When Kyle Busch said, ““Do we want to put money on if I create a natural caution or, I let Marcus throw a caution?” it was clear most drivers weren’t fans of the All-Star Race’s formula. It is no secret that the All-Star saga continues to face backlash. The format changes made last month have been deemed a “gimmick” by critics. NASCAR introduced a new ‘promoter’s caution’ which may be used only once before the 220th lap; unless a natural caution takes place after the 200th lap, it will not be deployed.

Even the 2024 tire experiment at the All-Star race failed to impress drivers and fans, leading NASCAR to drop the concept entirely this year. And it’s not just the format that’s drawing questions. Even the race’s prize money of $1 million has come under question. Denny Hamlin, among the drivers talking about this, said, “Certainly, the purse could get updated with the times. If you don’t win, it really financially is not a great deal for us to come here. So, it’s a bit challenging as far as that’s concerned. I think there’s any sport that can get the most out of its teams and players in an all-star format.”

However, for some drivers, the All-Star format isn’t the headline—survival is. We’re talking about the man who walked away from a near-fatal flip not just once but twice. It’s none other than Ryan Preece, and he’s all for the All-Star Race.

In an insightful interview with Frontstretch, the number 60 driver shared his thoughts on the All-Star race format, saying, “I don’t know if it’s a points race or not. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s the All-Star or points race. I think it’s great that we come here, you know, and, you know, when you drive around the campsite, the excitement that you see, man. It fits NASCAR, it screams NASCAR.” 

That’s what the All-Star event is about, not just in NASCAR, but in sports like the NBA as well. And to hear this from Preece, a driver who nearly lost his life after his car went airborne in Daytona, is what shows just how dedicated these drivers are to entertaining the fans. And it’s not just Preece; even Bubba Wallace had similar feelings. “You’re putting on a show for the fans. Even if it’s $1 million, for those guys, $1 million to NFL players is nothing. But for us, it’s another race. It doesn’t matter if we’re at Martinsville, North Wilkesboro, Daytona, where the speeds can vary. We still give it our all. We always have that ‘give it your all’ factor. It’s the same thing we do every weekend. You just so happen to take points away, it’s not like we lay over. We’re still racing. We want to win $1 million. You win the All-Star Race, you’re locked in for the next 10 years.” 

However, Preece didn’t stop there. “At the end of the day, I just hope we continue to keep building, you know,w like Marcus and them have here because it’s done wonders. I’ve never driven through North Wilkesboro much, but what I can tell you is this morning I had to go get coffee. I drove about 8 minutes away, and it looked like it’s developed. You know, it’s a place that I said to my wife, I’d live here, so you can already see the impact that this racetrack has on this community.” 

Preece isn’t wrong at all. If we look at the numbers from 2023, the North Carolina Department of Commerce estimated the race brought business worth $29 million to the area, and for Wilkes County was just shy of $50 million. It’s hard to ignore the impact, isn’t it?

For now, let’s take a look at Preece’s recent confession at the All-Star weekend.

Ryan Preece reveals the crisis that came after SHR shutdown

Last year, when Tony Stewart announced that Stewart-Haas Racing would be closing its garage doors after the 2024 season, it was a massive moment for the sport. The team’s drivers had competed for Cup Series titles, was shutting down due to financial troubles. And the only people having a worse time were the drivers, who rushed to find a different team to drive for.

Preece was one of those people, and as events unfolded at the All-Star weekend, he revealed how he and Josh Berry dealt with the fallout. “I feel like Josh [Berry] and I, we’ve gone through our careers not really knowing what’s gonna happen. I used to run modifieds… and when we got to November-December, you’re like… Am I going to race for you or?.. And that was typically how it went… When SHR was shutting down, it was trying to figure out if I’m going to continue this, trying to race in the Cup Series and contend for wins and do all that.”

Thankfully for both drivers, they got solid teams to run in the Cup Series. Berry is already succeeding at the Wood Brothers Racing Team, netting them a win at the Pennzoil 400. Meanwhile, Preece got in with Team Penske, and while he hasn’t had a win, he looks like he can get one.

He continued, “Obviously thankful for Brad [Keselowski] and Jack [Roush, co-owner] and the Fenway group at RFK for having me in the 60 car… When you’re teammates with Brad and Chris [Buescher], they’re great teammates. You always try to help each other when you’re on the race track, and there’s a lot of great insight.”