LAS VEGAS—For the first time in a long time, Ryan Preece felt like his old self.
Preece felt like a racer again.
When other competitors were plagued with penalties and problems throughout Sunday’s Pennzoil 400, Preece and the No. 60 Roush Fenway Keselowski team were prepared to capitalize.
Ultimately, they were rewarded with their first top five and the best result for any of the RFK teams in 2025.
“I can’t say enough about my teammates, to be honest with you,” Preece said. “Chris (Buescher) and Brad (Keselowski) have been great to me, being at this organization and really being able to lean on them and feel like they are helping to elevate me and pushing in areas I need to push in.”
In a show of support, Buescher was one of the first to congratulate Preece after he climbed from his car. He and Preece started alongside each other on the sixth row. But both drivers slipped back in the first stage.
Preece restarted 19th on Lap 89. With strategy and perseverance, he battled to 11th over the next 79 laps. At the end of Stage 2, Michael McDowell and Austin Dillon remained on the track while other drivers pitted. Daniel Suarez, who opted for a two-tire pit stop, lined up third behind McDowell. Preece was seven spots behind when the race went green on Lap 173.
As the leaders stopped for fuel following a multi-car wreck on Lap 196, Preece vaulted to fifth. After the ninth and final caution, Preece left the pits in fourth place and out-dueled Ross Chastain for third.
“This Ford Darkhorse Mustang was really good,” Preece said. “I am actually going to enjoy coming to mile-and-a-halves.”
Before Sunday’s race, Preece had just one top-10 result in 53 starts on intermediate tracks. Last year, he finished 10th at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He tested the No. 6 Ford for RFK over the next two days at the 1.5-mile track. A month later, the 34-year-old former Modified champion from Connecticut was officially named the third Cup driver in the RFK stable.
Preece believes the additional track time, combined with his improved position in the standings, will offer additional confidence for the team entering next weekend’s contest at Homestead.
“It makes me feel good with the practice and the qualifying draw—all those things that matter,” Preece said. “Stacking pennies. It all matters. We’re going to have a late draw, which is great. The track will be clean. Hopefully, we can keep track position there.
“I was able to do that test there with RFK last year after the race. So we already have one race of notes—or one day of notes—more than we’ve had all year.”
Preece’s third-place finish was his first top five since Nashville Speedway last summer. The podium finish tied his career-best performance earned at Talladega Superspeedway in 2019.
“If you have runs like today, and you execute, that’s when you’re in those situations that if you have the dominant car, you win,” Preece said. “Or if you’re in a position—where the 24 (Wiliiam Byron) and the 1 (Chastain) get tight—you can sneak through.
“I really enjoy the group we’ve got. Everything is working out really well.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at [email protected].
