Shortly after Ryan Preece’s show of displeasure, NASCAR altered the North Wilkesboro Speedway for the All-Star Race

Ryan Preece was upset about NASCAR penalizing him for running over the restart commitment box. As per the rules, the drivers must choose between the inside and the outside lane before crossing the zone.

With 17 laps to go, Preece, who was running second at the time, rolled over the "choose cone" (a painted ‘V’ on the track), earning a penalty that sent him to the rear. As a result, the RFK Racing newcomer did not qualify for the main event, i.e., the 41st All-Star Race scheduled for May 18.

Preece told FS1 that he was unable to see the mark from inside his cockpit. Visibly upset about the consequences, after the race the Mustang pilot grabbed an actual traffic cone from somewhere and placed it on the inside wall of North Wilkesboro Speedway.

“It’s really nonexistent from inside the car,” Ryan Preece said (via NBC). “You can’t see it. So I just hooked a hard left going acoss the line, figuring it’s in that area. I’m frustrated because if you have a situation like that, put a cone out there so we can see it.”

NASCAR got the message loud and clear. Soon, track workers were seen repainting the commitment box, which seemed to have gotten dull due to the rubber laid down during the Whelen Modified race held earlier that day. The same was reported by Dustin Long of NBC through X (formerly Twitter).

While Ryan Preece finished 11th, short of two spots, Carson Hocevar and John Hunter Nemechek ended up 1-2. They will start 21st and 22nd, respectively, in the All-Star Race. The 23rd and last driver to make the lineup was Noah Gragson, earning his entry by winning a fan vote contest.

Ryan Preece opens up on career uncertainty following SHR exit

Ahead of the 2025 NASCAR season, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that they would cease all kinds of operations as a team. The now defunct organization released over 300 employees at the time, leaving the drivers looking for new homes as well.

Ryan Preece was one of those drivers who wasn’t sure what they would do after parting ways with SHR. Detailing the same during a recent interview with Frontstretch, the Berlin, Connecticut native said (1:35),

“When SHR was shutting down, I was trying to figure out if I'm going to continue at this, trying to race in the Cup series and you know contend for wins and do all that.”

Soon, RFK Racing reached out to Preece, offering him to drive their No. 60 machine in what was his sixth full season in the NASCAR Cup Series.

"You know obviously thankful for Brad and Jack and the Fenway Group at RFK for having me in this 60 car, and you know representing partners like Kroger and Mohawk and Solomon's Plumbing, and you know the list goes on and on,” he added.

Back to the All-Star side of things, North Wilkesboro awaits the thrilling dash for the million-dollar cash prize. Fans can watch the action unfold on FS1, 8 pm ET onwards, or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Ryan Preece, on the other hand, will prepare for his upcoming race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 25.