Ryan Preece is preparing for a pivotal weekend at Phoenix Raceway after launching his season with a memorable win at The Clash at Bowman Gray. As the NASCAR Cup Series heads west, Preece sits 16th in the point standings and looks to capitalize on momentum for both himself and RFK Racing, continuing his quest to rise in the rankings at Phoenix—where he secured a ninth-place finish last fall.
Preece Reflects on Early Season Performance and Team Growth
After a strong start that saw him earn a victory at Bowman Gray, Preece has faced both highlights and challenges in the first races of the year. With a background of ongoing progress from last season, he recognizes the collective improvement within RFK Racing, noting the group’s efforts to become a consistent threat at the front of the field. He pointed out the significance of qualifying better to secure early stage points and enhance race positioning.
He discussed the early season results across a variety of tracks, from Daytona to Atlanta and Circuit of The Americas, emphasizing areas for personal and team growth. The steady improvement from year to year is a pillar for Preece, fueling optimism as the team approaches circuits where they have historically performed well, including Las Vegas, Darlington, and Martinsville.
Adjusting to NASCAR’s Changing Packages and Strategy
Preece addressed recent changes in the horsepower package used in the Cup Series. Comparing the performance differences between tracks like COTA, which features significant tire fall-off, and others, he commented on how subtle shifts in horsepower and tire selection shape strategy over the course of the season. The ongoing need for careful adaptation and learning is a theme for his approach in this early phase of the year.
“I definitely think there were some takeaways. The way COTA is, it’s more of a flowy type of racetrack, not necessarily like COTA where we saw a substantial amount of fall off. COTA had some fall off. I want to say it was probably around two seconds or so. The horsepower thing, 750 horsepower versus 670 last year didn’t notice a ton. I felt like this tire did fall off more than last year’s, but, at the same time, when guys pitted there at the end it seemed like their cars, or at least guys that didn’t necessarily have new tires compared to the ones that did, they seemed to hold on better on restarts than I would have expected, so that was a little different. But, yeah, we’ll keep grinding away at this and see what Watkins Glen brings and Martinsville and Darlington and a lot of these other racetracks. It’s still really early. There are definitely some things to note, but it’s early in the season.”
– Ryan Preece, Driver, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Building Toward Consistency and More Wins
With heightened expectations for the coming weeks, Preece voiced his ambition for RFK to reach a new level of consistency and race-winning potential. Drawing on the prior year’s upward trajectory, he described the team’s ongoing efforts to refine every detail, build chemistry, and develop the processes necessary for putting fast cars on the track.
“As a racer and a part of RFK, we want to win every race as Tyler Reddick has been doing here as of late. I think it’s just little details. Last year, we kept putting things together and getting better and better, and that transitioned into this year. We didn’t have the finish that we wanted at Daytona. I felt like Atlanta was definitely some progress from year’s prior and Circuit of The Americas, I felt like there was a few things that I definitely could have probably done different throughout that race to give us a little bit better of a result, so there’s some work to be done there, but as far as team chemistry and the processes that it takes to put fast race cars on the track, we have all the pieces here. It’s early in the season and we’re moving into Phoenix, Las Vegas, Darlington, Martinsvilles – all places that I felt like we ran pretty respectable or really well last year, so I have really high expectations and it would be nice to keep working on the qualifying piece for our group to where we can get stage points and be in contention early as opposed to kind of working our way up through stage one and entering the conversation in stage two, and then try to put ourselves in position in stage three. So, a lot of hard work has been going on during the offseason and trying to figure out ways that we can keep trying to find success and win races.”
– Ryan Preece, Driver, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Preece’s Track Preferences and Success at Short Tracks
Reflecting on his adaptability and strengths across the NASCAR calendar, Preece explained why certain venues, such as Martinsville and Bristol, tend to suit his driving style. Drawing comparisons with other drivers like William Byron, he highlighted the underlying factors in car control and the specifics of driver discipline that offer him an advantage on tracks that require precision and patience.
“To be honest with you, every driver in the Cup Series comes from assorted disciplines. Those disciplines suit certain styles. When you look at some of these drivers that run dirt, the mile-and-a-halves where in the past going to the outside, rolling the center, those are where those guys really shine. And then you see guys like William Byron, for example, or myself or a few others when you go to Martinsville or Bristol, that style kind of shows up. I don’t necessarily know why. Martinsville has always been a really good track to me, whether I was in the Cup car or a modified. It’s been a place I like racing at and kind of have that feel for what I need as a race car driver to try to make passes, move forward, have long run speed, which is gonna be important moving forward. I think, for us, it’s trying to find that little bit, which I’m lucky because Chris and Brad, but Chris is really fast at the mile-and-a-halves and there’s something to be studied there when it comes to driving style. Like I said, a lot of time and effort and trying to understand the processes to make sure that when we go to mile-and-a-halves this year that we’re a contender.”
– Ryan Preece, Driver, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
The Drive to Compete Against NASCAR’s Elite Teams
When asked about competing with the Cup Series’ top-performing organizations, Preece acknowledged the unique challenges posed by the constantly evolving nature of the sport. He credited the dedication and expertise at RFK Racing, emphasizing how collaboration and the direct experience of a driver-owner like Brad Keselowski positively influence the team’s progress and problem-solving abilities.
“I feel like Daytona, Atlanta, COTA are completely different racetracks from what we’re gonna be seeing moving forward. I think we have a lot of great things going on and we’ve had a lot of speed. Racing is such a funny sport because you experience the highs of highs and the lows of lows and the biggest challenge is continuing to build and continuing to find speed because every single week this sport is constantly evolving. You could be on top of the world in 2025 and come 2026 if everybody kept working and you decided to go on vacation for two months and you come back into the game room, you’re gonna be behind. I can only talk on the experience that I see here at RFK and that’s a group of men and women that are incredibly focused in whatever aspect and whatever their job requires here at RFK. They’re doing it to the best of their ability and, for me as a race car driver, that’s what I want because when I go on the racetrack, I want to make sure that my car is really, really fast. That way I can put it in positions that no one else can and capitalize on it, so I’m excited about this year because of many different reasons, but one of them being is we have an owner that drives these race cars and when we have conversations about whatever it may be, he can really streamline it or he can literally talk to you as a driver/owner and say, ‘Well, maybe you should think about going about it this way.’ What can you do to help this situation? It’s nice to be a part of because you feel like everybody is working on the same thing and that’s to win races.”
– Ryan Preece, Driver, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Perspectives on NASCAR’s Updated Points Format
Preece described his views on the changes to NASCAR’s points system, favoring the emphasis on consistent, season-long performance over the potential for early wins to guarantee playoff spots under the old format. He suggested the revisions increase drama and encourage teams to remain competitive throughout the entire schedule, even for those currently outside the top-10 in standings.
“To me, it’s nice because somebody who wins the Daytona 500 can literally probably go on vacation until September in the old system. I’m not saying that’s the case, but this one Tyler Reddick has had a great start of the season, but if he goes out and wrecks eight races in a row, you’re having a completely different conversation. It’s no different than any sport where if you come out on fire, but then you all of a sudden tank and you’re not focused, you’re gonna fall behind. So, I’m a fan of the long game as most of you know. We’re 16th in points right now, but there’s a lot of game left.”
– Ryan Preece, Driver, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Weathering Challenges and Showcasing Toughness
Last week, Preece gained attention for his determination after completing a difficult race with a malfunctioning cool suit, a situation that put both his physical stamina and mental grit to the test. He acknowledged the toughness required to persevere in such conditions and how battling through adversity helps define both the driver and the race team.
“Yeah, we definitely did and with some of that stuff that happened, COTA always seems to be that track that gets a lot of us. Somebody has something go wrong, but I believe BJ McLeod said it where, I’d rather be a bigger turkey than a little turkey. It takes a little bit longer to cook. There’s some truth to that because it does. On days that can be challenging like that, it’s a lot nicer where I felt like, ‘Yeah, I was pretty beat up or feeling it a little bit, but I was plenty fine to drive that race car to its ability. Those are the races that define you and your race team and, like I said, 18th was the end result, but between yesterday and today I’ve been going back and watching some on cars from other cars around us and probably some things that I could have done a little bit better to feel like I could have got us a 16th or a 15th maybe, but that’s the name of the game. You’re gonna have days where you wish you would have done things a little different or reacted to situations a little different, but the deal is you have to move forward to the next week. There was an old saying where I’m from, and I’m sure many people heard this, but the clock resets at midnight and you move on. That’s what our focus is and that’s moving onto Phoenix this week.”
– Ryan Preece, Driver, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
The Physical Toll Inside the Race Car
Describing the physical demands of racing in the Cup Series, especially dealing with issues like a non-functioning cool suit, Preece provided insight into the endurance and resilience required of a driver to manage both the speed and the heat inside the car, all while maintaining focus on a highly competitive track.
“I think it really tests you mentally. It takes a lot. I’m gonna be honest with you, I’ll do whatever it takes to finish a race or move on to the next race, so there’s nothing that’s gonna get me out of that race car. But, it’s really difficult to explain to race fans or people that have never experienced it – how difficult it can be to be basically wrestling a 3600-pound race car around a racetrack while doing it against 35 other race car drivers trying to stay ahead of whoever you are at that moment in time and then dealing with a hot cockpit that is just another distraction. It’s challenging. It’s almost like putting somebody on a treadmill and telling them to run 12 miles an hour and they’re not stopping until you say. Even though they’re gassed and their heartrate might be at 200 and they can’t go anymore, you are not stopping, so that’s the only way I can kind of explain it to somebody that would be able to relate to it. That’s it.”
– Ryan Preece, Driver, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Anticipation for Phoenix and the Importance of Execution
Looking specifically ahead to Phoenix Raceway, Preece recognized the unique challenges the track presents. He credited crew chief Derrick Finley for previously calling races that placed the team in position for good results despite setbacks. Preece sees opportunity for even greater gains by refining all aspects of their approach—from practice and qualifying to in-race decisions.
“For us, last year Phoenix was a little tricky for us for whatever reason. Derrick (Finley) called great races and put us with an opportunity to get good finishes, so we ended up ninth in the fall. It’s a process, so I feel good about it and I’m excited about going there and hopefully running really well and being in contention. I think short tracks are definitely places, even though Phoenix is a little bit different type of short track, it’s a place I’d like to really figure out and be fast at.”
– Ryan Preece, Driver, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
The Unique NASCAR and IndyCar Doubleheader Weekend
Preece expressed his enthusiasm for the crossover event at Phoenix that will feature both NASCAR and INDYCAR. Citing his love of all forms of racing, he shared his excitement for the chance to watch the different approaches between the series and the opportunity for fans of each discipline to learn from and appreciate one another, noting the deep value he finds in observing the tactics and skills displayed by different types of competitors.
“For me, it’s neat to see the different sorts of disciplines. I can appreciate everything, whether it’s sprint cars, modifieds, late models, Cup cars, Xfinity car, Trucks or IndyCars or whatever it may be. I love racing, so being around the track and when I get done with my obligations, I’m probably gonna go up on top of the spotter’s stand and go watch just because it’s really interesting to watch how they get around the racetracks, how they approach passing or restarts or pitting. There’s a lot of things you can take, I don’t necessarily want to say learn for yourself, but you can appreciate how they’re going about doing it. If you’re an IndyCar fan and you want to come to a NASCAR race, or you’re a NASCAR fan and want to see and IndyCar race, the first time I ever saw one was actually at Nazareth way back in the day, and I want to say the USAC Silver Crown cars were paired up with them, so it’s been a minute other than Indianapolis, but it’ll be neat sharing the track with those guys and we’ll see how the different rubber will affect our cars.”
– Ryan Preece, Driver, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Analyzing Improvement at Phoenix: Spring to Fall
Preece recounted the notable improvement from a 15th-place finish in the spring to ninth in the fall at Phoenix last year. He explained how tire compounds, strategy calls, and execution under caution shaped those results. The focus this year is on maintaining strong performance across all three stages and maximizing all aspects of race weekend, with special attention to areas like restarts and in-race adjustments.
“The spring race at Phoenix was really just an entirely different race because we had two different compound of tires, which created different strategy and how Derrick calls the strategy is different from most, so the first race, actually, we were leading with less than 50 or 40 laps to go and the caution left us in a situation where everybody else had softs, where we had used ours in that moment, so that’s how we ended up 15th. And then in the fall race that ninth-place finish we were really struggling for the majority of the day, and I think we finally got our handling a lot better and the late-race caution put us in the situation where Brad and myself stayed out and we were able to hold on to some track position for two laps. You can look at those 15th and ninth-place finishes as good executing days, but Derrick, myself and our team want more and we want to perform the entire day – stage one, stage two and stage three really well. There’s been a lot of emphasis going into this race and what we can do better on all sides, whether it be restarts, practice, qualifying, race, so there’s a lot of questions that are gonna get answered this weekend for us and a lot to look forward to.”
– Ryan Preece, Driver, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
The Value of Leadership and Team Resilience
Preece emphasized the vital role leadership plays within RFK Racing. He praised Brad Keselowski for setting a strong example, especially working through injuries as both a driver and team owner. Preece sees this determined mentality as reflective of the broader culture at RFK, which values perseverance and the relentless pursuit of excellence despite adversity.
“I’ve lived it and many of us have. What I can do is I can appreciate it because the things that I’m gonna put myself through to race, so is Brad. I’ve learned pretty quickly that he and I are very similar in the aspects of what we’re gonna put ourselves through to compete and show others that we will do whatever it takes to race, to competitively attempt to win and put our teams in position. I know there was a lot of conversation last week at COTA around, ‘Man, is Brad gonna race?’ But as a race car driver, what I see him doing every day and then as a race car driver, you weren’t taking him out of that race car because he wouldn’t take me out of that race car. So, I think as a racer and the family that he came from and the family that I come from, we’re taught at a very young age that that’s what makes us different. We’re willing to do whatever it takes to compete.”
– Ryan Preece, Driver, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse
What Lies Ahead for Preece and RFK Racing
With the NASCAR and IndyCar weekend at Phoenix Raceway approaching, Ryan Preece and RFK Racing are focused on translating off-season progress and recent lessons into a strong performance. The team’s resilience and dedication, influenced by the hands-on leadership of competitors like Brad Keselowski and crew chief Derrick Finley, continue to fuel high expectations as the season unfolds. For Preece, Phoenix marks both a significant challenge and a valuable opportunity as he works toward reaching the upper tier of the Cup Series standings—bringing the focus keyword Ryan Preece Phoenix Raceway into sharp view for fans and rivals alike.
