Ryan Preece believes the formula for success and longevity as a race car driver is simple: Take the checkered flag first.
“I’ve never been sold on the idea that if you’re out there and you have that one race where you run top 10 it will get you somewhere,” Preece told SPEED SPORT. “I don’t believe in that theory. I believe in the theory of going out and winning, because if you win, things, hopefully, take care of themselves.”
Preece, 30, has done plenty of winning during his young career. However, he has taken what some may consider an unorthodox route to the upper levels of NASCAR, where today he pilots the No. 37 Chevrolet Camaro for JTG Daugherty Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The native of Berlin, Conn., rose to prominence on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, where he won the 2013 series championship and had amassed 22 career victories through the end of June.
He still gets behind the wheel of a modified as much as possible to feed his competitive nature and love for racing the unique, fenderless vehicles. He estimates he’ll run about 30 races this year on the Whelen Modified Tour, Southern Modified Auto Racing Teams Tour and other select shows aboard the familiar No. 6 he has driven for Eddie Partridge since 2015.
“It’s something to keep yourself busy,” Preece said. “There’s nothing like racing all the time. I feel like that’s extremely important from a seat-time aspect and that’s a huge reason why I do all of it.”
His passion and drive to succeed at every level is apparent throughout the racing community, something Whelen Modified Tour director Jimmy Wilson has seen in Preece since he began managing the series nearly a decade ago.
“He does a lot of his own work so he’s very familiar with the cars and what they do,” Wilson said. “I think it just comes down to the amount of time and work that he puts into it.”
Preece began racing as a youngster in quarter midgets and midgets, before making the move into the modified division in the Northeast. Modifieds are the cars most often associated with New England and were what Preece grew up watching as the top level in the region. Plus, it was much easier to race close to home than to travel to the Midwest to race on dirt.
He won track championships at Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in his home state, while also becoming a household name on the Whelen Modified Tour.
Other highlights on his modified résumé, both before and during his Cup Series career, include three titles in the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway from 2015-’17, and two victories in the Islip 300 at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway.
While the modified community boasts a deep talent pool, a storied history and some of the most passionate fans anywhere in the country, geographical isolation sometimes prohibits drivers from moving beyond short-track hero status.
Preece wanted much more, thanks to that drive he credits to his father, Jeff, a former racer whose steadfast work ethic was inherited by his son. Preece calls his dad the biggest influence on his racing career.
In 2016, Preece was afforded his first opportunity to compete full time in the Xfinity Series for JD Motorsports, looking to parlay his success and notoriety in modifieds into a national touring series. He spent much of the year gaining experience, which he feels helped him on intermediate tracks.
But while the operation is a mainstay in Xfinity competition, its limited resources make it a midpack team.
“I’d say it was good to have some experience on that side of things, but I think I gained a lot more racing experience from racing modifieds,” Preece said.
Instead of letting his stock car career stall out, Preece took a different approach during the 2017 and ’18 seasons and put together a now brilliant-looking deal. He would compete in a limited Xfinity Series schedule for high-powered Joe Gibbs Racing, while also running as many modified races as possible. That way, if he did his job, he’d be capable of reaching victory lane on a regular basis.
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