Ryan Preece Explodes After Invisible Cone Penalty Wrecks All-Star Bid
Preece, driving the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford, surged to second late in the All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway, poised to race his way into the main event.
Advertisement
But NASCAR hit him with a penalty for crossing the 'Choose Cone' commitment line — a painted V on the track nearly obscured by rubber from earlier events. The result: he was sent to the back, ending his chances and setting off a dramatic meltdown.
'Ultimately, we had a fast… Ford Mustang,' Preece said in a raw post-race interview. 'Sorry, I'm just really, really [expletive] pissed. So, I mean that, at least we could, a rule's a rule, but… I don't know.'
Ryan Preece before the Wurth 400 race at Texas Motor Speedway. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The incident became the flashpoint of the night. Preece, visibly furious, marched to pit road, grabbed an orange traffic cone, and slammed it on the inside wall — a silent protest that quickly went viral.
Advertisement
NASCAR responded by repainting the Choose Cone marking before the All-Star Race, but for Preece, the damage was already done.
'You can't see it,' he explained. 'So I just hooked a hard left going across the line, figuring it's in that area. If you have a situation like that, put a cone out there so we can see it.'
The penalty reignited criticism of NASCAR's officiating, especially regarding track visibility and rule enforcement. Preece's crew and fans argued the call was avoidable — and that NASCAR's reactive fix came too late.
Now 15th in points, Preece leaves Wilkesboro with more questions than answers. But his fire — and frustration — may have just forced NASCAR to take another look at how it draws the lines that define a driver's fate.
Related: Joey Logano Sends Blunt Message After NASCAR All-Star Caution Costs Him the Win
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Oof: NASCAR Driver Connor Zilisch Biffs It On Victory Lane
Read the full story on Backfire News By now a lot of people have seen the video of NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch falling off his car on Victory Lane. After biffing it headfirst into the ground, it seems like he knocked himself out as people rushed to his aid in what should have been a moment of the footage, you can see his foot slipped, maybe from the champagne spraying around or maybe from the netting he was standing on, with that foot falling inside his car. The result was he fell and was unable to get a foot under him. The impact broke his collar bone. But the driver said CT scans of his head showed no damage there, which is the bigger concern by far. Now, the big question is will the broken collarbone keep Zilisch from racing for a time? With six victories under his belt so far this season, the young driver is red hot, so we'd hate to see him lose a beat. The last time Zilisch missed a race was after his big crash at Talladega when he suffered a back injury. He has two weeks to get healthy enough for Daytona on August 22, so perhaps he will continue vying for the championship. This whole incident is a great metaphor for life. Oftentimes your big victories, your highest highs, are followed by some catastrophic lows. But we think this isn't going to be the only high in Zilisch's career, so he better be careful in the future. We fear this incident might lead to NASCR overreacting and banning some of the celebratory traditions of the motorsport. Hopefully that isn't what happens, but with how things have been going the past several years, or maybe about two decades, we just wouldn't be surprised. Image via BenTheBaneDavis/X
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Does Houston need a designated ‘last shot' taker? Enter Kevin Durant.
Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz makes the case for why Kevin Durant's fourth-quarter scoring ability is exactly what the Rockets needed most. In close games late in the fourth quarter and potentially in overtime, who will take the most important shots? It's a question that has surrounded NBA teams for generations, and it was a big one for the young and developing Houston Rockets (52-30, No. 2 in the Western Conference) last season. That's where newly acquired superstar Kevin Durant comes in. In a new story outlining each team's 'last shot' taker, Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz explains why the 15-time All-Star should be a seamless fit in Houston: Much of what plagued the Rockets during their first-round playoff loss to the Golden State Warriors was the lack of a go-to scorer in key moments. Hello, Kevin Durant. Although Devin Booker took more fourth-quarter shots than Durant for the Phoenix Suns last season (5.0 to 4.3), KD was the team's leading scorer thanks to his incredible efficiency (55.0% overall, 51.9% on 3-pointers). This is exactly the type of player the Rockets needed. Guys like Alperen Şengün, Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr. can all contribute offensively throughout the game before letting Durant take over in the fourth. Durant averaged 6.7 points in fourth quarters last season, ranking among the NBA's top 10 players in that category. What's most noteworthy, as Swartz points out, is that Durant posted those gaudy numbers despite ranking second on his own team in fourth-quarter attempts. That shouldn't be the case in Houston, where the 2025-26 Rockets will have a clear hierarchy (with Durant at the top) when it comes to half-court shot creation. So, if Durant can sustain his remarkable fourth-quarter shooting efficiency on even more attempts, there's an opportunity for his Houston arc to be even more fruitful. More: How will Kevin Durant's game age in Houston? NBA executives see 'new normal'
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Team owner predicts van Gisbergen will make a deep run in NASCAR playoffs
Labeling statistics as 'kind of an American thing,' Shane van Gisbergen avoids dwelling on his record-setting rookie season in the NASCAR Cup Series. 'It normally hits me on the plane ride home or at 4 a.m. after a few beers,' van Gisbergen said Sunday after conquering the Watkins Glen International road course in New York for his fourth victory this year. 'I try to reflect on it, but I also try and get to the next week pretty quick. I'll try not to tweet at 4 a.m. this morning.'
