NASCAR is headed to Daytona International Speedway this weekend as the 2024 regular season ends in two races’ time. One of the most infamous moments from the venue last season was Ryan Preece’s accident at the 2.5-mile-long track. Preece’s car was seen taking off on the back stretch of the track before barrel-rolling uncontrollably, into the infield grass.
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Despite the intensity of the crash, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver made it out relatively unscathed. In a recent media interaction, the 33-year-old previewed this weekend’s race, while touching on how maneuvers that cause such accidents at Daytona are what is now almost expected of drivers in the sport.
Ryan Preece was OK after flipping 10 times in this crash at Daytona last year. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/smoC0QWlj7
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 22, 2024
Superspeedway racing is tricky with all drivers drafting and bumping around. There are several moves that drivers have to resort to to keep their competitors behind. Fans may not like these moves but they must be done if the reward is worth it and as per Preece, one such maneuver is blocking. It is a move that has long been frowned upon by several members of the racing community. However, drivers who are desperate to earn a spot in the playoffs do resort to such means.
“I think it just depends on your style. I think you have to throw a block, so yeah, it’s a necessary evil. But at the same time, you better be willing to accept the fact that you could wreck yourself as well as many others. I think there’s a time and a place for it. Lap one is certainly not it, lap 20 is certainly not it – hell, not even I think for a stage,” he said.
Austin Dillon used a similar desperate maneuver at Richmond when he spun out Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to win. While the Richard Childress Racing star did qualify for the playoffs courtesy of his antics at the time, the governing body stepped in to take Dillon’s postseason spot away. While blocking is generally a more defensive maneuver, an egregious attempt at that could reignite the wrath of the officiating body as well.
SHR driver outlines expectations from team’s final Daytona run
The #41 Ford Mustang driver is far off the playoff bubble in terms of points. The only way he can get in is by a win. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 has seen several surprise winners in the past courtesy of the tendency of a superspeedway track such as Daytona. Austin Dillon won it in 2022 and Justin Haley took the checkered flag in 2019 with Spire Motorsports.
Rollin’ in @UnitedRentals schemes. pic.twitter.com/WXuIpKBYxm
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) August 15, 2024
Even Chris Buescher’s win last year was a bit unexpected. However, the chances of wrecking are huge as well. No one understands that better than Preece. When asked what the goal was on Sunday, he elaborated, “I think to keep all four tires on the ground would be a good one, as well as just finishing. Superspeedways, from a strategy standpoint, I think you want to take advantage of the stages just to try and get those points because those are guaranteed. Everything beyond that is not guaranteed.”
The 33-year-old’s future has yet to be decided after SHR ceases operations at the end of the season. He will be looking to perform as well as possible to impress potential employers.
