Champion Profile: Ryan Preece
Earns Mod Tour Title After Two Runner-Up Finishes
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The disappointment was written all over Ryan Preece’s face following the 2012 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season finale at Thompson (Conn.) Speedway, where he had just finished as the championship runner-up finish for a second time. But there was also a hint of defiance from Preece that – looking back – may well have been the first step toward attaining the tour title in 2013.
“To finish second just makes you want it that much more,” Preece said. “After finishing second twice, you start to wonder about will you ever get one. It’s such a great feeling to be able to finally get it this year.”
CHAMPION CAR OWNER: ERIC SANDERSON | CHAMPION CREW CHIEF: SLY SZABAN
Preece, from Berlin, Conn., joined the Whelen Modified Tour full-time in 2007 as the first driver to take advantage when the minimum age for competitors was lowered to 16 for competitors. He won for the first time in his second season, and in his third campaign in 2009 Preece finished second in the final standings to Donny Lia by just 16 points. Three more years would pass before Preece had another shot at the title.
Fast forward to the aforementioned 2012 finale. Preece was once again in position to contend for the title, but faced a 17-point deficit to Doug Coby. He went out and finished as the race runner-up, but wasn’t able to make up enough ground on Coby. That’s when the goal for 2013 became crystal clear.
Preece was in championship contention from the start this season. Finishes of third and fourth in the first two events got the ball rolling. Three wins then followed in consecutive fashion, and suddenly he was the championship favorite.
“After coming back for a good finish at Thompson to start the season and having another good finish in the second race, and then after the three victories in a row, I really felt like it was ours to lose at that point,” Preece said.
The second half of the season for Preece – now 23 years old – and the No. 16 East West Marine/Diversified Metals Ford team had its challenges. Four of the last seven races resulted in double-digit finishes, but the fourth and final victory and a podium in the Thompson finale were enough to unseat Coby by 32 points in the season-ending standings.
| PTS | DRIVER |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Preece |
| 2 | Doug Coby |
| 3 | Donny Lia |
| 4 | Rowan Pennink |
| 5 | Mike Stefanik |
The second of those three-consecutive wins – at Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl on June 22 – is what stands out as the highlight of the season for Preece, who out-dueled defending race winner Coby on a green-white-checkered restart for the victory.
“The win at Waterford was probably the most satisfying,” Preece said. “I feel like Waterford is Doug’s [Coby] home track, so to be able to beat him there was a great feeling.”
To look back at the season as a whole, Preece feels a great sense of accomplishment. Although this isn’t his first championship – he won track titles at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway and Thompson in 2011 and 2012, respectively – attaining the Whelen Modified Tour championship trophy has been a longtime goal for Preece.
“The track championships are a great accomplishment, but to win the [Whelen Modified] Tour championship is incredible,” Preece said. “With the tour you go to different tracks and compete against the best modified drivers out there.
“To think about all of the great drivers that have won a tour championship through the years, it’s really satisfying to now be among those names.”
Preece and the rest of the Flamingo Motorsports team will get a chance to celebrate their 2013 accomplishments on Saturday, Dec. 14 as part of the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards ceremony in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte (N.C) Convention Center inside the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The awards ceremony is slated to be streamed live online at www.nascarhometracks.com.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR