Ryan Preece did not initially know who had put him into the fence on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, but he was able to quickly guess the answer after exiting the race earlier than he preferred.
"I think it was the (No. 77)," Preece told media members after exiting the infield care center. "He just seems to be proving me right over and over again. Really fast race car, unlucky on the pit cycle.
"We were doing things right and coming through and just got ran into the fence by somebody that has no respect for his equipment, somebody else's equipment, any other driver out there. He'll have his day."
Here's what happened with Hocevar, Ware and Preece:#NASCAR | @TXMotorSpeedway pic.twitter.com/RxhVL2fbhU
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 4, 2025
The incident occurred on Lap 237. Preece was on the outside exiting a turn onto the back straight with Hocevar on his inside. The Spire Motorsports driver continued moving the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford up until it hit the outside wall and rebounded into the No. 77 Chevrolet.
Hocevar's car spun toward the outside wall and launched into the air. Preece's car slid across the track and slammed nose-first into the inside SAFER barrier. Preece's car also sustained damage after Kyle Busch accidentally spun Cody Ware into the No. 60.
This wreck ended what had been an up-and-down day for Preece. He started 33rd overall but was able to work his way to a fourth-place finish by the end of stage 2. This helped him score seven crucial points. However, he ended the day in 29th place after the wreck in the final stage.
Preece is 18th in the Cup Series standings after scoring only 15 points at Texas Motor Speedway. He is in a tie with AJ Allmendinger.
Hocevar, for comparison, continued in the race, albeit with a heavily damaged car. He finished 24th but scored 10 stage points.
This helped him gain three spots and move to 17th in the Cup Series standings. He is now two points ahead of Preece with 15 races remaining in the regular season.