Preece made headlines when he crashed during the Spring race of 2023 at Daytona International Speedway, which prompted NASCAR officials to make changes to the Gen7 car.
Other changes included paving the grassed areas on the inside of the Daytona superspeedway where his car took flight.
Since then, there have been more airborne crashes – and the latest at Daytona has him seriously concerned.
“I don’t know if it’s the diffuser or what that makes these cars like a sheet of plywood when you walk out on a windy day,” he said after the crash.
“When the car took off like that and it got real quiet, all I thought about was my daughter – so I’m lucky to walk away.
“We’re getting really close to someone not being able to. That sucks. This thing was fast. It’s frustrating when you end your day like this.”
Preece pleaded for NASCAR to make changes before a worse outcome occurs.
“I don’t know what the right thing to say right now is, but I think the thing I want to say as a father, as a racer, is we keep beating on a door hoping for a different result and I think we know where there’s a problem at superspeedways,” he added.
“So, I don’t want to be the example of when it finally does get somebody. I don’t want it to be me. I’ve got a two-year-old daughter. Like a lot of us, we have families. Something needs to be done because cars lifting off the ground like that, that felt honestly worse than Daytona in ‘23.”
Christopher Bell goes into the wall. Ryan Preece flips. Wow. pic.twitter.com/T89oxCUJQz
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 17, 2025
Preece was part of a massive pile-up with five laps to go when race leader Christopher Bell spun off the nose of Cole Custer.
Bell slammed into the outside wall before coming back across into the path of Preece.
That contact sent the #60 Ford Mustang into the air and into a wheelie.
The car continued at speed with its nose pointing towards the sky before it eventually flipped onto its side and upside down.
Preece slid up the track and into the wall before landing back on all four wheels.
This view of Ryan Preece’s car flipping. Goodness. pic.twitter.com/o1dFgsUBuz
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 17, 2025
Commentators were left astounded by the crash.
“That’s unbelievable – what it looks like when these cars get caught by the air like that,” said Daytona 500 winner Kevin Harvick.
“I’ve never seen one take off with a wheelie like that, but they just flip around like they don’t weigh 3600 pounds.”
The cars feature a flat floor and diffuser, which was new for the Gen7 era over its predecessor.
Get the latest NASCAR news, stats, and US racing coverage at Speedcafe US
Discussion about this post