The Highpoint.com 400 at Pocono Raceway ended in controversy after NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece spun out with two laps remaining in the race, and shockingly the caution flag was never waived. After the race, Preece took his frustration out on another driver that he felt was responsible for the wreck.
Preece had been running in the middle of the pack for much of the race, but his wreck near the end ultimately made him fall all the way to a 31st-place finish.
It is unclear exactly what caused the spinout, but Preece seemingly believed that it was because of fellow driver Corey LaJoie.
NASCAR for some reason didn't go caution when Ryan Preece spun, caution comes out on the last lap, and Denny Hamlin wins at Pocono. His 50th career Cup victory. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/HHbJwyWw8K
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) July 23, 2023
After the race had concluded, Preece walked up to LaJoie’s car and had a colorful vocabulary to express exactly how he felt about him.
After the race, @RyanPreece_ had words for @CoreyLaJoie. pic.twitter.com/5Uju1MKvav
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 23, 2023
Preece has had a reputation to get quite upset when he feels like a fellow driver did him wrong. This is actually the second straight week where Preece’s race was impacted by an incident with a fellow driver. He was seen having a heated discussion with Michael McDowell after last week’s Cup Series race.
After the race, @Mc_Driver caught up with @RyanPreece_ for a post-race discussion. pic.twitter.com/TUzlfJyi2x
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 17, 2023
That interaction wasn’t nearly as heated as the one this week, and fans certainly took notice of Preece’s latest meltdown.
Preece saw his chance with no crew members around and took it https://t.co/5Grdgq3LiY
— Andrew Schwartz (@A_Schwartz67) July 23, 2023
Doesn’t take a strong man to attack another driver while they are still strapped into the race car. Ran away real quick after Corey got out. https://t.co/HHVATxABXB
— Noah Moore (@maybe_its_noah) July 23, 2023
The Ryan Preece experiment has been a flop and dude just comes across as extremely unlikable. I’m not sure what it is https://t.co/Q6Qgpsy3HF
— Tyler (@145_Tyler) July 23, 2023
Was gonna be shocked if there wasn’t some kind of tempers. Here ya go. https://t.co/xLCupaSbQD
— Nick Olsen (@NickOlsen_) July 23, 2023
WE GOT DRAMA #NASCAR https://t.co/7WbcYOvKAb
— Skewcar (@Skewcar) July 23, 2023
This latest result continues a very concerning downward trend for Preece. He has failed to win yet in the 2023 season, and hasn’t recorded a top-ten finish in any of his last eight races.
[The Comeback on Twitter, NASCAR on Twitter, Photo Credit: USA]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.