Ryan Preece, who built his racing career from his Connecticut roots, has made a stirring return to the spotlight in the Ryan Preece NASCAR Cup Series. As the 2024 Cup Series season reached its close, Preece, once without a team, clinched a landmark win last week at The Clash, staged under sleet and icy conditions at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This victory not only marked a powerful statement about his resilience but also set the tone for his ambitions to remain at the front of the field and compete for further wins in NASCAR’s highest ranks.
Road Back From Uncertainty
Preece’s path to his latest success was anything but certain. Earlier in the 2024 season, he was looking at a premature end to his NASCAR career, left without a ride after Stewart-Haas Racing’s impending closure. Despite consistent participation since joining the Cup Series in 2019, Preece’s record showed only sporadic top-10 finishes and no official Cup win, which put his future in question.
However, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK) offered him a spot, and Preece, now driving the No. 60 Ford Mustang, posted a personal best with 14 top-10 finishes in the 2025 season, ultimately finishing 18th in the standings. This second chance has revitalized Preece’s confidence and placed him back into NASCAR’s competitive fold.
The Clash: A Turning Point
At The Clash—an exhibition event on one of America’s most storied short tracks—Preece delivered a performance that reinvigorated his standing in the sport. The 200-lap event was not his first Cup Series triumph, but the circumstances made it a defining moment for his career. As heavy sleet fell and temperatures neared freezing, Preece and his RFK team executed a flawless race.
“It shows that you can do it,”
Preece told the Orlando Sentinel this week.
“As much as it was an exhibition race, you had to qualify in. You had to execute the entire race as a team to win. As a race car driver and as a team, we did all those things right.”
— Ryan Preece, NASCAR Cup Series Driver
“We showed that we can go and we can execute and we can compete as a team — in many adverse conditions.”
— Ryan Preece, NASCAR Cup Series Driver
High-Speed Challenges at Daytona
Preece’s journey is marked not just by victories but by survival. He carries a long history with Daytona International Speedway, a track notorious for its perilous high-speed crashes. Cars there routinely approach 200 mph, racing inches apart with little margin for error. Preece himself has endured two severe accidents at Daytona, the most recent in the 2025 Daytona 500 when contact with Christopher Bell sent his car airborne in a violent series of flips. After the ordeal, Preece stated,
“All I thought about was my daughter, so I’m lucky to walk away.”
— Ryan Preece, NASCAR Cup Series Driver
These incidents followed another crash, just weeks after the birth of his daughter Rebecca Marie on August 7, 2023, when he rolled ten times during the Coke Zero Sugar 400, resulting in broken blood vessels in his eyes. The sequence of crashes deepened Preece’s concerns about the safety of NASCAR’s Gen 7 car, comparing it to
“a sheet of plywood on a windy day.”
— Ryan Preece, NASCAR Cup Series Driver
Perseverance Through Adversity
Preece’s resilience has shone through these tribulations. Reflecting on the emotional weight of his accidents and the ongoing risks drivers face, Preece remarked,
“I had a couple people that called me, but one stood out to me,”
recalling how sharing experiences provided comfort.
“Most race fans, they might have one accident, maybe, in their lifetime — and maybe it’s a big one, and it had a big impact on them. Race car drivers, we have big wrecks multiple times a season, sometimes, and we just shake it off.”
— Ryan Preece, NASCAR Cup Series Driver
This tenacity harks back to legendary moments in NASCAR history, like Ricky Rudd racing with his eyes taped open after a concussion at Daytona. For Preece, mental toughness is at the core of his identity:
“Part of being a race car driver is being tough and mentally tough, and that’s who I am and that’s what I want to be,”
he asserted.
“I want to be somebody that is going to do things that other people won’t.”
— Ryan Preece, NASCAR Cup Series Driver
From Grassroots Champ to Cup Series Opportunity
Preece’s racing career is built on a foundation of hard work and victory in NASCAR’s grassroots circuits. He is a 26-time Modified Tour winner, claiming the series championship in 2013, and also has victories in both the Truck and Xfinity series. Yet, his initial jump to the Cup Series did not bring the same results, as the transition from Connecticut’s short tracks to NASCAR’s top level proved challenging.
His break came through the belief of Hall of Fame owner Jack Roush and multi-race winner Brad Keselowski, who welcomed Preece to the RFK organization. This faith was well placed, as Preece found new form and consistency amid NASCAR’s highly competitive landscape.
“Much like any professional sport, it takes a great team,”
Preece said.
“It’s not like I just woke up in the past year or so and decided to start running well. I’ve always been able to go do it.”
— Ryan Preece, NASCAR Cup Series Driver
“It was just trying to find the right place to do it.”
— Ryan Preece, NASCAR Cup Series Driver
A New England Spirit With Unfinished Business
Preece remains deeply connected to his New England heritage, remembering formative days racing at Stafford and Thompson Speedways, and New York’s Riverhead Raceway.
“I’m a die hard New Englander,”
he said. — Ryan Preece, NASCAR Cup Series Driver His pride in his origins persists even as he competes in a sport deeply rooted in the American Southeast.
The goal, Preece emphasizes, is to return north one day with his legacy secured:
“I have every intention of moving back north when I’m done racing,”
he said.
“But I want to move home with a lot of trophies.”
— Ryan Preece, NASCAR Cup Series Driver
What Lies Ahead for Preece in NASCAR
Preece approaches the next challenge—Sunday’s Daytona 500—with determination and momentum from his triumph at The Clash. The race, set at Daytona International Speedway and broadcast on FOX, will test his skill and endurance once again as he navigates the unpredictable dynamics of superspeedway racing.
His resurgence not only marks a personal comeback but also illustrates the opportunities that can emerge even when prospects appear bleak. As Preece pushes forward, his story resonates with fellow drivers, teams, and fans, reinforcing NASCAR’s tradition of grit and the relentless pursuit of victory.
