Ryan Preece is sitting 28th in points with Stewart-Haas Racing equipment. He is on pace for the worst full-time season of his career, but none of it is his fault.
Ryan Preece lost his ride at JTG Daugherty Racing due to lack of sponsorship funding, putting his career into a limbo-like campaign for 2022. The Connecticut native remained in the Cup Series driving select races for Rick Ware Racing under a SHR alliance. Overall Preece would balance between all three of the top series in 2022 while also completing open modified races on a part-time basis.
Short track racing is what made Ryan Preece, he is the true definition of a short track ringer. Preece grew up racing SK Modifieds at local short tracks in Connecticut, becoming the local superman. He’s the mentor to some and an idol to many both young and old.
Preece has won countless local track races and has appeared in victory lane 25 times in 171 attempts in the Whelen Modified Tour.
Tony Stewart liked what he saw in Preece and with that he made it possible for him to run select races across the Cup, Xfinity and Truck series to help develop him while also keeping his skills sharp in the hardest series of auto racing. Preece would do well enough to knock Cole Custer out of the No.41 for 2023, the local track star would start the season racing for one of the most dominant teams in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Preece has completed in all seven races so far, finishing a total of four with two of them being lead-lap-finishes. The average start is at 26th and so is his average finish, what that stat doesn’t show though is what Preece has been through during the races.
This season is largely being viewed as one of the biggest opportunities for Preece when it comes to winning and contending for wins. He kicked things off at Daytona showing speed, but would have a p36 result due to being involved in a crash. Preece would then be caught up in a nine-car crash at Auto Club just a week later and that has been the story for the 32-year-old: He has just been victim of incidents that are out of his control.
A more recent example comes in Texas at COTA, everything is bigger in Texas and tempers are no exception. The road course showing was two completely different races in one: First race being regular twisting and turning around the famous F1 track and the second race being a multi-million demo derby. Several overtime restarts saw drivers blatantly wreck each other.
Preece was lined up in the fourth row, attempting to finish off a solid showing. He would end up getting loose on the outside of Michael McDowell and Alex Bowman. Contact from Ty Gibbs spun the Ford into his former teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr., destroying the front end of the No. 41, resulting in a p32 DNF.
In a post race discussion with Frontstretch, Preece told the outlet that a lot of drivers “pay their way” to the Cup Series with no respect for their cars, adding that “someone needs an ass kicking.”
Respect has been a major talking point amongst drivers and fans throughout the past several seasons. Preece is just one of many drivers who have complained about how they are being raced.
If it wasn’t for Preece being involved in other’s mistakes then he would most likely be top-15 in the point standings. The veteran driver showed his talent during the most recent Cup race at Richmond, where he started p33 and finished in 18th on the lead lap. Richmond has always been a power track for the modified great, he recently won there back in 2021.
Ryan Preece is a great driver and is in a prime opportunity, he will be getting top fives soon. It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when.
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