Ryan Preece somehow managed to avoid any serious injuries after his terrifying crash at Daytona International Speedway last Saturday. But that doesn’t mean he came away completely unscathed.
Preece was taken to the hospital after his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford had flipped 10 times during Lap 156 of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 (video here).
The 32-year-old has amazingly been cleared to participate in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. It would have been hard for a non-medical professional to believe the diagnosis if they had caught a glimpse of Preece’s eyes just a day before the Cup Series race.
Preece was asked about his eyes during a meeting between media members and drivers prior to the Xfinity Series race on Saturday. Preece immediately took his sunglasses off, revealing his bloodshot eyes and swollen eye bags.
“What I want you all to know is racing in general … it’s dangerous. There’s consequences to everything,” said Preece.
Preece also clarified that his vision is fine and that the reddening was a result of blood vessels bursting due to the flip — something that isn’t out of the ordinary.
Preece was officially eliminated from the NASCAR playoffs after his accident at Daytona. He was running third just a few laps prior to the crash last week. Chris Buescher ended up winning at Daytona, while Bubba Wallace nabbed the final playoff spot. Preece finished 31st.
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