Ryan Preece achieved a long-awaited milestone on Wednesday, taking his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bowman Gray after more than 220 races and six persistent seasons competing at the sport’s highest level. The Ryan Preece NASCAR Cup victory arrives just days before Preece and RFK Racing tackle the upcoming Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida, invigorating both driver and team with renewed momentum.
Years of Hard Work Pay Off for Preece and RFK Racing
Preece, the driver of the No. 60 RFK Racing entry, had not reached victory lane in the Cup Series before his recent breakthrough performance. While the win at Bowman Gray did not count toward championship points, its significance was evident for Preece, whose racing future has never been entirely secure. RFK Racing, too, benefited from this triumph, ending a winless period that lasted over a year for the team.
“I think most race car drivers will tell you it doesn’t matter if you’re racing in a shopping cart, in a Kroger parking lot, or at the clash or Daytona; winning matters to us,”
Preece said. This victory held deep meaning for the Connecticut native, erasing doubts about his ability to capture a win at the sport’s top level and contributing another accomplishment to his career wins in various types of race cars.
“When I look back on my career and the things that I’ve done, I didn’t want to go back to Connecticut and think about what could have been, or, ‘man, I never won a cup race at this level,’ because I’ve won in every type of race car I’ve ever been in.”
Preece explained, emphasizing the personal importance of this moment.
Momentum and Motivation Gained Ahead of Daytona
For both driver and team, breaking through with a victory has sparked fresh energy and expectations.
“I don’t know if they’ve experienced winning like this, and what I know from my own experience is when you win, it’ll create this monster in you where you want to win again,”
Preece noted, describing the effect of triumph on himself and his team.
“I know I had that burning desire and my team had it, but now they’re going to want it even more, and yeah, I believe in momentum and I believe our team is going to go into the Daytona 500 and we’re going to be ready.”
These words reflect growing confidence and a clear goal as the major event approaches.
Challenging History at Daytona Motivates Preece
Daytona International Speedway has not always been kind to Preece. The veteran driver has endured two significant crashes at the famed track, adding to the adversity he faces when competing there.
“For whatever reason, Daytona doesn’t love me like I love it,”
he admitted, acknowledging the unpredictable nature of the event. Yet, Preece holds faith in perseverance and racing fundamentals, saying,
“So I’m a believer in the law of averages, and I’ve had such a bad record here over time.”
He remained pragmatic about the approach, stating,
“We’ve been in the right place, we just haven’t had things go our way with what they call the big one, right. So if we can continue to just keep executing pit stops, executing stages, it’ll go our way one day and we can be lifting that trophy over our head in victory lane.”
Preparations for the Daytona 500
This weekend, the focus shifts to the iconic Daytona 500, where Preece and 40 other competitors will participate in the Pole Qualifiers on Wednesday, followed by the Duels on Thursday, building up to the main competition set for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Preece and the RFK Racing team approach this high-stakes event energized by their recent win and eager to translate hard-won momentum into Cup Series success at Daytona, hoping past misfortune gives way to a triumphant future.
