.@RyanPreece_ goes for a spin early in this practice session. pic.twitter.com/fil88zFw2Y
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 2, 2024
After six minutes of on-track activity for the NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Ryan Preece and Stewart-Haas Racing are already having a pretty difficult weekend.
A native of Berlin, Connecticut, Preece was in the process of making his first on-track laps of the weekend when his car snapped loose in the middle of the second corner, spinning up the track and slamming the outside wall.
When the incident occurred, Preece was ranked 10th-place out of the 18 drivers participating in Group A. Now, with significant damage to the No. 41 Ford Mustang, it appears that Preece will only get three laps on track before Sunday’s 400-mile contest.
The 33-year-old racer from Stewart-Haas Racing was evaluated and released from the infield care center and will race Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
On Tuesday, Preece was one of two Stewart-Haas Racing entries to be handed L1-level penalties by NASCAR, after it was determined that the roof rail deflectors were illegal on both the No. 10 and No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horses.
Both of those entries were docked 35 points, kicking them down outside the top 35 in NASCAR Cup Series point standings, with Preece in 36th and Gragson 44th, respectively.