NASCAR driver Ryan Preece managed to cheat death this week after his car flipped over almost a dozen times after a horrifying crash in Florida.
Preece was mid-race at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs stock car race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night (August 26), when the terrifying incident happened.
Footage shared from the race saw Preece's car suddenly cut across the track with just six laps to go, before being launched into the air and flipping over 10 times before landing in the infield.
The vehicle appeared to be on fire as a medical team rushed to free Preece, before putting him on a stretcher and blue-lighting him to hospital for urgent treatment.
Despite the car being thrown through the air with such force, Preece was lucky to survive the smash, with his representatives confirming that he was "awake and alert".
In a message posted to Twitter, they wrote: "Ryan was transported to a local hospital where he is undergoing standard tests, he is awake, alert and obviously shaken."
It is not clear what caused Preece's car to spin out and crash, but the incident saw him eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, with the 16-car race being won by Chris Buescher.
The 32-year-old race car driver also took to social media to reassure fans he was doing OK after the crash, as he shared a message on social media.
Preece told his followers: "If you want to be a race car driver, you better be tough. Dammit. Fast @racechoice @FordPerformance Mustang. I’m coming back."
In footage shared of the moment, race commentators could be heard saying that the 3,500lb vehicle looked more like a "toy car" as it weightlessly spun several times in the air, before thankfully landing on its wheels meaning Preece could be rescued easier.
The car being thrown so violently in the air was also exacerbated by the fact it was going at over 190mph at the time it reached the grass verge.
Preece has been a stock car racer since 2007 and currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing.
He is also a veteran of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, winning the series championship in 2013 after being the runner-up in 2009 and 2012.
Preece has been married to his long-time partner Heather DesRochers since 2017 and the pair have one child together, a daughter called Rebecca Marie, who was born just weeks before the crash, on August 7, 2023.
Thankfully, Preece is alright and it sounds like it won't be long until he's back on the track again.
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