Ryan Preece of RFK Racing expressed measured surprise on Saturday morning regarding the penalty NASCAR imposed on him for the incident with Ty Gibbs at Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday. Gibbs crashed on Lap 101, and NASCAR determined intent based on radio communication suggesting Preece might retaliate for a previous incident.
“Honestly, a bit surprised,” Preece said.
During the race, Preece vented over the radio: “What a fucking idiot that kid is. He’s so lucky his car is so fucking fast. … Alright, when I get to that 54, I’m done with him. Fucking idiot. It’s just, that car is so fast, it fucking pisses me off. Stupid. I can’t I’m going to vent for 15 seconds. I can’t stand when idiots like him have fast race cars that they can do stupid shit and get away with it. End of rant.”
Shortly after, Gibbs crashed off Preece’s nose, and Preece later told reporters that he simply didn’t get the benefit of the doubt that other drivers might have earned.
RFK Racing confirmed it will appeal the $50,000 fine and 25-point penalty, dropping the No. 60 Ford Mustang driver to 13th in the standings, just 38 points above the playoff cutline.
“You know, I’m thankful that NASCAR has an appeals process so I feel like I can be heard and let that process play out,” Preece said.
When asked how he learned of the penalty, Preece replied: “Well, I was on my mower, mowing my lawn at about 4:30 and not very great signal. I just saw that I had a missed call and I made the call back and found out that I had a penalty. I’m thankful for RFK Racing and for Chip (Bowers, president) and everyone for their support. Because, like I said, at least I feel like I can go through it and share my side.”
Preece added that he won’t speak with Gibbs until after the appeals process, and he doesn’t plan to change anything he says when he keys up the microphone.
“At the beginning of the season, we talked about being ourselves so I’m not going to change being myself,” Preece said. “But what can I say? I’m excited for the appeals process and I look forward to going through that.”
When asked about the possibility of paying $50,000, he said: “I’m feeling pretty good about the appeals process and I hope to not have to worry about that but to your point, it’s a substantial amount.”
Related:
NASCAR Cup – NASCAR penalizes Ryan Preece for Texas incident with Ty Gibbs
NASCAR Cup – RFK Racing will appeal Ryan Preece penalty for wrecking Ty Gibbs
Watkins Glen – Saturday, in photos
