Ryan Preece hopes for an answer to airborne wrecks “ahead of later”

As a part of an extended, unique interview with RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece, Motorsport.com needed to get his ideas on the ever-present menace of airborne accidents in NASCAR. Sadly, he has some first-hand expertise with that, particularly with the present era of automobile.

Preece barrel-rolled in a terrifying accident at Daytona in 2023 in a violent airborne crash that lasted eight seconds. Regardless of struggling some bloodshot eyes, he was capable of stroll away from the wreckage. NASCAR and Daytona reacted shortly, eradicating grass from the backstretch on the famed speedway as they believed it performed a job within the severity of the incident.

Sadly, it occurred to Preece as soon as once more late within the 2025 Daytona 500. Whereas working in the midst of the pack, he was unable to keep away from a spinning Christopher Bell, who all of a sudden crossed his path. The affect despatched Preece’s automobile upwards, performing a weird wheelie down the backstretch earlier than going fully over on the entrance of Flip 3.

We determined to not ask Preece about what it is prefer to go up and over as it is a query he is sadly needed to reply loads previously. “If I had a greenback for each time I have been requested that, I might retire,” he smiled.

We had been extra enthusiastic about listening to his ideas about what NASCAR might or must be doing to assist counter such incidents. Whereas the sanctioning physique applied some adjustments through the 2024 season, no additional updates have been made between February’s Daytona 500 and this weekend’s race at Talladega the place Preece’s No. 60 Ford might be carrying Celsius colours for the primary time this yr.

What is the resolution?

“I’m not too positive,” mentioned Preece when requested about what might be carried out. “I’m not within the wind tunnel, I’m not an aeronautical engineer, I am not someone who research CFD (Computational fluid dynamics) for all these conditions, however I’ve lived by means of it twice.

“I’m positive with time, we’re going to discover a resolution that everyone is pleased with. I don’t essentially know what that resolution is. I simply hope that it’s ahead of later. As an individual, as a racer, as somebody that respects the opposite drivers I’m racing in opposition to in addition to the automobile homeowners, I don’t wish to see anyone get damage or something of that nature.”

Ryan Preece, RFK Racing Ford

Picture by: James Gilbert / Getty Photographs

Preece continued, saying, “I perceive the dangers. All of us perceive the dangers. For those who make a foul choice, there’s repercussions, however there’s additionally — once you’re in these kinds of conditions the place you’re nearly helpless, even based mostly off of a call that you just did not essentially make, you don’t wish to see that. Racing is harmful and I really feel like lots of followers say that and it is easy to say, however I feel all of us must keep in mind that there’s an individual inside that race automobile so that you don’t wish to see them get damage due to a scenario someone else made.”

You possibly can learn the remainder of Motorsport.com’s unique interview on Friday the place Preece discusses his robust begin with RFK, moments of doubt in his profession, expectations for Talladega, and his distinctive mindset as he chases his first profession NASCAR Cup Sequence victory.