” said Preece after the 2025 crash. “But 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. Very grateful but yeah, that sucks. This thing was fast.”
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