Ryan Preece Confesses Feeling ‘Almost Dead’ With Eerie 4 Worded Revelation After Spine Chilling Accident

“I don’t want to be the example. When it finally does get somebody, I don’t want it to be me.” These were the words of Ryan Preece after he miraculously escaped another bone-chilling crash at the Daytona 500. The No. 60 Ford Mustang was caught up in the inevitable “Big One” during the Daytona 500 race on Sunday. Unlike his previous major crash at the racetrack, this time around his car launched in the air on two-wheel, almost as if it was doing a wheelie.

What followed next was a violent flip and hard hits as the car crashed into the outside wall. From the outside looking in, this crash wasn’t violent when compared to the 2023 incident. But if we are to go by Preece’s words, he’d rather have swollen eyes than the feeling of being stranded for his life in his race car during a major accident.

Ryan Preece’s honest feelings on the worst side

Reflecting on the past situation and comparing it with the recent one In a recent interview on the Racing America podcast, Chris Childers asked Ryan Preece, “I remember not too long ago, you had a similar ride, and you had a couple of black eyes. You look pretty beat up. You don’t look that way right now. So how do you feel?” Back in 2023, his car flipped over several times on the greenish patch of the track before coming to a standstill. Fortunately, carried him to the hospital after the accident. Even though it was a serious accident, even after that he proved himself as he recovered and started racing again, showcasing his tough racing spirit. But as it turns out this year’s crash at Daytona was more threatening and egregious compared to the one back in 2023.

“I honestly, I thought this one was worse, believe it or not. And optically, I don’t look like I was in the movie The Exorcist, this time like I did last time, but I will say it was violent. It was, it was really violent and, you know, when the car left the ground, it got really, really quiet. And I honestly thought I was going over the fence. Because in the race car, all you know is the last point, you were going a hundred 80 or a hundred 90 miles an hour, and then you took flight. And at that point, it was like, I knew the car was off the ground. Actually, if you watch the video, you see me hit the brakes, like, no. I wanna get off this ride. You can have my ticket. I don’t want this. I wanna get off.”

This terrific incident occurred on the backstretch with just five laps remaining, as part of a multi-car wreck initiated when Christopher Bell lost control of his car and got spun. Erik Jones’ vehicle struck Preece’s car, sending it airborne, flipping it over, and sliding it before it forcefully hit the outside wall. During this heart-wrenching moment, everything went silent, as he feared going over the fence. Moreover, Ryan Preece, this reaction is very much justifying as he escaped something really fatal.  

Race cars flipping and crashing is nothing new to NASCAR racing. But, given the streak of horrifying incidents especially on drafting tracks, it seems like the sanctioning body will have to address the root cause of this brewing issue. And which is the infamous superspeedway package.

Trending

1

NASCAR Star Drops Life-Changing Announcement as Racing Community Melts Over Welcome Surprise

2

3x Daytona 500 Champ Left in Tears Accompanying Tony Stewart’s Rival Into the Motorsport Hall of Fame

3

Richard Petty’s Son Betrays the King’s NASCAR Legacy With Humble Dale Earnhardt Claim

4

Kyle Larson Uncovers Welcome $18 Million Surprise Amidst NASCAR’s Michael Jordan Lawsuit Tussle

5

Kyle Busch Bags Another Deal as $700M Partner Extends More Lifeline After Iconic Sponsor’s Exit

Does NASCAR need to change their superspeedway package?

“When the car took off like that, it got real quiet and all I thought about was my daughter.” Initial reaction of Preece that he shared in an interview with NASCARONFOX. The reason is very clear, Ryan Preece felt more scared as his car was in the air. Where he could’ve lost control and didn’t know what would happen next, making it extremely frightening. Moreover, while not directly comparable, the historical Dale Earnhardt’s fatal crash in 2001 highlights how critical safety is on high-speed tracks.

The Next-Gen car’s design, particularly its flat underwing and diffuser, has drawn criticism for contributing to these flips. Ryan Preece stated, “As a father, as a racer, we keep beating on a door hoping for a different result and we know where there’s a problem: at superspeedways, I don’t want to be the example. When it finally does get somebody, I don’t want it to be me. I got a 2-year-old daughter, just like a lot of us; we’ve got families. Something needs to be done because cars lifting off the ground like that.” highlighting concerns over repeated safety issues despite modifications like adding shark fins or flaps. 

Even the flip of Corey LaJoie at Michigan in 2024 mandated NASCAR additional safety features like the inclusion of a second shark fin on the right side of the rear window to increase lift-off speeds reportedly by 20%. Still, subsequent races saw cars going airborne. These incidents are not just limited to Daytona. Harrison Burton flipped in the 2022 Daytona 500, while Brad Keselowski experienced a similar fate at Talladega later that year. Josh Berry was also affected during the 2024 Daytona event when his car went completely over before slamming into the inside wall. 

However, reflecting on Preece’s situation, Jeff Gordon explained, “It’s always been that balance between entertainment and luck of the draw or whatever you want to call it,” Gordon said. “There’s a safety aspect of it, too, because the cars continue to be bumper cars at 200 miles-per-hour, then you’re going to have a lot of wrecks.” He continued further, “The cars have gotten much safer, as well. For (Preece), what is that, two years in a row or was it two years ago that he had that other incident? Of course he’s going to be vocal about that. You never want to get airborne in a car once let alone what he’s been through.”

Apart from safety, the prestige of the Daytona 500 race has also come under question. Is NASCAR okay with drivers whipping each other out on the final lap all thanks to the modern-era drafting style of racing on superspeedway? With the drag and fuel saving playing a major role, the inevitable “Big One” is almost expected at the end of the stage or the race. There has been a demand for more engine power to create disparity among the field, but that would go against NASCAR’s model of parity racing. So, it remains to be seen how the sanctioning body tackles this issue regarding the superspeedway package.