The All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway came to a stunning halt on only the second lap. A massive wreck took place as Ryan Preece's No. 60 RFK Racing Ford burst into flames.
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The incident occurred as competitors throughout the field tried to make some moves before the end of the first segment and the invert involving the first 26 cars. Preece and Todd Gilliland raced side-by-side before chaos unfolded.
We take a look at multiple angles of what happened on Lap 2. #AllStarRace pic.twitter.com/GBbOaJbU6v
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 17, 2026
Contact between these two drivers and Kyle Larson led to a nine-car crash. Preece's car took the brunt of the impact as it backed into the outside wall and then immediately burst into flames.
The RFK Racing driver climbed from his car under his own power and immediately headed to the infield care center for evaluation. Meanwhile, NASCAR threw the red flag while starting cleanup efforts.
Ryan Preece's No. 60 catches fire. pic.twitter.com/ASVERFdy1c
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 17, 2026
Cole Custer and Gilliland both exited the race early. Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson spent extensive time in the garage watching their teams try to complete repairs before the start of the final segment.
The other drivers involved in the crash included Michael McDowell, Daniel Suarez, John Hunter Nemechek, and Chase Elliott. The members of this group all continued with the race.
"The big hits always seem to find me," Preece posted on Instagram after the wreck. "This one's my fault. Thought I'd be clear before (Turn) 1, and we weren't. Hate that others got tore up along with us. No points lost. Onto Charlotte."
Of course, this was far from the only wreck that occurred during the opening segment of the race. It just happened to be the only one in which a car burst into flames.
Another massive crash took place on Lap 73. Riley Herbst got loose heading onto the frontstretch and then contact from Alex Bowman turned him into the field.
This wreck collected Kyle Busch, Elliott, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell, Josh Berry, Riley Herbst, Zane Smith, Nemechek, and Bowman.
Trouble strikes the field again late in Segment 1! pic.twitter.com/bzlvGxtbHP
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 17, 2026
Nemechek could not continue in the All-Star Race. Elliott's team worked on making repairs after two different crashes, but he told Fox Sports that he didn't see the point.
The interesting part about this crash is that Nemechek, Herbst, Bell, and Buescher were supposed to make up the top two rows after the field flipped to start segment 2. All four drivers were in the garage.
