Paired With Ford’s Dark Horse, Can Ryan Preece Claim Redemption at the Daytona 500 After Last Seasons Near Fatal Wreck?

The 2023 season was nothing but a bad dream for Tony Stewart and Co. with all four of his elite drivers going out without a single win, miserably failing and drowning fans in sorrow. To worsen things, ill fate struck Ryan Preece when he was thrown into the wind, going for a wild toss at Daytona in August last year, violently flipping multiple times until the race car came to a crashing stop with the driver upside down in the mangled wreck.

The bone-chilling crash was, in fact, one of the most vicious ones in recent times, leaving the crowd on their toes, praying for the driver. Fortunately, Preece being groomed by the high speeds of the racing world and courtesy of his unwavering spirit, emerged out of the wreck like a Phoenix bird rising out of the ash.

Preece displayed his hard-as-nails attitude, showing the whole world how tough he was when he returned to the track the very next week at Darlington after being sent for a toss, flipping more than ten times.

Ryan Preece looks for redemption as he gets back to Daytona months after the infamous barrel roll

Calling 2023 a bad dream for SHR would be an understatement. The team was first rattled with a spree of penalties from the organization after NASCAR found illegal parts on Chase Briscoe‘s #14 Ford. It was an early setback for the driver. In fact, while the monetary fine was a burden for the team, the sanctioning body’s decision to flag off valuable points undid Briscoe’s grind till that point, essentially shoving his playoff dream down the drain.

To make matters worse, the four-car team never really found that rhythm. Even the 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick couldn’t save the team’s skin with a much-needed win. On top of that, towards the end of the regular season, its #41 car was completely destroyed and ripped to shreds after it went off the track in a horrible position following a high-speed bump with Erik Jones’ Chevy.

The SHR Ford went airborne after the high-speed mishap sent it tumbling into the grass. The violent crash sent shockwaves across the community with fear gripping the fandom, worried for the driver. However, the tough shell of the Next-Gen car and the driver’s resilience shone brightly.

Following the crash, he was rushed to the nearest medical center, Halifax Health Medical Center, for observation. Looking back at Preece’s response – “No, bullsh*t, I’ll see you at Darlington. I’m sitting right here, I’m completely fine. I feel good and, obviously, I’m ready to get to Darlington” – merely days after the horrendous crash just shows his mindset and after the pre-season exhibition at the Clash, Preece will eye a shot at redemption, winning at the same track where he wrecked out terribly.

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On Sunday, February 4, Ryan Preece will kick off his second season as driver of the #41 United Rentals Ford Mustang for SHR at the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum. The 33-year-old from Berlin, Connecticut also competed in the previous two Clash events held on the purpose-built, quarter-mile, asphalt oval inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where he showcased his short-track prowess each year. In his SHR debut a year ago this weekend, Preece finished fourth in his heat race to put him 16th on the grid for the 150-lap feature race.

Preece made a name for himself in NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour, the oldest faction of the organization, and then slowly climbed the ladder, inch by inch, first to the Xfinity Series and then to the Cup Series grid after he won the Modified title in 2013.

Now as he returns to the 2.5-mile speedway in Daytona, he will certainly look to conquer it once and for all, coming across the line first with flying colors.

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