Media called it “betting on himself,” which was an apt description. The gamble paid off with wins coming in Preece’s second race with the team at Iowa Speedway in 2017 and at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway the following year.
That success helped earn him a full-time ride with JTG Daugherty.
“I don’t think necessarily there is a set path to getting to Cup,” Preece said. “I think a lot of it just comes down to if you have it or if you don’t, and if you really are successful and you win races.”
There is a quiet confidence about Preece, befitting a champion. One gets the sense that although he remains humble and realistic, he also knows he has the ability and mindset required to win races at every level. For instance, this June he won in his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway driving for David Gilliland Racing.
Still, just like when Preece’s future was not guaranteed during his time at JGR, his team at JTG Daugherty runs his car without a valuable charter. Consequently, he is not locked into the starting grid at any race, and the pay structure for open cars is drastically different than those that are part of the charter system.
Preece, not one to be risk averse, has gotten used to the uncertainty. He knows he can only control so much, and simply strives to be the best in his role.
“As a race car driver, there’s not a whole lot of comfort when it comes to job stability, so a lot of it comes down to you’ve got to go out and win,” he said. “If you want to survive in this sport, that’s what it takes.
“It’s hard to say it, but that’s just the way it is and if you’re looking for comfort then this isn’t the sport for you,” he added with a chuckle.
His ability to take things day by day and week by week benefits his modified racing as well, where the many races in the Northeast necessitate a great deal of travel in addition to his full slate of obligations as a Cup Series driver.
“My life constantly changes and so that’s really how I go about it and it works for me,” Preece said. “For some people it wouldn’t. But I know pretty much the main races I want to hit and if there’s an opportunity to hit more, I do.”
While Preece notes the inherent concepts of racing, such as knowing how to pass, remain the same in each racing discipline, there are not a lot of similarities between a modified and a Cup Series car. A modified is around 600 pounds lighter, rides on massive bias-ply tires as opposed to radials and the suspension components are much different in each vehicle.
Due to his time racing in the Cup Series, the modified races also seem much shorter now, but he doesn’t approach the two disciplines any differently. His focus, as always, is on getting to the front.
In many ways, Preece is carrying on the legacy of modified stars such as Geoff Bodine, Jimmy Spencer and Steve Park who won races at the Cup Series level. It’s an opportunity Preece relishes, but one he feels can best be accomplished through success.
He has much of the New England racing scene in his corner, excited to see a native son’s star shine ever brighter, but one who remains true to his roots. In turn, he is flattered by the cheers whenever he races at home. He is carrying on a family legacy, too. His grandfather, Bob Judkins, was a legendary car owner in the modified ranks in the Northeast.
Preece is perhaps best described as happy and appreciative with where he is in his career, but not content.
“It’s a huge accomplishment that I’ve made it in the sense of getting to NASCAR’s top echelon of motorsports, the top series,” he said. “But at the same time, I want more. I want to win, that’s why I do this, that’s why I race. So, I continue to try to do that, and I just have so much more I want to do.”