DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.: The NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway was expected to create drama and chaos over 160 laps, with drivers racing inches apart and speeds creeping towards 200 miles per hour.
However, nobody expected frightening crashes early and late in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, leaving onlookers speechless.
On the last lap of Stage 2, leader Ryan Blaney was turned nearly head-on into the Turn 3 wall, triggering a 12-car melee. While battling Ty Gibbs for the Stage 2 win, Gibbs received a bump from teammate Christopher Bell, who spun the No. 54 Toyota directly into the right rear quarter panel of Blaney’s No. 12 Ford Mustang.
The contact viciously sent Blaney’s No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang into the Turn 3 SAFER barrier wall before colliding with Gibbs and Tyler Reddick as the cars exited Turn 3.
Blaney’s battered Ford Mustang came to rest at the pit road entrance, where he climbed from his race car and took the mandatory trip to the infield care center, where he was later evaluated and released without injury.
“I’m alright,” said Blaney after being checked and released. “I don’t know. I guess it kind of seems like the 54 got turned into me. The 20 shoved him and it was kind of just a weird spot I guess and I got right-reared, so not in a fun spot.
“It’s a shame. We had a fast car and came from the back to the front multiple times and thought we made a good move to try to win the stage and just can’t catch a break.
Luckily, everyone is alright.
We’ll go to next week.”
The Coca-Cola 600 winner said it was over as quickly as the crash initiated.
“I didn’t see much,” explained Blaney. “I saw a big white thing that I was headed towards at a rapid mile per hour and then it was over. I guess the 20 kind of got Ty in a weird spot it looked like and just got into my right rear and off she went. It stinks to end our night that way. We had a fast car and definitely stinks, but we’ll go to next week.”
The No. 12 Team Penske driver was waiting for the “Big One” to ignite, but he thought it would come from deeper in the field where the racing was aggressive.
“I thought it was gonna happen multiple times, but further back in the pack than what it did and not at the lead,” Blaney explained. “There were plenty of times we were three-wide where the fifth row on back could have easily wrecked and we didn’t, and then it figures right when we get the lead I get wrecked, so that’s just the way it goes this day and age sometimes.
“We’ll just move on from it.”
I appreciate everyone’s support, I’m doing alright. Getting hooked in the right rear in both Daytona races this year in the same exact spot because of someone’s terrible push is frustrating. Hope @RyanPreece_ is able to get back on his feet soon.
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) August 27, 2023
Blaney praised NASCAR for their recent changes in the front clip of the race car – changes stemming from a scary crash at Talladega Superspeedway in April that debuted last month at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“I’m alright. It’s just a big hit,” sounded Blaney. “I’m happy it had a SAFER barrier on it. Yeah, that was large. It’s a big testament to the new front clips. That would have hurt a lot more if we didn’t have the new front clip on it, so that was a positive about that, but still pretty hard.”
Despite his 36th-place Daytona finish, Blaney is optimistic about heading to Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Sept. 3 for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs opening race.
“I feel a lot better than I do right now,” he said. “I’m excited to get here to Darlington next week. We’ve been working super hard to get a little better at these racetracks and find some speed.
“Hopefully, we’re going in the right direction. It’s a hard race next week and it’s a lot about just running all 500 miles, really, so hopefully we can do that and have no mistakes and have a good car.”
On Lap 156, Ryan Preece, running in the main pack, spun after contact with Erik Jones and collided with Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Chase Briscoe.
The contact lifted Preece’s No. 41 Ford Mustang off the ground, where he barrel-rolled at least 12 times before coming to rest on its wheels.
Preece gingerly climbed from his vehicle and was taken to the infield care center before being transported by ambulance to a local medical facility for further observation.
The Berlin, Connecticut native was loaded on a stretcher at the accident scene but was awake, alert, and talking to medical personnel.
Shortly before midnight, Preece issued a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
If you want to be a race car driver, you better be tough.
Dammit. Fast @racechoice @FordPerformance Mustang. I’m coming back.
— Ryan Preece (@RyanPreece_) August 27, 2023
The team released the following statement just after 2 a.m. EST Sunday, stating that Preece will be held 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 Sunday, Stewart-Haas Racing announced 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.”
Preece was one of 17 drivers eyeing the final spot in the Cup Series Playoffs and ran inside the top-10 throughout despite battling power steering issues before the green flag.
Follow Chris Knight on X (Formerly Twitter) @Knighter01, IG Threads @TheKnighter01, or email at: [email protected].
