"That felt honestly worse than Daytona in '23": Ryan Preece expresses frustration over car wreck during final laps

Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing driver Ryan Preece was involved in a car wreck during the final laps of the Daytona 500 wherein his ride went airborne. The 34-year-old made his debut with RFK Racing this year. His No. 60 Ford was hit on the right side on Lap 197 which was the result of a multi-car wreck initiated by Christopher Bell.

The hit led to Preece's car travelling solely on its rear wheels for a few seconds, before flipping over and landing on its roof. The car then turned over and slammed into the outside wall before flipping back on its wheels after a rear-end contact.

After the race, Preece expressed his frustration over the situation and assured everyone that he was okay in a video posted by Bob Pockrass on X. Comparing the crash to the one he survived during the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400, the 34-year-old said:

"Cars lifting off the ground like that, like I mean that felt honestly worse than Daytona in '23."

During the August 26, 2023 crash at Daytona International Speedway, Ryan Preece was a driver for Stewart-Haas Racing and his No. 41 Ford skidded over the Le Mans Chicane curbing, tumbling through the backstretch grass and rolling 10 times before coming to a halt. At the time, Preece was hospitalized for observation overnight.

In his interview after being released from the care center, Preece was asked what he meant when he used the terms "felt worse" to compare the car wreck he experienced at this year's Daytona to the one he encountered in 2023. Responding to the question, the RFK Racing driver said:

"Everything about it. I mean everything about the airborne, heading towards the fence. I mean it's just, it's not a good place to be in so...honestly with a hit like that, a head-on impact, I don't really think should have gone airborne right?"

---

"I'm lucky to walk away": Ryan Preece confesses what went through his mind during terrible airborne crash at Daytona

Talking to Matt Weaver about the airborne crash he endured during the final laps of the Daytona 500, Ryan Preece said that he doesn't know if it's the diffuser or something else that makes the race cars like a sheet of plywood during races on a windy day.

Confessing what went through his mind during the airborne crash in the final laps of the race, the 34-year-old racer mentioned:

"But you know when the car took off like that and I got real quiet, all I thought about was my daughter. So I'm lucky to walk away."

Preece and his wife Heather DesRochers welcomed their daughter Rebbeca Marie on August 7, 2023. During an interview with ctpost in January 2025, the racer said that things are a lot different for him at present because he has a daughter.

Preece also expressed his support for his daughter choosing to become a racer in the future much like her parents. However, he said that he won't push Rebbeca Marie toward the career as he is aware of the struggles and commitment racing demands.

---

William Byron won the Daytona 500 this year followed by Tyler Reddick and Jimmie Johnson at the second and third positions respectively.