The NASCAR All-Star Race got off to a dangerous start Sunday afternoon when Ryan Preece’s car burst into flames following a multi-car crash on the second lap of the exhibition race. The wreck also involved Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Cole Custer, and Todd Gilliland.
Preece was released from the infield care center and later spoke with Jamie Little about the wreck.
“I’m fine, but I seem to take big hits,” Preece told FOX Sports’ Jamie Little. “But no, I don’t know what happened. Obviously, I got to see a replay, but if it was anything, it was probably close on my part. Going into Turn 1 and just got sideways.
“If it was my fault, I’m sorry. Tough way to not finish a race on Lap 1. So, just move on to Charlotte.”
The wreck was triggered by Reece, who came down the banking in Turn 1 and made contact with Gilliland. About nine cars were collected in the frontstretch wreck, and Preece’s car burst into flames. Larson, a three-time All-Star Race winner, hit the wall in his No. 5 Chevrolet after colliding with Gilliland’s No. 34 Ford. The pileup also included past All-Star Race winners and series champions Blaney and Elliott, as well as Daniel Suarez, John Hunter Nemechek and Michael McDowell.
Preece’s No. 60 Ford made a heavy impact with the outside wall, causing the rear end to explode in flames. Preece climbed out unscathed and was quickly seen and released from the track’s infield care center.
NASCAR rules prohibit backup cars for the All-Star Race, meaning the day effectively ended for non-chartered drivers like Preece, Custer, and Gilliland, who were unable to repair their vehicles to advance. As a result, their chances of continuing in the event ended after the early wreck.
However, the event’s unique format treats each segment as a separate race. As a result, there was no official DNF penalty for teams that went to the garage.
That format allowed teams of locked-in drivers, like Larson and Blaney, to continue working on their damaged vehicles behind the wall. Crews made repairs in the garage with the goal of getting the cars back on track for the remaining segments of the All-Star Race.
Preece opened the year by winning the preseason Clash, the first non-points event of the season. He needed to advance through the first two segments on Sunday to remain eligible for the All-Star Race prize.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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