There were some tense moments following Ryan Preece’s terrifying crash Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, his in-car audio reveals.
The NASCAR Cup Series driver was released from the hospital, hours after he went through one of the most violent crashes the sport has seen.
Preece, driving the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, went airborne in a crash, with his car barrel-rolling almost a dozen times. Although Preece climbed out of the car under his own power, he was immediately transported to a local hospital for observation.
His race team quickly issued a statement saying he was “awake, alert and mobile” after the accident.
But Preece’s condition was uncertain in the moments after the crash. Crew chief Chad Johnston and spotter Andy Houston tried but failed to reach him on the radio.
“I haven’t heard him. Have you heard him?” Johnston asked Houston.
That led the two teammates to discuss the incident.
“Yeah, 43 just got us at the wrong angle and turned us left,” Johnston said.
“So much for staying on the ******* ground,”=” Houston replied
“Yeah, no ****,” Johnston replied.
That led Houston to make an ominous statement: “They’re going to kill somebody at one of these places.”
NASCAR has been dealing with the potential threat posed by airborne cars for decades. A scary crash involving the legendary Bobby Allison in 1987 at Talladega Superspeedway led NASCAR to order the use of restrictor plates to slow the cars at Daytona and Talladega.
Yet there have been many similar incidents in the years since. It’s a matter of physics: When cars that are built to maximize aerodynamics get air underneath them, bad things can happen.
Preece, like all drivers, knows the dangers. Saturday night, while still in the hospital, he tweeted, “If you want to be a race car driver, you better be tough … I’m coming back.”
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.