NASCAR fined RFK Racing's Ryan Preece $50,000 and docked him 25 points in the standings after contact with Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs in the race at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this month.
The team appealed the penalties, but the National Motorsports Appeals Panel upheld them, primarily because Preece seemingly made his intent clear on the radio before making contact with Gibbs' No. 54 Toyota and knocking him out of the race.
The decision was upheld in a 2-1 ruling. The panel members for this decision were Tom DeLoach, Dixon Johnston, and Lake Speed.
Ryan Preece decision upheld
The following statement was provided by the panel, according to NASCAR.com.
"Although not a unanimous decision, NASCAR and RFK Racing presented competing interpretations of common data. Neither side clearly proved their point, but Mr. Preece’s comments showed that he chose to not cut his competitor any breaks."
RFK Racing still have the option to take their case to the Final Appeals Officer.
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) May 27, 2026
Considering the fact that this decision was based on the idea that Preece "chose to not cut his competitor any breaks", it would not be surprising to see RFK Racing elevate their case. This is NASCAR, and drivers should not be cutting competitors breaks, period.
That explanation, in and of itself, indicates that even they don't completely believe Preece intentionally crashed Gibbs, and the fact that the decision was not unanimous only backs up that point. Of course, sometimes the data, and even the eye test, can tell a different story.
Ryan Preece decision affects NASCAR standings, playoffs
As it stands, however, Preece's 25 points have not been reinstated. He is 16th in the Cup Series point standings, making him the lowest driver above the playoff cut line. He is currently 15 points to the good, ahead of Team Penske's Austin Cindric in 17th. Without the penalty, he'd be 40 points up, and he'd be tied for 13th.
Preece has been a model of consistency this season, but he suffered his first DNF in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and while that consistency has kept him above the cutoff, DNFs will be hard for him to bounce back from under this new format, as despite consistently racking up top 20 results, he has just two top 10 finishes and nothing higher than eighth.
In other words, this decision could end up being the reason Preece fails to qualify for the playoffs (and another driver qualifies).
The Cracker Barrel 400 is set to get the second half of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season underway this Sunday, May 31. Live coverage from Nashville Superspeedway is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video.
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