Ryan Preece lays bare his emotions about the ‘last minute’ deal that secured his NASCAR future

Ryan Preece has opened up about the emotional toll of nearly losing his spot in the NASCAR Cup Series before landing a late opportunity with RFK Racing for the 2025 season. His future was in doubt after Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) announced in May 2024 that it would shut down its operations at the end of the year.

With his teammates quickly finding new teams, Ryan Preece was left waiting for a ride. RFK Racing gave him a lifeline when it chose to expand to a three-car team in 2025. The organization, co-owned by former Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, leased a charter from Rick Ware Racing and put Preece behind the wheel of the new No. 60 Ford Mustang.

The deal came together late, but it secured Preece’s place in the series and gave him a fresh start. Speaking about the tough offseason, Preece said (via NBC Sports):

“Really, my situation has been a one-year contract since ’22. In all reality, it’s been one year on and on and on. That hasn’t changed me a whole lot. … It’s very satisfying to be with this group (at RFK Racing). We all kind of came together very last minute. Derrick (Finley, the crew chief) even joked about it, he said, 'We didn’t pick the team, the team chose us.'”

The change came after two difficult years with SHR. Preece finished 23rd in points in 2023 and dropped to 26th in 2024. He had only one top-five and five top-10 finishes last season. Still, RFK saw value in his experience and driving ability and gave him a shot.

Preece’s 2025 season started with a rough crash at the Daytona 500 but he bounced back with strong runs: third at Las Vegas, ninth at Homestead-Miami, seventh at both Martinsville and Kansas, and another ninth at Charlotte. His results have placed him 14th in the point standings and he is thus in the mix for a playoff spot.

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Ryan Preece missed his second podium of 2025 due to a technical infringement

Ryan Preece lost what would have been his second podium finish of the 2025 season after being disqualified from the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, April 27. He had crossed the finish line in second place, just behind Austin Cindric. However, NASCAR officials later found a rules violation during post-race inspection.

Preece’s No. 60 RFK Racing Ford had three shims in the rear spoiler area instead of the required two. This violated Rule 14.5.8.F in the NASCAR Rule Book. As a result, his career-best second-place finish was thrown out. Instead of earning 40 points, Preece scored just 1 point and was placed 38th in the race.

RFK Racing said the issue happened because of an unintentional adjustment before the race and chose not to appeal NASCAR’s decision.

“RFK Racing acknowledges and accepts NASCAR’s decision to disqualify the No. 60 Ford Mustang (of Ryan Preece) following post-race inspection at Talladega and will not appeal the ruling. The infraction stemmed from an unintentional adjustment during pre-race inspection to correct a spoiler angle issue,” the team said in a statement.

It was a difficult race all around for RFK Racing. Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski were both involved in early crashes and finished 34th and 36th, respectively. Ryan Preece will look to bounce back when the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, June 1, for the Cracker Barrel 400.