How much safer can NASCAR get before the laws of physics take over? Despite reinforced catch fences and the Next Gen cars’ advancements, high-speed superspeedway racing continues to test safety limits. Ryan Preece faced that brutal reality at the 2025 Daytona 500 when his car went airborne in a violent crash, eerily similar to Austin Dillon’s 2015 wreck.

On lap 196, Christopher Bell made contact, sending Preece spiraling into the air. The car flipped violently, slamming onto the track as chaos unfolded. In those tense moments, he lost all sense of direction and feared he might clear the fence. “It got real quiet, and that’s when I knew it was not good,” he recalled. Though he walked away unscathed, the wreck proved one thing—no matter how much NASCAR improves safety, Daytona’s unforgiving speeds will always put drivers at risk.

A Terrifying Moment of Silence: When Preece Feared the Worst at Daytona

Ryan Preece relived the terrifying crash on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, recalling the eerie silence that signaled he had gone airborne. As the chaos unfolded, he instinctively tensed up, bracing for impact while hoping he wouldn’t clear the catch fence. The uncertainty of where he would land only heightened his fear, making those few seconds feel like an eternity. “It all happened fast and to be honest with you this one felt a little bit different than the last one. This one when it went airborne, and the only reason I knew it was airborne at the time was because when chaos like that happens, at least I intense up and close my eyes because at that point you’re along for the ride, and ‘It got real quiet and that’s when I knew that it was not good,” Preece said. 

Ryan Preece’s world flipped upside down in a heartbeat during the 2025 Daytona 500. The roar of the race vanished, replaced by an eerie silence as his car launched into the air. In that chilling moment, he realized he was airborne. Instinct took over—he clenched his eyes shut and braced for impact, unsure where or how he would land. He had felt this terror before. In 2023, he flipped violently at Daytona, tumbling end over end in a wreck that pushed NASCAR’s safety measures to the limit. He walked away, but the dangers of superspeedway racing never disappeared. This crash felt different—more unpredictable, more unsettling. Once again, he was helpless against the forces of speed and gravity, trapped in a high-speed nightmare that every driver fears.

Recalling the terrifying experience, Preece described the crash from his own perspective.“When I opened my eyes all I saw was the sky and I didn’t know where I was heading up to or where I was gonna land or how high I possibly was. For me it was just like ‘Man, I hope I do not clear the fence’ That was the first thought in my head, and when I flipped over and it was sliding on the ground and there was just a lot going on. For me like I said the thought was ‘I hope I didn’t clear the fence’ and I was still inbound and on top of that it was like hopefully it comes to a stop at some point and yeah those 7 seconds or whatever it ultimately felt like 30 seconds,” he said.

As Ryan Preece tumbled through the air, time warped around him—seven seconds felt like an eternity. The helplessness of not knowing where he would land gripped him, each moment stretching with the weight of fear. In those seconds, he wasn’t just a driver; he was a passenger, bracing for a crash he couldn’t control. But, the safety equipment at least did what it had to do, and these were the words of a veteran.

Preece’s nightmare unfolded in slow motion. When he opened his eyes to get a sense of direction but got lost in the chaos of his airborne car. The fear was real, and history had proven why. Austin Dillon experienced it first-hand. In 2015, his No. 3 car launched into the catch fence at Daytona. The impact shredded the barrier and sent debris flying into the stands. His car was destroyed, leaving fans and crews in shock. Miraculously, he climbed out, shaken but alive. Preece felt that history pressing down on him. Luckily, he was still in bounds. The fence remained untouched.

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When Spectacle Turns to Disaster- A Chilling Reminder from Talladega 2009

In the final moments of the 2009 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega, Carl Edwards fought for the win, pushing hard alongside Brad Keselowski. But in an instant, everything changed. Keselowski made contact with Edwards’ car, sending it spinning backward at high speed. The car lifted off the ground, turning into a missile hurtling toward the catch fence. Then, Ryan Newman’s car struck Edwards in midair, launching him straight into the barrier. Metal twisted, debris scattered, and the force of the impact sent some of it flying into the stands. (Experience it yourself or refresh your memories.)

Fans screamed as shrapnel tore through the fencing, injuring seven spectators, one severely. Chaos erupted, but Edwards, incredibly, climbed out of his mangled car unharmed. In a surreal moment, he sprinted across the finish line on foot, a scene straight out of ‘Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby’. This crash wasn’t just another wreck—it was a wake-up call. It exposed the terrifying risks of superspeedway racing and the razor-thin line between spectacle and disaster. “Hopefully, they can do something to change this style of racing, I guess we’ll keep doing this until somebody gets killed and then we’ll change it,” Edwards said.

Keselowski secured his first NASCAR Cup Series victory despite the violent crash. Earnhardt Jr. followed closely, finishing second. Meanwhile, chaos unfolded behind them. Newman’s car skidded across the track, flames consuming it as debris scattered. It finally came to a stop, battered and smoking. Miraculously, both Edwards and Newman climbed out unharmed. “We slowed them down and did all of these things with the plates and roof flaps and stuff like that to keep cars on the ground and keep them under a certain speed that we felt was the right speed to keep cars from getting airborne. What I saw today was crazy, I don’t think it’s right unless you’re a driver, because the media and the networks and everybody have been celebrating this stuff for years. Racing like this is not a whole lot of fun,“ Earnhardt Jr. said.