Preece Scores Top 10 in Daytona 500 Debut
Ryan Preece of Berlin, CT survived a pair of big crashes in Sunday’s Daytona 500. He ran as a high as third earlier in the race by not pitting. Preece got back to third on the final lap but fell to eighth without drafting help.
It was Preece’s first top 10 in his sixth start and first appearance since 2015.
Preece will also compete in the NASCAR XFINITY Series next weekend in Atlanta for JR Motorsports.
Preece won over 100 short track features before arriving in NASCAR’s top series this season. A two-year stint at Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series saw him win twice, with 11 top fives, 15 top 10s and 1 pole in 19 races. The 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion is a former track champion at Stafford (CT) Motor Speedway (2011) and Thompson (CT) Speedway Motorsports Park (2012, 2014).
Joey Logano finished fourth for his sixth top 10 finish in the event. The reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion already has a Daytona 500 win (2015) on his resume.
Beyond the Middletown, CT driver, top 10s in the Great American Race have been hard to come by. Sunday was the first time multiple New Englanders finished in the top 10.
Ricky Craven of Newburgh, ME finished third, part of a Hendrick Motorsports sweep in the 1997 Daytona 500. It was his only top 10 finish.
Ron Bouchard of Fitchburg, MA finished sixth in the Daytona 500 twice (1982, 1986).
Pete Hamilton of Dedham, MA won the Daytona 500 for Petty Enterprises in 1970. It was his only top 10 finish.
by: Nicholas Teto, YankeeRacer.com
Statistics from: Racing-Reference.info