Preece Joins Joe Gibbs Racing for 2 Races
XFINITY Series Return Leads Busy Weekend
Ryan Preece has been on a roll since getting married on May 13. He has 3 wins at Riverhead (Modified Touring Series), Riverhead (NASCAR Whelen All-American Series), and Thompson (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) with a 3.4 average finish in 13 starts.
“We’ve been pretty good,” Preece said. “I think consistency is really just the key to running well. Everything’s just kind of been going my way. I’ve definitely been lucky at the same time but I feel like every time we show up to the racetrack I’m really happy with the car and not really changing too much so that’s always a good sign.”
The former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion has 2 wins and 4 top fives in 5 starts. His bid for a second title will include making up points from missing the Langley race. A discussion with team owners Eddie and Connie Partridge about his future set the foundation for Preece working on racecars.
“This is a career-determining moment, I think, coming up here shortly and the Modifieds being with Eddie and Connie. Eddie going into December not really knowing what direction I wanted to turn and was just pretty much honest with Eddie and Connie and just said I’d love to go race Modifieds but I want to do it (a) little bit different and Eddie kind of trusted me. I would say definitely trusting me to take over and with the cars and pretty much trust me to know that we’re gonna have a winning car every time we show up. That’s the key. So, it was a lot of pressure but I enjoyed it. I enjoy working on the racecar. I enjoy knowing what I have and showing up and pretty much as soon as lap one’s done I know what I have. So, I’ve been pretty content with every car that we showed up with here this year. So, we’ve had a lot of speed. I’ve learned quite a few things that I need to help make the car better for non-change races which I’m excited to start doing here in August and September I think we have races where we don’t change tires. I’m excited about that and just all the different ways of doing things.”
The Berlin, CT driver increased his knowledge by working on his racecars this season.
“It’s definitely helped me a lot. I would say I’ve always understood what changes did what and kind of what we needed whenever we weren’t right. But the problem is if you don’t know what’s in the car there could be something else that’s causing the issue you’re having. So, the go to that a driver may think is the right answer sometimes it’s not because of what else is in the car and that’s kind of what happened. Now I know I know for a fact how much fuel percentage or wedge or everything that’s in the racecar when I go to the track. So, when the car’s not driving the way I want it to drive I pretty much know what I need to do to make it drive the way I need it to so I think that’s really, really a big positive.”
Preece finished sixth in Saturday’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Thompson (CT) Speedway Motorsports Park for Ted Marsh. It was his best finish in 4 starts.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Ryan Preece as the driver of the No. 20 car for upcoming XFINITY Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway. The car won at Bristol, Michigan, and Texas with Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones.
“I’m really excited because it’s Joe Gibbs Racing. That 20 car that’s been really stout and the crew chief Chris Gabehart. He’s a really smart guy. So, when you feel comfortable with the people you’re working with and you know the equipment’s there, it really puts it in your head that when you show up you can drive hard and every time you’re looking for something you know you’re trying to find that speed and you’ll see it on the speed chart ’cause you’re gonna be up there.
“Before it’s just hard when you’re racing against teams like RCR, Joe Gibbs, Roush and all that when Johnny (Davis) he did everything he could and did a lot with what they had. We ran top 10 there pretty much the whole day last year which I thought was tremendous. But it’s hard from a driver’s standpoint when you’re looking for speed and trying to figure out man how can I get up there and no matter what even if the cars driving good you’re just you’re a half second to three-quarters of a second off it makes it difficult. So that’s one thing I’m looking forward to is I know when we show up we’re gonna be a car to contend for a win so that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Preece made his series debut in 2013 driving for Tommy Baldwin, Jr. His best finish at the Magic Mile is 14th in his second start in 2014. Preece will have three races Friday and Saturday to claim his first win. Friday is the Whelen Modified All-Star Shootout non-points race. Saturday is the Nor’easter 100 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and the NASCAR XFINITY Series Overton’s 200.
“Without a doubt, I’ve always been given great opportunities to race. Through Tommy Baldwin set up a lot of things for me in the past and but this is definitely I would say one of the probably the best situation I could be in for on the XFINITY side and I’m definitely looking forward to it and I don’t know anybody that wouldn’t. It’s a car that can win the race that’s all you can ask for being a driver is a shot to contend for a win. So, I’m really excited about it. I’m excited for New Hampshire and I’m excited for Iowa. It’s just gonna come down to having everything kind of go our way but I feel when we show up we can contend for a win.”
Preece competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time last year for Johnny Davis. He had a 23.0 average finish in 33 starts.
Joe Gibbs Racing has won 7 of the last 9 races at the 1.058-mile oval.
Preece will have the series’ winningest driver, Kyle Busch, as a teammate. Busch has a 7.5 average finish in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at Loudon, including 5 wins and 8 top fives in 11 starts. Busch won his series-best 88th win at Kentucky last weekend. He owns 174 wins in NASCAR’s top three series.
“It’s gonna be good racing with somebody like Kyle (Busch) because he’s a smart, smart guy. From what I’ve seen from a distance, he’s very aware of everything that’s going on in that racecar and understands what he needs. … I’m curious to talk with him and kind of get to know him and what he feels you need in these racecars to get that speed and I’m really just looking forward to getting out there. It’s gonna be a big weekend definitely feel I’m excited and I’m just ready to go get in that seat and get going.”
“I gotta thank everybody for giving me the opportunity to race with Gibbs here in next weekend and in three weeks and hopefully, we can turn some heads and do what we need to do.”
Sources: Nicholas Teto, YankeeRacer.com
Photos by Chris Banks, Debbie Horn, Chris Humphrey, John A. Miller, Nicholas Teto
Statistics by Racing-Reference.info