Ryan Preece’s Airborne Wrecks Haunt NASCAR Ahead of Talladega

TALLADEGA, Alabama — The NASCAR world held its breath on February 16, 2025, as Ryan Preece’s No. 60 Ford soared through the air during the final laps of the Daytona 500, flipping onto its roof in a frightening crash that unfolded at nearly 180 mph. Emergency crews rushed to the scene, while the crowd gasped in shock, reminiscent of Preece’s terrifying wreck at the same track in August 2023.

In that incident, Preece’s car barrel-rolled multiple times across the grass. Fortunately, he walked away with only swollen eyes. This time, despite the harrowing experience, he emerged shaken but intact. “When the car took off and it got real quiet, all I thought about was my daughter,” Preece said, his voice filled with fear in in-car audio recordings. His miraculous escape has raised concerns about the increasing frequency of such close calls.

“We’re getting really close to somebody not being able to [walk away],” Preece warned after the wreck, echoing the fears of fans and crews alike as they anticipate the upcoming race at Talladega, notorious for its own dangerous wrecks.

Preece enters Talladega riding a wave of momentum, boasting three consecutive top-10 finishes since the Las Vegas race, where he tapped into newfound confidence driving his Ford, now adorned in Celsius colors.

Despite his recent success, Talladega looms large in the rearview mirror of Preece’s career, with fans bracing for another mid-air spectacle. Sarcastic comments have circulated online predicting yet another airborne stunt, showing how Preece has become almost synonymous with such crashes at superspeedways.

“Flight 60 from Preece Air has a scheduled departure of 4:03 p.m. Central on Sunday,” joked one fan. While humorous, it reflects the recurring theme of Preece’s flips. Since 2019, his record includes several high-impact crashes, raising alarms across the sport.

After the recent Daytona crash, Preece urged NASCAR to address safety concerns, emphasizing that drivers’ lives are at stake. “There’s a person inside that race car. You don’t want to see them get hurt because of a situation somebody else made… It might not be me next time,” he stated. His passion for safety speaks not only for himself but for all drivers.

However, as the Talladega race approaches, NASCAR has announced no new safety measures for this weekend. Though they plan updates for Daytona later this summer, it’s business as usual on the Alabama superspeedway. This is concerning, as previous races at Talladega have witnessed substantial wrecks.

Last year, one massive crash took out 28 cars during the playoff race, marking one of the largest wrecks in NASCAR history. Not just Daytona, but the issue of airborne wrecks appears to be a growing trend.

As the green flag approaches, the NASCAR community braces itself for the possibility of chaos once again. Fans on social media are actively engaging, predicting and even joking about the likelihood of a Preece moment. “If I had a nickel for every time Ryan Preece flipped, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot… but it’ll be three by Sunday,” another user noted, perfectly capturing the ongoing sentiment.

Whether Preece will break this cycle or face another flip remains to be seen. Fans and experts alike will watch closely as the countdown to Talladega continues.