NASCAR penalized Ryan Preece on Tuesday afternoon, punishing the driver for his wreck of Ty Gibbs at Texas Motor Speedway. The punishment is being deemed controversial by NASCAR, not so much for the penalty that rang down as for the one that did not. That touches on Kyle Busch and his late-race actions, which demolished John Hunter Nemechek.
Preece gassed up into the rear of Ty Gibbs on lap 101, thus wrecking Gibbs’ day. Preece had an array of quotes, including, “When I get to that 54, I’m done with him.” He went on to also state the following:
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“I hate that he wrecked.”
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“I’m not going to cut you a break.”
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“I could lift. But I didn’t.”
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“What a [expletive] idiot that kid is. He is so lucky his car is so [expletive] fast.”
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“I can’t stand when idiots like him have fast race cars that they can do stupid [expletive] and get away with it.”
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While the penalty can be argued for or against, Dale JR had his opinions on NASCAR’s actions.
Dale JR Condemns NASCAR Penalty Decision
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hosts His Podcast. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images for SiriusXM)(Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
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“I honestly don’t agree with this one,” Dale JR headlined his comments with. “I didn’t think either one would get penalized.” Dale JR assumed the penalty was more about what Preece said and what he might do, rather than about what he did wrecking Gibbs.
“I think if you’re not going to penalize Kyle, which I didn’t think they would, I don’t think you can penalize Preece.” The consensus among all fans and the media is that Busch’s contact was more egregious than Preece’s. Yet, comments matter, and as Busch denied wrongdoing, Preece admitted to it indirectly.
Dale JR states that while Preece said what he said, he could also make the case that the 54 cut him off too close. Preece could have easily denied wrongdoing as easily, if not more easily, than Busch did. Nonetheless, Preece is docked 50 points in the standings, dropping from 12th to 13th, and he is fined $50,000.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
