Ryan Preece opened up about the on-track incident involving himself and Ty Gibbs in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at the Texas Motor Speedway.
On the 101st lap of Sunday’s Würth 400, Preece’s No. 60 RFK Racing Ford got into the back of Gibbs’ No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. The contact sent Gibbs spinning into the wall, forcing him out of the race.
Given Preece’s radio chatter in the leadup to the crash, it was evident there was intention behind the contact. On Tuesday via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Preece broke his silence on the incident.
Preece on Gibbs contact: ‘He and I have had problems’
Preece and Gibbs have not always gotten along on the racetrack.
On Sunday at Texas, Preece recalls Gibbs nearly getting clear of him, giving the former the option to lift and let the latter in line.
However, there have been one too many instances involving Gibbs for Preece’s liking, and he was not about to cut the JGR driver another break.
“For me, it was more along the lines of he almost or pretty much was very close [to being] clear getting into (turn) three, 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, he and I have had problems,” Preece said.
Preece made it clear he does not believe he wrecked Gibbs, but rather held his line and did not lift.
The RFK Racing driver went on to say it was “unfortunate” that Gibbs crashed, but he felt he needed to draw a line somewhere.
“Ultimately, I didn’t feel like I hit. I feel like I stayed right on him. He got loose and from there on, unfortunately, he wrecked. I think that’s just the way it is. Basically, the decisions you make on the racetrack, people are going to make their decisions back. That’s the way racing is,” Preece said.
NASCAR penalized Preece following Gibbs incident
In a recent development on Tuesday, May 5, NASCAR penalized Preece after the sanctioning body ruled he intentionally wrecked Gibbs.
The penalty included a loss of 25 driver points and a fine of $50,000. NASCAR’s Mike Forde discussed the incident on Hauler Talk, and his explanation for the penalty against Preece was highlighted by motorsports insider Bob Pockrass via X.
“NASCAR’s Mike Forde, on Hauler Talk podcast, said they viewed Preece as intentional (just like Hamlin-Chastain at Phoenix, he said he’s going to do it),” Pockrass wrote via X.
After Preece’s radio chatter surfaced on social media, it is evident why a penalty was handed down.
“All right, when I get to that 54 I’m done with him. (Expletive) idiot. That car is so (expletive) fast, pisses me off. I can’t stand when idiots like him have fast race cars where they can do stupid (expletive) and get away with it. End of rant,” Preece said over the radio.
The penalty dropped Preece from 12th to 13th in the points standings. He is now 38 points above the Chase cut line after previously being 63 points to the good.
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