Ryan Preece's Chilling Words After Daytona 500 Horror Crash Revealed

Ryan Preece's terrifying crash at the final moments of the 2025 Daytona 500 took many by shock. But after the race, he looked back on the incident with chilling words.

His car found itself in the air after a chain of collisions started by Christopher Bell, spiraling down Daytona's backstretch before his spin up Turn 3. As Preece took a wild tumble in what seemed like an endless series of rolls after air got caught under the car's chassis, fans held their breath until the car eventually grounded back on its wheels, resting to an eerie silence.

This wasn't Preece's first airborne crash on that very stretch — a haunting repeat from August 2023 when he ended up flipping several times. After that crash, Daytona saw its backstretch repaved.

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The incident started with a tangled sequence of moves triggering the disaster. Racing close alongside teammate Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell faced a sudden spin caused by Cole Custer. Bell's car went head-first into the outer barrier and crash-landed right into Preece's path.

The impact and aerodynamics provided the energy under the car that vaulted Preece's car airborne over Erik Jones' car, leading to a number flips. Behind the wheel of the No. 60 Ford for RFK Racing, he finished the race in 32nd place, as one of the 13 unfortunate drivers who couldn't make it to the finish line.

William Byron took first place for the second year in a row.

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Until this season, Preece drove for Stewart-Haas Racing and JTG Daugherty Racing, finally finding himself with RFK Racing in 2025 with hopes for a boost of confidence in a new enviroment. The team's faith in Preece as part of their three-car roster including drivers Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher, is promising. Yet, the harsh reality of Daytona pulled the rug from under them.

The hauntingly familiar sight of a crash like this once again begs questions about the safety of these next-gen cars. The cars have already been tweaked to reduce the likelihood of this happening, but once again, something like this has happened.

Preece commented on what he feels could be the cause of a wreck like this:

"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," Preece revealed in a conversation with Fox Sports.

For him, the reality of another crash like this hits him like a freight train.

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