Ryan Preece didn't win the Daytona 500, but he stole the spotlight. After he reversed across the finish line, Preece recreated the moment on his way to the RFK Racing HQ, and it's got fans buzzing.

On X, Preece posted a video of himself driving a Truck in reverse and wrote, “Rolling into the shop from Daytona. Consistency is key.”

In the final lap, Preece was running the middle line, when a massive wreck ahead caused movement down the field. Preece got caught up in the action and before he knew it, his car was in the grass facing the wrong way. That's when he decided to reverse himself to the finishline.

Later, as fans wondered why he did so, Preece simply posted a, “Just wanted to finish the race,” on X. But he wasn't alone in the crash department.

On the final lap crash, RFK Racing’s co-owner Brad Keselowski, along with other drivers like Chase Elliott and Riley Herbst, was also left devastated.

“The 35 [Herbst] just wrecked me out of nowhere for no reason. That was one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen,” Keselowski told reporters outside the medical center.

While the race ended in disappointment for most of the RFK squad, fans still found a moment to laugh after Preece's parking lot moment.

NASCAR fans react to the backward cross meme

One fan wrote, “When this comes full circle, and you get turned across the line to win Atlanta backwards...don't say we didn't warn you.”

Well, Preece has a chance. He already won the Clash, and while a reverse finish at Daytona wasn't expected, he still ended the race. Now, we could see him carry over some form at Atlanta, turning his fortune around at a track where he hasn't finished in the top-10.

Perhaps we could see him turn his fortune around and celebrate as this fan suggested. "Ryan, when you win again, please make this your way of celebrating. One full lap around the track backwards. Road courses would be fun, so please get plenty of practice in the sim.”

At the same time, one fan commented, "I mean, it's better to cross the finish line backwards than upside down. Am I right?” If there's anyone who has incidents with difficult finishes at Daytona, it's Preece. For two years in a row, he was involved in massive accidents. This time, he managed to not flip his car, so it was certainly an improvement.

And after Preece found the funnier side of a 25th place finish that could have seen him place several spots higher, one fan had a special question. "Why is this guy not the most popular?" While the

He doesn’t have any cup wins, but won the 2026 Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray. His real talk and viral clip make fans wonder why he's not a fan favorite yet. Moreover, his authenticity on his X account was what grabbed the spotlight for some.

Resonating with this, another fan commented, "I love when drivers actually run their own account; it just feels so natural and genuine." 

You can read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Kaamna Dwivedi