Noah Gragson's crew chief uncovers "self-inflicted issue" that caused fire in Ryan Preece's car at Dover

Stewart Haas Racing driver Noah Gragson's crew chief has come forward as he delved into the details of Ryan Preece's Lap 61 misfortune at Dover Motor Speedway which saw fire birthing inside the #41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

The Wurth 400 marked the 11th contention on the 2024 Cup Series calendar and witnessed Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin exercise his supremacy, bagging his third win this season.

However, Ryan Preece's Sunday at the Monster Mile had something else to offer. The 33-year-old suffered an early-race exit from the 400-lap run, when, with just 60 laps under his belt, the #41 Ford pitted to treat the smoke and fire in the left rocker panel. Nevertheless, a few laps later, the Connecticut native's ride succumbed to door foam burning, following which his run ended after 66 laps.

Speaking on the disappointing incident, Gragson's crew chief Drew Blickensderfer confessed to his team's "self-inflicted issue," saying (via Bob Pockrass on X):

"That was self-inflicted. That was the bolts between the headers and the collectors keeping everything together. We had some issues there amongst the teams on our side. They were not installed correctly and it was allowing the collectors to come disattached from the headers, kind of fall on that rocker box and cause an issue."

“So, it was a self-inflicted error, a little change in process that someone didn’t catch. And it was close to happening on all of our cars, to be honest with you,” Blickensderfer added.

"We can't afford days like this"- Ryan Preece blasts at his team after "preventable" incident robbed his Dover run

Ryan Preece's footing into the current season is on a lackluster note. From 11 races competed until now, the 33-year-old has bagged only a solitary top 10, which came at the Martinsville Speedway. Though he came close to settling under the top 10 at the Bristol Motor Speedway, the Texas Motor Speedway, and the Talladega Superspeedway, he eventually failed and finished 14th, 12th, and P14, respectively.

Moreover, the recently wrapped-up Dover run added to the misery of the #42 Ford driver. The SHR driver started his run from the rear of the pack in P28, but soon fell victim to the "completely unnecessary" fire in his car's door foam, which could've been "prevented."

Post his dismal Wurth 400 run, Ryan Preece vented his frustration, saying (Bob Pockrass on X):

"I felt like I was on fire and I went the first seventy laps just trying to push through and then it got so bad that I couldn't put my hands on the wheel. Whatever happened, it's completely unnecessary and we can't afford days like this. It wasn't necessary it could have been prevented."

Preece is currently 28th in the Drivers' standings following the end of the Wurth 400.