Ryan Preece, the driver of the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse, is setting his sights on another notable performance at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. Preece, who holds a pole position and several top-10 finishes at the Virginia short track, highlighted the significance of qualifying and strategic decision-making as he pursues further Ryan Preece Martinsville success.
Reflections on Qualifying and Tire Strategy
Preece emphasized that the importance of qualifying at Martinsville cannot be overstated, with a single lap sometimes making the difference between a winning run and a tough day in traffic. He recalled a strong qualifying session in the spring, explaining how slight misjudgments in key moments can affect the outcome. He plans to focus intently during practice, adapt to new tire compounds, and approach qualifying with a determined mindset.
“Martinsville, to be honest with you, qualifying day can make or break your race day. It’s really important and, for me, I felt like this spring I remember 100 percent that we were on a really good lap, potentially the pole, and then I just tried to get too much going into turn three like a lot of us race car drivers do when things feel really good, and just gave a lot of that up. I think this time with it being a new tire, kind of get a really good feel of what that’s gonna be in practice, but then just get your mind right for qualifying and try to put it on the pole.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
Growth and Perspective Gained Through the Season
The current season has been a period of noticeable personal and professional growth for Preece. Reflecting on his progression, he attributed much of his development to his team and the influence of veteran teammates. An open mindset and willingness to listen, he explained, have allowed him to build on lessons from his earlier career and refine his race approach.
“I feel like quite a bit. There’s always something to learn. I would say that would be a lot due to the team that we have around me, but as well as Brad. Perspective is everything and you need to have an open mind as a race car driver and you need to be willing to listen to others, so I think that’s been nice. I guess to answer your question I feel like I’ve matured and focused on the things that Ryan Preece when he was a lot younger as a driver would just focus on.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
Racing Milestones and the Success of Peers
The upcoming Modified championship brings a personal connection for Preece, as Austin Beers looks to break his record as the youngest titleholder in that division. Preece shared memories of racing against Austin’s father, and expressed genuine support for Austin’s achievements. His remarks detailed a longstanding camaraderie with the Beers family and a sense of pride in witnessing another generation’s success.
“The first thing is that records are meant to be broken, so I would be extremely happy for Austin. His father, I actually raced against his father, Eric, and I remember I was actually really young and there was an opportunity at one point that I almost drove for him. I’ve known the Beers family forever. I played video games with Austin when he was a little kid, and whenever I was gonna beat him or he was gonna beat me, he would hit the reset button. That was the big joke for the longest time, so, to answer that, I’d be extremely happy for Austin because he’s a great race car driver. He’s a great kid. He’s always upbeat and if somebody was gonna beat that record for being the youngest champion, I’d want it to be him. I’m excited for him and tomorrow night, and for him to have that opportunity and hopefully go do it.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
Preece noted, however, that he would not be in attendance for the championship race, but he will be following the event closely and rooting for Austin from afar.
“I, unfortunately, will not be unless something changes, but I will be following along to watch and hopefully he can close it out and win.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
Approaching Martinsville as a Non-Playoff Competitor
This weekend, as a non-playoff driver at Martinsville, Preece is mindful of the tension and urgency facing those competing for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship four spots. He acknowledged the complexity of the situation, emphasizing the importance of racing hard regardless of playoff status, and underscored his aim to secure a victory for his team and organization rather than yielding track position to those with playoff hopes.
“Yeah. There’s a lot on the line for them, but does that mean I’m gonna pull over? If I’m leading the race, am I gonna pull over? I don’t think you can do that. There’s definitely a lot to it. I didn’t make the system. There’s 36, so there are 28 other drivers out there that are still trying to win or do the right things by their teams. Is it unfortunate that those guys that do-or-die have to go up against people that aren’t technically in the playoffs? It would do your team an injustice if you just kind of rode around saying, ‘Well, I’m just gonna ride eighth, ninth, tenth, second or whatever it may be.’ I think at that point, if you’re second or third and whoever it is runs you down, that’s where you just kind of use your head when it comes to some of that stuff. Every situation is different. You can make somebody’s life difficult or you can make it easy and how you choose to approach that is your decision, but, for me, my goal is to go and win. I was just down at the setup plate talking with Derrick and my engineers and the crew and looking at some stuff with them, and I’m excited about it. I feel like we have a lot of things to be excited for, so Martinsville is a race that when we go there I feel like we can win – not that I don’t at other places – but I’ve had a lot of success at Virginia short tracks, so it would be nice to bring home a grandfather clock.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
When asked to put himself in the position of a championship-contending driver, Preece observed that the desire to win is shared whether or not a playoff spot is on the line, discouraging a conservative points-based approach in favor of aggressive execution.
“I understand what you’re asking now. At that point, if you’re not locked in yet, I think their mindset is no different than my mindset, which is I need to win. That’s all you can do. When you fall into the point game of, ‘well, I just need to finish this place or higher,’ typically that’s where you end up and you end up in a struggle and the best way to go about it is go with every intention of winning and executing.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
Martinsville’s Place in Preece’s Career
Preece’s history at Martinsville Speedway is filled with meaningful milestones: his first Modified victory, his first Cup Series pole, and multiple Modified wins. He described Martinsville as a track where he always feels capable of contending for top qualifying spots and race wins, attributing its character to the connection he has developed over the years. Track position, in his view, is extremely challenging to gain during the race, making a strong qualifying performance crucial. With the introduction of a new left side tire by Goodyear, Preece expects tire management and late-race passing to shape the strategies in play this weekend.
“Yeah, Martinsville is a place that I love and the reason being is that’s where I got my first modified win. That’s where I got my first Cup Series pole. That’s where I’ve won multiple times in the modifieds, so there’s a lot of great things about Martinsville for me, but it’s just that track. There are certain racetracks that drivers feel that when they go to them, they feel like they can get that extra little bit, and when it comes to Martinsville, that’s the style of racetrack that we’re always a contender to go get the pole. We’re a contender at short tracks, so, for me, I talk about qualifying is extremely important and that’s because it is. Trying to make up track position in year’s past is extremely difficult and sometimes it takes you all 400 laps to do that. We saw it earlier this spring when we stayed out for stage points. It took us all the way until the final 50 laps to get in the top 10 and it’s not easy, so with that being said, I do see with Goodyear that the new left side should promote some tire wear, should promote tire management, so that should create late-race passing depending on how long these runs go, so there are a lot of things on my mind when it comes to that. That could make the track position game, depending on how your car is and how you manage your tires, a little bit easier, but when we go to Martinsville that is circled at the beginning of the year – two times that we can go win.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
How Modified Experience Impacts Approach to the Next Gen Car
Drawing on his Modified background, Preece believes that four years of Next Gen Cup car racing have reinforced the value of tire conservation and race management, much like he experienced in his early career. He supports the direction tire development is headed, explaining that softer tires increase the need for careful driving and make each competitor’s decisions on tire management more meaningful, producing a brand of racing closer to what he prefers and grew up with.
“Oh, absolutely, and that’s why I’m actually excited that we’re heading down the route that we’re going with the tire. I’ve been saying it for four years. This is what we need to do and we’ve been doing it and, guess what? Now we’re seeing passing. We’re seeing management. We’re seeing things that a lot of these drivers, a lot of people, they’re used to 40-50 lap sprints and management isn’t really a thing. You just had hard tires that depending on how hot they got would fall off, and now you saw it at the ROVAL, you’ve seen it at Loudon, you saw it at various places that depending on how hard you abuse that tire, the bigger the price you pay. That’s very similar to what I grew up racing was, yeah, I can choose to beat this tire and make speed and do all that, but I’m gonna pay the price at lap 40 or 50 in an 80-100 lap race. So, to me, the balance, the characteristics of the way that the car is driving as well was the tire deg is getting a lot more similar to what I’m used to.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
Tactics and Communication with the Team
Preece detailed the strategic relationship he maintains with his crew chief during race weekends. He typically lets the crew chief dictate the plan for pit stops, cautions, and race strategies, then adapts his driving to complement those choices. He feels well-prepared after these discussions, knowing when to push his tires or when to preserve them for longer runs.
“I let him tell me what the strategy is and then I make my plan on how I need to drive that race car based on what his plan is. He’s on the pit box. He sees what’s happening, the potential for cautions or if we need to short pit or what-not. That’s his decision. We’ve had those conversations and I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do to either use them up or make them live.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
San Diego Street Course and Testing Experience
Looking outside Martinsville, Preece commented on the recently unveiled San Diego course, likening its complexity to a video game environment and expressing excitement at the chance to compete in California. As for formal Cup testing, Preece’s participation has been limited, with only one wet weather session at Miami last October marking his hands-on experience.
“Yeah, I saw it yesterday and when I saw the picture of it, it reminded me of a Fortnite map. There was a lot going on there and I’m excited to go. I think it’s a great opportunity to go out to California and San Diego. Hopefully, we can beat SVG.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
“I did a wet weather test last October at Miami. That’s it.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
Technical Information Flow and Team Roles
Preece acknowledged the specialized nature of information sharing between teams when it comes to major tests and tire models, often falling beyond his direct involvement and being handled by leaders such as Brad Keselowski. His role, he clarified, is focused on driving rather than engineering or data dissemination.
“That’s a great question, but that’s probably a Brad question. As much as I like to be in-depth and very knowledgeable about my race cars and a lot of things that are going on, I just never had that conversation about those details because, to be honest with you, that’s way above me. That would be a Brad question. I think he could probably expand on that more. I wish I could give you more.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
Adjusting to Race Conditions and the Role of the Crew Chief
When confronted with a car that behaves differently than anticipated, Preece adapts his driving style as needed—typically recognizing any misalignment after the first tire run. Quick adaptation is essential, learned from years of experience, and he prefers to handle the nuances of tire care on his own during the race, rather than focusing on the engineering details with his crew chief.
“I think there are a lot of things that play into that, but, from a driver’s standpoint, usually you fall off in the first run if you push those tires too hard, and that’s when you quickly figure out you need to drive differently. Based on my experiences and some of the things that I’ve learned in my day, I can adjust really quickly, but usually you’ll find out after the first set of tires that you need to change what you’re doing.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
“I try not to ask him what springs and shocks and all of those things are that he’s putting in the car. As a race car driver, that’s my job – to understand how I need to take care of those tires, so I do it on my own.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
Hands-On Experience and Professional Focus at RFK Racing
Drawing on his technical skills, Preece sometimes directly participates in car setup work but recognizes the boundaries between his job as a driver and the specialized roles within RFK Racing. This self-awareness about responsibilities has been fundamental to his development and success with the team this year.
“That goes back to the maturing things of this year. Don’t get me wrong, I just spent probably 30 minutes on a Gale Force yesterday working on a race car and some shocks and springs and bump stops. Do I know how? Yeah, but it’s not my job. At RFK, they didn’t hire me to be a crew chief. They didn’t hire me to be an engineer. They hired me to be a race car driver and understanding that that’s the role that I need to keep my head focused on has really been a big part of my success this year.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
Upcoming Rule Changes and Racing Skills
Looking ahead to the anticipated horsepower changes for the following NASCAR season, Preece said he believes both power and tire consistency play major roles in competition outcomes. Softer tires, introduced by Goodyear, have forced drivers to maximize their skillsets and adaptability, and Preece welcomes this trend as it increases the importance of race craft and tactical awareness.
“I think they all go hand in hand. From a percentage breakdown, I think it’s around a 10 percent change. It’s gonna make a difference, but I think the tires being softer and all the things Goodyear has been doing has made a huge change. We were at the ROVAL a couple weeks ago and you could barely hook up the tires in third gear through the oval portion, so at the end of the day, what we’re doing as a sport is allowing us race car drivers to use the tools that we’ve learned coming through the ranks. If our car isn’t the fastest car, we can find ways to maximize our days or potentially win based on those skills that we’ve learned. That’s the thing I really like about the direction we’re going in with this sport.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
Pit Strategy and Learning Moments from Past Races
Preece analyzed a recent restart where his choice of lane affected the outcome, wishing he had opted for a more versatile racing line. He detailed the strategic depth of pit stall selection at Martinsville, citing personal experience with both its advantages and pitfalls. Speeding on pit road from a prime pit stall was a key learning moment, underlining the non-negotiable importance of discipline and focus in crucial stages of the race.
“I don’t know. For me, I couldn’t tell you. As soon as I got out of that race car, I wished I had gone to the middle lane because I’ve always said that the middle lane is the one with the most options for me with how I choose to drive superspeedways, so I was disappointed in myself. From anything that happened from there on, all eyes were forward to Daytona.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
“I can tell you there’s somebody that’s sped off the number one pit stall, but it’s actually the number two pit stall. For me, man, I wish I could go back and do that day over because track position was massive. It was a learning moment for sure. I felt like we had a really fast car and I feel like we’re gonna have a badass car this weekend, so a lot of good things looking forward and I’d love to have that number two pit stall again one day.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
“In that moment, I asked the question, ‘Can I speed from this box?’ And I was told I couldn’t, but apparently you can, so I think moving forward when you launch out of your pit box it’s to be aware to not go over the RPM that you’re told to target, so I think that’s the biggest thing. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot. Don’t take yourself out of the race. I’m somebody that I feel like on restarts I can be extremely aggressive. If we lose a spot or two, it’s not the end of the world because I can make it back. If you lose 35 spots, good luck trying to make that up.” — Ryan Preece, Driver
The Road Ahead at Martinsville
As the weekend approaches, Ryan Preece’s preparation and experience at Martinsville Speedway position him as a contender. He carries a blend of strategic focus, lessons from past races, and confidence in the capabilities of his team at RFK Racing. With multiple factors coming into play, including tire management, pit strategy, and changes in horsepower rules on the horizon, Preece’s approach underscores the dynamic nature of modern NASCAR competition.
The coming race at Martinsville will not only contribute to the ongoing championship storylines but also serve as a personal milestone in Preece’s journey, as he seeks to add another chapter of Ryan Preece Martinsville success to his career.
