Ryan Preece hopes for a solution to airborne wrecks "sooner than later"

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As part of a longer, exclusive interview with RFK Racing's Ryan Preece, Motorsport.com wanted to get his thoughts on the ever-present threat of airborne accidents in NASCAR. Unfortunately, he has some first-hand experience with that, especially with the current generation of car.

Preece barrel-rolled in a terrifying accident at Daytona in 2023 in a violent airborne crash that lasted eight seconds. Despite suffering some bloodshot eyes, he was able to walk away from the wreckage. NASCAR and Daytona reacted quickly, removing grass from the backstretch at the famed speedway as they believed it played a role in the severity of the incident.

Unfortunately, it happened to Preece once again late in the 2025 Daytona 500. While running in the middle of the pack, he was unable to avoid a spinning Christopher Bell, who suddenly crossed his path. The impact sent Preece's car upwards, performing a bizarre wheelie down the backstretch before going completely over at the entrance of Turn 3.

Preece

Preece James Gilbert / Getty Images

James Gilbert / Getty Images

Preece continued, saying, "I understand the risks. We all understand the risks. If you make a bad decision, there’s repercussions, but there’s also — when you’re in those types of situations where you’re almost helpless, even based off of a decision that you didn't necessarily make, you don’t want to see that. Racing is dangerous and I feel like a lot of fans say that and it's easy to say, but I think we all need to remember that there’s a person inside that race car so you don’t want to see them get hurt because of a situation somebody else made."

You can see the read of the rest of Motorsport.com's exclusive interview on Friday where Preece discusses his strong start with RFK, moments of doubt in his career, expectations for Talladega, and his unique mindset as he chases his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory. 

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