Ryan Preece’s wife, Heather, is also a racing driver and a NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity participant.
Preece recently fled after a spectacular crash during the closing laps of the 2025 Daytona 500, going airborne and flipping down the Daytona backstretch and up the banking in Turn 3 on Sunday, February 16, 2025.
Highlights
- Ryan Preece flipped upside down as he crashed, going into turn 3, and Erik Jones passed during the NASCAR Dayton 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway on February 16, 2025.
- He was married to Heather DeRochers, with whom he shares a daughter named Rebecca Preece.
- Preece was also involved in the crash in 2023 in which his car flipped over multiple times in Daytona.
It all occurred after a multi-car crash that started when Christopher Bell got spun in front of traffic while racing for the win with four laps to go.
Bell was racing with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin when he got spun and hit the outside wall ahead after a bump draft from Cole Custer, sending him back to traffic and into the path of Preece’s No. 60 Ford Mustang Dark Horse car.
The impact launched the right front of Preece’s car into the air, and the left front remained in the air after contact with Erik Jones’ car before it was finally lifted fully into the air and upside down.
It then slid up the Turn 3 banking and flipped back onto its wheels. The crash marks Preece’s second flip in that section of Daytona’s backstretch.
He was fortunate to walk away from the crash in the final laps. However, the RFK Racing driver voiced his concerns about the recurring issue of cars going airborne.
In a post-race interview with Matt Weaver, Preece said he thought about his daughter and felt lucky to have walked away.
He also emphasized that he didn’t want to be the “example” if these crashes resulted in harm, urging for changes to prevent such incidents from happening again. Preece said,
“I don’t know what the right thing to say right now is, but I think the thing I want to say as a father, as a racer, is we keep beating on a door, hoping for a different result. And I think we know where there’s a problem at Superspeedways, so I don’t want to be the example of when it finally does get somebody, I don’t want it to be me.”
Ryan Preece
Ryan Preece’s First Thought After Crash Was To Let His Wife Heather Know That He Is Fine
According to sources, Ryan Preece, 34, born on October 25, 1990, met Heather DesRochers in 2009 at the Stafford Motor Speedway and had an instant connection that developed into friendship.
Later, the pair tied the knot in 2017 at a private ceremony. In 2023, they were blessed with a daughter named Rebecca Preece.
Recently, on February 14, 2025, Ryan wished Heather a happy Valentine’s Day through his official Instagram handle. He wrote,
Happy Valentine’s Day to my incredible wife, Heather! Every day with you feels like an adventure, and I’m so grateful to have you by my side. Your love fills my life with joy, laughter, and endless support. Thank you for being my partner and my best friend. Here’s to more memories, more laughter, and more love. Love you forever!
Ryan Preece
Heather is also a racing driver and a participant in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity.
They competed against each other in the SK Modified Series in 2011, where Preece won the championship, and DesRochers was the Rookie of the Year.
Earlier in 2023, Preece was involved in one of the scariest crashes, in which his car flipped over multiple times at Daytona.
While speaking to The Athletic, Preece explained what his wife went through after the incident. He said,
“Well, I would never want her to feel like that again,” “As a race car driver, we don’t think about the consequences. Because we love this sport and we’re very competitive. That feeling, that high of highs when you’re successful, that’s all we chase.”
Ryan Preece
Ryan’s infant daughter and his wife Heather were at home watching when he crashed.
For his wife, there was immediate fear that he was severely injured. Preece added,
“Now on the other side, if some of us have wives or girlfriends, they’re the ones who are sitting there helpless, right? And I know after talking to her, when she watched that happen, as violent as it was … I can imagine how she felt. I don’t want to say she felt, ‘He’s dead,’ but she felt I was really hurt. So seeing me get out obviously felt good for her,”
Ryan Preece
His first thought was to let Heather know that he was fine. He continued,
“My first thought was, ‘I need to let Heather know I’m OK.’ Even when I watch that wreck to this day, as a race car driver, it’s just another wreck. But I do understand to my wife and to many people out there, when they see that, that’s not a normal thing.”
Ryan Preece
It wasn’t the first wreck that Ryan Preece suffered in his NASCAR career. However, it helped him understand how others feel about those crashes that he gets in.
Additional Information
- With a successful racing career, Ryan Preece’s estimated net worth is around $2 million as of 2025. He earns an annual salary of $500,000 from his contract with CDM Sports.
- Preece was born in Berlin, Connecticut, to Jeff and Jodie Preece. He is the youngest of three sons.
- He debuted in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2021, driving the No. 17 for David Gilliland Racing in the Nashville Superspeedway and Pocono Raceway races.
