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Ryan Preece walks onstage during driver introductions earlier this season at Talladega Superspeedway. Preece addressed the ongoing Ty Gibbs controversy at Watkins Glen while waiting for NASCAR’s appeal process to play out.

Ryan Preece is choosing his words carefully as one of NASCAR’s most controversial recent penalties continues hanging over the Cup Series garage at Watkins Glen.

The RFK Racing driver addressed the ongoing Ty Gibbs situation from this week but made it clear he has little interest in publicly escalating the conversation while NASCAR’s appeal process remains active.

Preece was careful not to publicly dive into specifics surrounding the Ty Gibbs situation while NASCAR’s appeal process remains ongoing.

The RFK Racing driver largely avoided escalating the controversy during press availability at the Watkins Glen race weekend, making clear he wants the process to play out before saying much publicly.

Ryan Preece Carefully Addresses Ty Gibbs Situation

While Preece avoided diving deeply into specifics, his comments reflected just how sensitive the situation has become inside the garage.

NASCAR penalties — especially ones involving playoff implications or competition-related rulings — often create tension among drivers and teams, particularly while appeals are still pending.

Preece appeared fully aware of that dynamic when speaking with reporters at Watkins Glen.

According to Motorsport.com, he said:

“You know, I’m thankful that NASCAR has an appeals process so I feel like I can be heard and let that process play out.”

Preece also acknowledged the emotional side of the situation while stopping short of directly criticizing NASCAR officials.

“Well, I was on my mower, mowing my lawn at about 4:30 and not very great signal,” Preece said. “I just saw that I had a missed call and I made the call back and found out that I had a penalty. I’m thankful for RFK Racing and for Chip (Bowers, president) and everyone for their support.”

The remarks offered one of Preece’s clearest public reactions yet as the story continues unfolding during one of the busiest stretches of the NASCAR season.

He also shared, “Because, like I said, at least I feel like I can go through it and share my side.”

NASCAR Appeal Process Remains Ongoing

The larger controversy surrounding Gibbs and the NASCAR penalty process has remained a major storyline throughout the Watkins Glen weekend.

Appeals in NASCAR can significantly alter championship outlooks, playoff positioning, and team momentum, which is part of why drivers are often reluctant to speak too aggressively before the process concludes.

Preece also said he does not plan to speak with Gibbs until after the appeals process concludes. He added that he is not planning to change how he handles himself publicly during the situation.

“At the beginning of the season, we talked about being ourselves so I’m not going to change being myself,” Preece said. “But what can I say? I’m elected for the appeals process and I look forward to getting through that.”

With the playoff battle tightening and tensions already elevated across the garage, the Ty Gibbs situation continues generating significant attention heading deeper into the Watkins Glen weekend.

And while Preece stopped well short of creating additional controversy, his carefully measured comments made it clear the issue remains far from resolved.