NASCAR’s Ryan Preece feeling OK after scary Daytona crash, cleared to race at Darlington

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Beyond the bruising under both his eyes, NASCAR driver Ryan Preece had no other noticeable injuries Saturday when he spoke to the media about his violent wreck that occurred a week ago at Daytona International Speedway.

Preece crashed late during the Daytona Cup Series race last Saturday night, flipping wildly 10 times down the backstretch before his No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford finally slammed to rest on its wheels. The 32-year-old quickly extracted himself from the car with assistance from safety workers, was placed on a gurney and transported to nearby Halifax Health Medical Center for further evaluation. He was released from the hospital the next morning and traveled back to his home in North Carolina.

“This is what we’re supposed to be — we’re supposed to be tough,” Preece said Saturday at Darlington Raceway, the site of Sunday’s Southern 500. “And it’s OK to be tough. It’s OK to do those things. I feel good. My wife even joked with me on Monday morning and said, ‘You got out of bed quicker than me.’ Me as a person, my father raised me to be the way that I am, how tough I am and how I want to be as a person, so it’s OK to be that way.”

Preece received medical clearance Friday to compete this weekend at Darlington. On…