We warned that moving the All-Star Race to the unforgiving concrete of the “Monster Mile” would cause absolute carnage. We just didn’t expect it to happen this fast. Almost immediately after the green flag dropped for the 350-lap exhibition marathon, the field bottlenecked in a terrifying chain reaction. On just Lap 2, a massive wreck swallowed up a massive chunk of the grid, fundamentally altering the $1 million shootout before it even really began.
Based on the immediate paddock reports and radio chatter, here is the breakdown of the absolute disaster in Dover.
The Nine-Car Pileup and Disaster for Ryan Preece
The speed at which the crash unfolded caught half the pack off guard. According to trackside updates from Motorsports reporter Matt Weaver, the Lap 2 big one officially collected nine drivers:
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Kyle Larson
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Daniel Suárez
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Chase Elliott
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Ryan Blaney
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Todd Gilliland
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Cole Custer
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John Hunter Nemechek
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Ryan Preece
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Michael McDowell
The visual of the wreck was pure chaos. Amidst the crumpled sheet metal, the No. 60 RFK Racing entry violently caught fire, turning the banking of Dover into a literal inferno as safety crews rushed the track. However, the deepest concern in the garage was focused squarely on Ryan Preece.
Kyle Larson, who was caught up in the same wreck, immediately radioed his team: “Let me know if Preece is ok. He hit an absolute ton.”Broadcaster and driver Parker Kligerman echoed the shock of the garage, posting during the immediate aftermath: “Wow. Ryan Preece hit the wall at a million.” Preece is officially out of the race, ending his All-Star weekend in the medical center rather than victory lane.
Kyle Larson’s Million-Dollar Nightmare
For Kyle Larson, the heavy pre-race favorite who dominated Friday practice, the Lap 2 crash is a fatal blow to his $1 million hopes. While he managed to avoid the massive impact that took out Preece, his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet did not escape the meat grinder.
According to updates from The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, the No. 5 crew immediately diagnosed the damage over the radio, believing Larson suffered “two broken toe links” in the collision. A broken toe link on a Next Gen chassis is essentially a death sentence for a car’s handling. Trying to wrestle a crippled car around Dover’s 24-degree banking is impossible.
It’s scary that NASCAR wanted high stakes and survival mechanics for the 2026 All-Star Race. But only two laps in, the Monster Mile has already claimed nine victims.
