WATCH: “SHR are absolutely finished this year”- Tony Stewart’s driver Ryan Preece wrecks during practice at Las Vegas, fans react

Ryan Preece will start the Las Vegas Cup race from P36.

WATCH: “SHR are absolutely finished this year”- Tony Stewart’s driver Ryan Preece wrecks during practice at Las Vegas, fans react

Ryan Preece, No:41 Fred wrecked (In Circle) and Tony Stewart (Via IMAGO)

Since the start of the 2021 season, Stewart Haas Racing has been struggling to perform. Once the Next-Gen cars were introduced in the Cup Series, they haven’t even come close to matching their glory days despite having legendary drivers like Kevin Harvick on the team. Their worst season ever came in 2023, which saw them end the year winless and it was more disappointing considering it was Harvick’s retirement season.

Tony Stewart who hired two new drivers for the 2024 season promised a major comeback this season, but after two races it seems the team hasn’t made any serious progress. Now things went bad to worse for the team after their driver Ryan Preece wrecked himself during the practice session ahead of the Las Vegas race.

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Preece, who last week got an L1 penalty for illicit roof modifications in Atlanta, on his first lap of the day saw his car wrecked onto the outside wall after getting lost in the middle of corner two. The No:41 Mustang had heavy damage and it also cost the Group A drivers who entered practice session alongside Preece valuable time.

Due to the wreck, Preece wasn’t able to clock in a lap time in the qualifying and will start the race at P36 tomorrow. His teammates Noah Gragson and Josh Berry also finished outside the top 25 in qualifying. Team lead driver Chase Briscoe though had a solid day, as he secured a P6 in qualifying.

Here is how fans on social media reacted to the Ryan Preece incident

NASCAR fans on X had a mixed reaction to the incident featuring Preece. Most see it as a sign of the continuing drop in capability and performance of Stewart Racing. They see a long and tough season ahead for the Ford team.

Ryan Preece and Tony Stewart
Ryan Preece and Tony Stewart (Via IMAGO)

At the same time, some fans sympathized with the team, who were once among the elites of the sport and wished for their healthy return. Things seem pretty dark for SHR as recent reports even suggest that they might lose their deal with Ford ahead of 2025.

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