Ryan Preece faced a tumultuous season in 2023. The Cup Series driver not only ended his year at a lowly 23rd place, despite driving for a top team, but he also faced a ghastly crash in August at Daytona, sending everybody into shock about his well-being at that moment. Fortunately, the #41 driver came out of that incident with only minor injuries. However, considering the high-impact crash and the overall scary spectacle, NASCAR decided to improve its safety checks.

Before the 2024 season kicks off at full speed at Daytona, officials are working overtime to improve racing conditions. Some new tweaks have been introduced to ensure a seamless racing experience at Daytona this year.

Ryan Preece to inspect revamped Daytona track after violent crash

Every misadventure calls for better preparation and enhanced awareness. That is what NASCAR resolved to do after Ryan Preece came close to a fatal crash. At the 400-mile Coke Zero Sugar 400, Preece and SHR teammate Chase Briscoe bumped on the backstretch. This led to Preece’s car turning left, sliding from asphalt to grass, getting airborne, and rolling about a dozen times mid-air. It finally landed on all four tires and soon caught fire.

In a recently released Fox interview, Preece recalled what had actually escalated his crash. “The rear diffuser kinda certainly makes a, it’s almost like a big piece of plywood…anything you can do to minimize that being exposed at an angle to where… a 180 mile/hr wind can lift the car up and make it do that, it’s probably a good thing.”

NASCAR has taken to its battle stations to prevent this mishap from recurring. They have paved over the grassy area, focusing on the entrance to a backstretch chicane called “the bus stop”. It’s used in the track’s 12-turn, 3.56-mile road-course layout. Moreover, the grass increases the roll rate of the car, as it has less friction than asphalt. Ryan Preece will have a close-up look at the Daytona International Speedway before the qualifying races begin.

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Not much is different in terms of the car make. A week after Preece’s accident, NASCAR narrowed down the options for a window net hatch. It has not changed anything in terms of the roof hatch, although speculation is afoot regarding that.

NASCAR has often been criticized for its limited attention to safety

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Preece’s horrific crash is not the first time NASCAR has been under fire for lackluster safety checks. The Next Gen car debuted in 2022 and was scrutinized soon after. Its rear-impact collisions gave a hard time to drivers. Kurt Busch had a significant concussion during a qualifying crash at the Pocono Raceway. Alex Bowman also suffered a concussion and had to miss five races. Other drivers also complained of possible head trauma caused by routine hits.

These incidents prompted NASCAR to tweak the Next Gen cars before 2023. All actions were directed to limit the G-forces delivered to drivers. Soon enough, no concussions were reported that year.

Ryan Preece is looking forward to facing the Daytona track in high spirits this year. He has no second thoughts about the risks. “I chose this profession for a reason,” he added. “So if I’m afraid to drive a race car and get the max potential I can, then I should probably retire and just quit.”

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