Alert – Horror crash at Daytona 500 as car flies through the air and flips over… hours after Donald Trump appearance

NASCAR driver Ryan Preece was sent flying through the air – upside down – in a horrifying crash during the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

His car flipped over and came crashing back down on to the track – as sparks flew everywhere – during the scary wreck.

The crash occurred after Christopher Bell veered into the wall and bounced back into the pack. A collision lifted the front of Preece’s car into the air before it flipped over.

His car eventually turned back on to its tires after careering into the outside wall. Preece then dropped his safety net to signal to crews he was OK. 

‘When the car took off like that and it got real quiet, all I thought about was my daughter,’ Preece said after surviving the crash. ‘So I’m lucky to walk away but we’re getting really close to somebody not being able to. So I’m very grateful.’

The crash occurred with four laps to go in the race and hours after Donald Trump appeared at Daytona. 

Ryan Preece was sent flying through the air – upside down – in a horrifying crash

His car flipped over and landed upside down in terrifying scenes during the Daytona 500

Horrifying footage from another car shows Preece’s vehicle flying through the air on Sunday

‘All I thought about was my daughter,’ Preece said after the crash

‘Good grief,’ the Fox announcer said as Preece’s car finally came to a halt. His bumper was destroyed, while the rest of the vehicle suffered severe damage. 

Smoke then billowed from the car as emergency response units ran to check on Preece. 

Remarkably, this was not the first time his car had turned over at Daytona. Back in August 2023, he miraculously walked away from another terrifying crash – when his car flipped over 10 times.

In the closing stages of the Coke Zero Sugar 400, Preece lost control of his car and collided into Chase Briscoe. Preece flipped over repeatedly before his car eventually came to a rest while upside down.

On Sunday, William Byron raced to his second straight Daytona 500 victory, surviving a string of late-race wrecks that knocked out a chunk of contenders.

Ninth in the No 24 Chevrolet with one lap left, Byron became the first back-to-back winner since Denny Hamlin in 2019-20.

The 27-year-old held on to win after two weather delays totaling nearly four hours. 

President Trump was set to watch the race’s conclusions in Florida, after he earlier led drivers on two laps around the track in ‘The Beast’. 

Trump told Preece and Co that they are ‘great Americans’ while being taken around the 2.5mile circuit during a stirring appearance at Sunday’s race in Florida.

The President sent NASCAR fans wild on Sunday afternoon as Air Force One flew over the track before his arrival. The thousands of fans cheered wildly as his plane roared over the racetrack, with Trump making it a second straight weekend of high-profile appearances at sporting events.

William Byron survived a string of late-race wrecks to secure his second straight victory

Donald Trump hailed the bravery of the drivers as he spoke to Fox before the race started 

President Trump was given a huge reception by the thousands of fans at the circuit 

Last Sunday, he made history by becoming the first sitting President to attend a Super Bowl when he headed to New Orleans to watch the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs.

This weekend, the President’s motorcade drove straight onto the track in Florida and traveled a short distance in front of the NASCAR fans packed into the stands before it entered a secure area. 

He later returned onto the track, with his motorcade doing two laps before the race started, where he spoke to the drivers over the radio.

As Trump’s limousine paced the track, he told the drivers: ‘This is your favorite President. I’m a big fan, a really big fan of you people. How you do this, I don’t know.

‘But I just want you to be safe. You are talented people and you are great people and great Americans. Have a good day, have a lot of fun and I will see you later.’