Ryan Preece remained in the hospital on Saturday night after a horrific crash towards the end of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway.
Ryan Preece was taken to a nearby hospital after suffering a devastating crash that happened on Saturday at Daytona. Preece was competing in the Cup Series when his car spun out, caught air, and then flipped through the infield.
On lap 156 of the 160-lap race, as the pack came out of spin 2, Erik Jones’ No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet seemed to spin Preece’s No. 41 Ford, which sped across the track and struck Chase Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford.
The car flew into the air and finally flipped close to a dozen times before coming to a dramatic stop on its wheels after Preece slid off the track and onto the grass on the backstretch after the contact.
A number of safety teams arrived on the site, and personnel spent some time helping Preece from the driver’s and passenger’s sides of the vehicle.
After a while, Preece came from his car and briefly stood next to it before being assisted onto a stretcher. The infield care center later received him after he was taken away by the ambulance.
The horrifying incident forced a two-lap overtime, which Chris Buescher won with teammate Brad Keselowski coming in after him. Later, an ambulance was dispatched to take Preece to the close-by Halifax Medical Center for more evaluation.
Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition for Stewart-Haas Racing, told reporters on the scene that Preece was “alert but shaken up” before he was brought to the hospital for additional evaluation.
Preece’s final opportunity to earn a spot in the 2023 playoffs was the race on Saturday night. With only one top-10 result, he has had a challenging debut season at SHR. A pole at Martinsville Speedway in May was the one shining moment.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour veteran Preece is 32 years old. He has 25 victories in his career and won the series championship in 2013. He has won once in the ARCA West and two times in the Xfinity and Truck series.
Just after two in the morning EST, the team issued the following statement, confirming that Preece will be remaining in hospital overnight.
“NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece will remain overnight at Halifax Mental Center for continued observation.
“The driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing is awake, alert and mobile and has been communicating with family and friends.
“Preece will undergo another evaluation by medical personnel later this morning. An update will be provided in the afternoon.”
Around 11 a.m. EST, SHR revealed that Preece has been released from the hospital, saying that he was “discharged from Halifax Health Medical Center earlier this morning following his accident last night in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
“The driver of the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing is on his way home to North Carolina.”
