NASCAR meets with RFK Racing after Ryan Preece flip in Daytona 500

CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR confirmed they met with RFK Racing to look over Ryan Preece’s car after it went airborne and flipped in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

A spokesperson for NASCAR said officials did a review of the car at the track. Then, they gave the car back to RFK Racing and visited the shop Tuesday to do a “further review.” It’s unclear what the next steps are.

With five laps to go, Cole Custer bumped Christopher Bell into the wall while they were going for the lead on the outside lane. Bell ricocheted into Preece’s car, sending it airborne and into Erik Jones’ car. Preece’s car did a wheelie and tried to come back down before spinning sideways, flipping over, rear-ending the outside wall and coming to rest on the apron in turn three.

Preece was still distraught after being checked and released from the infield care center.

“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,” he said.

Preece said the wreck felt worse than the airborne tumble he took in a similar spot on the Daytona backstretch in 2023. He sent a grave warning to NASCAR saying a day would come where a driver wouldn’t walk away from wrecks like he has had.

The Next Gen/Gen 7 car has been a source of controversy for airborne wrecks, especially late last year. Corey LaJoie went airborne after spinning by himself on the backstretch at Michigan International Speedway. NASCAR instituted a myriad of changes to try and keep the cars on the ground for the next drafting track race at Daytona, a week later.

At Daytona, both Michael McDowell and Josh Berry went airborne in the late stages of the race.

With Preece’s flip, it’s the second consecutive Daytona race with an airborne wreck. Preece ran 11th and had led six laps before the flip Sunday. He finished 32nd.

Next up is Atlanta where Preece finished 16th in the spring and 18th in the fall last year.