Besides Tyler Reddick winning his first-ever Daytona 500 last Sunday, February 15, another dramatic moment stole the spotlight after fellow Cup Series driver Ryan Preece crossed the finish line in reverse; the trunk came in first, followed by the hood.
Preece has flipped and crashed at Daytona in the past, but this time, the RFK Racing driver managed to finish in style at the iconic 2.5-mile tri-oval. So much so that the entire NASCAR community has been talking about it.
Recently, Preece was seen driving a Ford truck to the RFK headquarters in a similar fashion. Later on, he uploaded a video of the shenanigans to social media, to which hundreds commented. Some of them were NASCAR veterans and team owners as well.
Preece jokingly captioned his video,
“Rollin’ into the shop from Daytona. Consistency is key.”
Former NASCAR driver Mark Martin commented on the post, writing,
“Polishing those skills 🤣”
Rick Mast also slid into the comments section and left two laughing emojis. RFK Racing also commented on Preece’s stunt, saying,
“Rumor has it Ryan’s running on the treadmill backwards right now.”
2026 marked the 68th running of the Daytona 500. Ryan Preece finished the race in P25 and escaped a potential DNF. Notably, he led practice the previous day with a fast lap at 192.819 mph and finished ninth in his qualifying duel race.
Ryan Preece reflects on eventful Clash victory at Bowman Gray
Ryan Preece survived the tight corners of Bowman Gray Stadium and won this year’s Cook Out Clash, the first NASCAR race of the 2026 season. Notably, it marked his first victory at the top Cup Series level.
However, the Clash was not a points race. Which means that Ryan Preece is now among the only three drivers who have won the season-opening Clash before winning a point-paying race. The other two are Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin.
“We had a really good car,” Preece said in his post-race interview. “This is much as a mental game as it is anything. We had a couple restarts go our way.”
“It’s been years and years of grinding. I’m super thankful for Brad Keselowski and all our partners,” he added.
Ryan Preece is currently in his sophomore year driving the No. 60 Ford Mustang for RFK Racing, which former Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski co-owns. He previously drove the No. 41 car for the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing. Preece has also competed in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and won 26 times.
Next up for the Mustang wheelman is the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway on February 21. Fans can watch the event live on FOX starting at 3 pm ET or listen to exclusive radio updates on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Read More:
RFK Boss Brad Keselowski Celebrates Ryan Preece’s Breakthrough NASCAR Cup Win at Bowman Gray Stadium
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