At this point, one has to wonder if Ryan Preece really hates superspeedways or just Daytona. In the last three years, the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver has been involved in two airborne crashes. The first flip was when he was with the erstwhile Stewart-Haas Racing in 2023, and the second was with the Brad Keselowski-owned RFK Racing in 2025. Incidentally, both of those almighty crashes happened at the Daytona International Speedway, and this weekend is at Talladega.

Granted, none of his aerial acrobatics have happened at the Talladega Superspeedway, but stranger things have happened. In light of the two wrecks, as well as others, NASCAR has been trying to combat the issue. However, team owner Brad Keselowski thought that it was not enough for the sport to alleviate the matter. To be honest, nothing can stop a car from crashing, but the main priority is to protect the driver and the people around them.

That being said, NASCAR is obligated to prevent a fatality on the race track. After all, no one would want another situation like Dale Earnhardt in 2001, popping up again. However, all of this is easier said than done, and Preece’s two unexpected flights are proof of that. So what is the solution to all of this and will the drivers be involved?

Keselowski told Kelly Crandall, “RFK was part of the test at Michigan probably three or four weeks ago, where we explored different options to help the cars at tracks at very high speed and Michigan is very speed. The options, unfortunately, didn’t pan out that NASCAR had worked to develop, so it wasn’t a surprise that there weren’t any changes. I knew there was effort being put into it and, candidly, not everything you try is gonna work, but I appreciate that there was effort put into it and I think there’s very much a back to the drawing board mentality. I don’t feel like it’s not being worked on, but we’re not gonna skip the race just because we haven’t figured something out, so the show goes on.”

Michigan was the perfect place to test because it was also a superspeedway. In other words, the conditions are similar to Daytona and Talladega, so it is ideal to test whatever tweaks that NASCAR had in store. Sadly, Brad Keselowski admitted that the ideas that NASCAR had, were not working out at all. Owing to that, the sport will need to start from scratch, if they want to have any hope of preventing more issues.

It seems NASCAR has heard Preece’s plea. At the time, he said, “I don’t want to be the example. I don’t want it to be me.” After all, the driver has a daughter and another baby due in the next few months. Safety needs to be paramount.

That being said, the #6 driver insisted that they would not avoid the race for fear of safety. Instead, his aim is for Preece to go out onto the track and try his best to survive the race. Of course, the #60 driver himself is hoping that NASCAR finds a solution, and quickly. Otherwise he couldn’t really stomach the idea of experiencing a third career flip, nor the same fate happening to someone else.

In the meantime, Keselowski has problems of his own to deal with.

Keselowski is in a do-or-die situation heading into Talladega

When you have someone like Keselowski, a Cup Series champion, driving your car, chances are you’re not really worried about a string of poor performances. However, for RFK, Keselowski’s streak has become something of a problem. In the opening nine races this season, he has only two top-15 finishes and none in the top 10.

But is Keselowski worried? Let’s hear from the driver himself. “I’m not panicking yet. It’s been bad, no doubt about it, but I’m giving it until Nashville for him and Bullins to figure it out. If they don’t by then, I will panic. This championship system is wild because he could win at Dega this weekend and be a legit contender for the championship again. It’s definitely not my best start. We’ve shown glimpses. But all those pieces—pit road, mechanics, engineers—they’ve got to come together.” 

A comeback is not completely out of the picture. Back in 2014, he faced a similar situation as NASCAR rolled into Talladega for the GEICO 500, and Keselowski kept his title hopes alive with a win. Can he do the same this year? Speaking about the upcoming race, he said, “It’s a really unique environment… You’re driving at 190-plus miles an hour, with poor reference points. The days I feel the worst about are the ones where we don’t crash and finish outside the top 10. Those are the real losses.”