Ryan Preece is becoming quite used to flying down the backstretch at Daytona International Speedway.
After taking a terrifying tumble at Daytona in August of 2023, Preece flipped at the “World Center of Racing” again in Sunday’s Daytona 500 in a big crash on lap 196.
Preece was unharmed and walked away from the crash and gave an emotionally striking interview after being released from the infield care center.
“I don’t know if it’s the diffuser or what that makes this car like a sheet of plywood when you walk outside on a windy day,” Preece told Fox Sports. “When the car took off and it got real quiet, all I thought about was my daughter. I was lucky to walk away, but we’re getting real close to somebody not being able to.
“It’s frustrating when you end your day like this.”
Preece finished 32nd on a day where he and the No. 60 team led six laps. Preece’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse was fast throughout Speedweeks, but unfortunately, the chaos of Daytona didn’t allow him a chance to win the Daytona 500.
Preece’s flip will undoubtedly spark conversations regarding the Next-Gen car and its frequency of blowovers. In two consecutive races — Michigan and Daytona, respectively — in 2024, the Cup Series saw multiple blowovers. Corey LaJoie went for a wild ride at Michigan on Aug. 19, while Josh Berry and Michael McDowell both flipped upside down at Daytona on Aug. 24.
In fact, the first official Cup Series points race with the Next-Gen car, the 2022 Daytona 500, saw Harrison Burton’s No. 21 blow over on the backstretch in an early crash.
Blowovers and airborne crashes have always happened in NASCAR, but their increased frequency since the advent of the Next-Gen car should be a cause for concern.
