The checkered flag has waved on a rough weekend for Ryan Preece, but the fallout is far from over. NASCAR has handed down a significant penalty to the RFK Racing driver following his on-track clash with Ty Gibbs during Sunday's Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
The No. 60 Ford driver has been hit with a $50,000 fine and a 25-point deduction, a ruling that comes straight from Sections 4.3 and 4.4.A of the NASCAR Rule Book. Those sections specifically target the act of "wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from competition as a result."
The incident unfolded on Lap 101 in Turn 3, when Preece's car made contact with Gibbs' No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, sending it spinning. After a thorough review, NASCAR determined the contact was intentional—a decision that didn't come out of the blue.
In the heat of the moment, Preece initially told his team he didn't believe he'd made contact. But a radio transmission from earlier in the race told a different story, revealing a simmering frustration that boiled over. "All right, when I get to that 54, I'm done with him. F***ing idiot," Preece had said.
Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Monday night, Preece didn't shy away from explaining his mindset. He framed the move not as a reckless outburst, but as a calculated decision born from a history of friction between the two drivers.
"There are people that you know you can race with respect around and cut breaks to," Preece explained. "I can think of multiple times yesterday that instead of putting another driver in a pretty tough spot, you make the decision not to do that. I feel like I just grew up racing against people that I learned that lesson a long, long time ago, when I was a lot younger. Sometimes I question if those same lessons are learned by the time you get to Cup."
He continued: "For me, it was more along the lines of he was very close to clear getting into (Turn) 3, and I could lift, but I didn't. I was right there and I felt like he came down, and I was not going to cut him a break because in the past, him and I have had problems. I've got a little bit of a short fuse with him. That was just one of those situations that, could I cut him a break? Probably could have, but I didn't. Ultimately, I didn't feel like I hit him. I felt like I stayed right on him, and he got loose, and from there on, unfortunately, he wrecked."
The penalty drops Preece closer to the playoff cutline, making every point from here on out crucial. For fans tracking the season's intensity, this is a reminder that in NASCAR, emotions run as hot as the engines—and sometimes, the consequences are just as heavy. Whether you're behind the wheel or in the stands, the drama never stops. Stay tuned for more action as the season heats up.