"It's hard to argue with him": Insider backs Ryan Preece’s frustration with NASCAR's superspeedway product after Daytona 500 incident

Renowned NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass touched upon Ryan Preece's crash following the conclusion of the 2025 Daytona 500. Pockrass, in the Fast Thoughts with Bob Pockrass session after the race, raised questions about NASCAR needing to have a change on the floor of cars after Preece's shocking flips at the Daytona International Speedway.

During Sunday's Great American Race, Cole Custer hit Christopher Bell from behind and sent him against the wall. As a result, Bell's #20 Toyota hit Preece's #60 Ford coming from behind. The hit sent the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing airborne and then flipped his ride.

After the #60 driver came out of the car unhurt, he was taken to the medical center for preliminary checkups. Once he was cleared, the RFK Racing driver raised serious questions about the car's potential of handling such wrecks. As Preece was visibly frustrated, this was something Pockrass empathized.

"A part of me is frustrated too," Pockrass said. "And certainly the person who's most frustrated — Ryan Preece. Up and over, flipping again for the second time in four Daytona races. He says NASCAR has to do something. You know it's hard to argue with him. And especially after that race where seeing that drivers couldn't control their own destiny." (0:54-1:15)

For the second time in four Daytona races, Preece faced shocking wrecks. Prior to Sunday's crash, Preece, who was a Stewart-Haas Racing driver then, had more than double rollovers in his #41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry during the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the Daytona International Speedway.

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Ryan Preece shared his thoughts after the shocking wreck

Following the unfortunate crash, Ryan Preece opened up about it and shared his frustration in the post-race interview.

Ryan Preece goes airborne in the closing laps of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025 - Source: Imagn

Questioning the diffuser, the RFK driver said,

"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, but when the car took off like that and it got real quiet. All I thought about was my daughter."

William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports claimed the 2025 Daytona 500 victory ahead of Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing and Jimmie Johnson of Legacy Motor Club. This was Byron's back-to-back victory at the Daytona 500 after he triumphed in the same race last year. With this, he qualified for the 2025 playoffs.

The recently concluded race was the 67th edition of the Great American Race, and United States President Donald Trump attended the mega-racing event. Even though NASCAR preponed the race to avoid inclement weather, the 200-lap race was eventually delayed by over three and a half hours due to rain.