Ryan Preece celebrates his first career Xfinity Series victory July 29 at Iowa Speedway (Photo: Daniel Shirey/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ryan Preece will get one more chance to leave his impression on the world of the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2017.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour regular confirmed to RaceDayCT Saturday evening that he will compete in the XFINITY Series season finale on Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Preece, of Berlin, will be making his fourth start of the 2017 season for the team. He got his first career XFINITY Series victory racing for the team on July 29 at Iowa Speedway.
“It’s nice to have another opportunity to go and chase after it,” Preece said. “That’s a big deal. I’m not being forgotten. That was my biggest fear after Iowa. I finished second and then won a race, great job. Kind of like what I’ve seen before, sometimes people just vanish. I think social media has been key for me. Kind of keeping me relevant.”
Preece, the 2013 Whelen Modified Tour champion, made his first career start in a Joe Gibbs Racing ride on July 15 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where he finished second to Monster Energy Cup Series driver Kyle Busch.
He followed that by winning the US Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway on July 29. He made his third start for the team at Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 23 in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300, where he led 22 laps and finished fourth.
“I’m really looking forward going to Homestead because it feels like a mile and a half short track,” Preece said. “It’s right up my alley. I’ve been trying to get better at the tire saving game, so I’m definitely looking forward to going there.”
Preece tied for the series-high with five Whelen Modified Tour victories in 2017 and finished sixth in the series standings despite only starting 14 of 16 events. He led team owner Ed Partridge to the division’s owner’s championship.
The No. 18 car Preece will drive at Homestead is currently in contention to win the series owner’s championship. Preece
“I think a lot of it has come from performance,” Preece said. “Everybody in racing knows that when it comes down to the last race that’s when champions are crowned. Just like with [Whelen Modified Tour team owner Ed Partridge], the owner championship is what matters. From what I understand in the rules you can’t have a [Monster Energy Cup Series] driver do that. It put me in a good position to have that opportunity to go and hopefully win them a championship for the car owner championship. That’s kind of how it came about. I think my performances at New Hampshire, Iowa and Kentucky – running up front and leading laps – all helped in making this happen. That’s pretty much how I got this opportunity.”
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Ryan Preece’s XFINITY Series ride for Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Courtesy Joe Gibbs Racing)
With any luck he will stick around,but I’m afraid it’s more about what and how much you can bring as sponsor dollars are shrinking
Congratulations and best of luck!!!!
Good luck Ryan!!!
This race is a win at all cost. If anyone is in the way, move them. This could be his last shot. You raced and watched TC for years. He has giving you the playbook on what to do and say. NASCAR needs a villain/Tim Richmond style driver badly. Don’t be another robot like the rest of them. Think out of the box like TC. Would wish you good luck but you don’t need it. Make sure also on camera that the xvinity ratings where the highest when you were racing because finally the northeast had someone to watch and cheer for again.
Best of luck to you Ryan, a well deserved opportunity; he deserves to be in a top Xfinity ride.
Franky, there must be some reason why TC never advanced above off-off-off-off-off Broadway local short track racing. He was a pretty good driver, never advanced above the local scene. HE did some journeyman and freelance work, but it never stuck. Wonder why?
Preece is doing rather well as the opposite of TC, an articulate, smart, decent kid, the total package of what NASCAR needs right now instead of all the birth right, endowed, and entitled types. Preece has raced his way to where he is. He doesn’t run his mouth and let’s his excellent driving speak for him. This is where NASCAR needs to be heading.
Wikepedia
“2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion.[3] Christopher, who is known as one of the most accomplished drivers in the Northeast, won both the championship and the final race of the season at Thompson International Speedway. Christopher came into the race leading the championship standings over Matt Hirschman by 31 points. Late in the race, Hirschman suffered an electrical problem, which put him a handful of laps off the pace. Christopher drove on to win the event, with Hirschman finishing 21 laps down in 25th position. It was his 31st career win in his 12th full-time year of competition.
Ironically, three years prior in 2005, Christopher went to the season finale at Thompson holding a 36-point lead over Hirschman’s father, five-time tour champion Tony Hirschman, only to lose the championship due to a crash on lap”
Totally agree! The reason NASCAR has slipped over the last 10 year’s or so is that drivers are advancing that are mostly unknowns. Arguably NASCAR’s largest TV market, the North East, who are the drivers moving forward? Kaz Grala?? Who the flock is he??? A kid from Westboro Ma, did he run Seekonk, Lee, Stafford, Thompson, not that I recall. Pays a lot of money to KBM for a Super Late Model ride and boom he’s in the truck series. The point being is if your fan base cannot connect with the drivers the sport dies, plain and simmple and that’s what we are seeing today.
Dale Earnhart Jr. 9/16
“Heard the news of this just moments after walking into VL. Very sad. He was a legend.”
More compliments and praise from the top levels of NASCAR.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nascar-auto-racing/thatsracin/article173891526.html
Consider Richie Evans, a legend in regional modified racing. Then compare him historically to Jimmie Spencer or Jeff Bodine. Who to this day is a favorite on youtube and in racing lore right up to NASCAR headquarters. His name is Richie Evans who is in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The Hall also awaits Ted Christopher cause as Dale Jr. said he was a legend and regional domination over decades isn’t nothing.
Dareal must make someone inferior to make a point on Preece. Marginalizing TC to advance Preece uncool. Greatness and the potential for greatness does not need to be a zero sum game. Both can thrive in their legacy or current accomplishments without one having to be diminished.`
Is Richie “THE GREATEST”? Why didn’t he move up(think about it). TC had a successful business and also doing what he loved! Getting back to Franky, I totally agree with him. GO “PREECE LIGHTING”
Doug, Dareal, Why don’t you guys stick to the subject?? You always have to go off on tangents. Sad.
In Karl Fredricksens article in the most recent issue of Speedway Illustrated (the one with that bottom feeder* Matt Hirschman on the cover) Karl tells of a story about Teddy getting called to The Trailer of the Nascar brass, at Homestead I think.
*sarcasm
Something to do with breaking Teddy’s stones about using the #13 and Teddy in return giving it back to them real good about some safety issues that the officials were completely missing. I don’t have the article nearby so I might be missing something. I’m sure you guys can look it up.
Karl’s point was it was vintage Teddy: not backing down, not afraid of ruffling feathers no matter who it was when the situation didn’t make sense to him.
The article got me thinking about a brief moment in time somewhere in the 1990s when the guys from the Busch North tour were running some combined shows with the South and even some of the stand alone Grand National events as well.
As I recall Teddy was dipping his toe in the Grand National tour and having some decent runs. The thing I remember is him getting DQd after a 4th at Michigan(?) , or Dover?
Something about the front suspension. It stood out to me because in those days we never heard about any outright disqualifications in the big leagues.
Anyway, after that other than running quite a few shows at Watkins Glen and New Hampshire, that was pretty much all she wrote as far as Teddy attempting anything national.
I’m sure there’s plenty of details I’ll never know about, but my point is that he DID go out and do something more than just our local scene.
I’m just wondering if part of the reason it didn’t stick is because he was far too brash a personality for the good old boys club of Nascar, rubbed too many of the Bosses the wrong way, and they played their games with him and made him pay for it.
That sort of thing happens in all types of situations. I don’t doubt for a second that it would in racing as well.
Oh and, good luck to Ryan!
Bob Npt., please quote where in this thread I’ve gone off-topic. Go ahead.
“He was a pretty good driver” And dareal is a off off off off off off off Broadway commenter.
Gotta say Bob Npt, it’s like you see the screen ID’s in the string, draw your conclusion based on the names and go forward with your comment not even reading what is said. And the kicker you never even addressed the topic yourself.
Because its daddy or grandpa ball these days if NASCAR wants to survive they better get drivers who have earned their strips today it looks like central casting. They have a possible legendary driver in Larson and they ignore him
Doug wrote: “Gotta say Bob Npt, it’s like you see the screen ID’s in the string, draw your conclusion based on the names and go forward with your comment not even reading what is said. And the kicker you never even addressed the topic yourself.”
Doug, perhaps you should take your own advice.
Deral what a joke you are being the biggest TC hater ever you should shut up and never bring his name up in public again.
I just love twerking you guys. LOL
Darealidiot,Bite Your Tongue!Yes,shut up and never bring up his name again.
Paul, you didn’t have to be close friends with TC to know he wasn’t the smarmy, debonaire, eloquent, PC, well spoken guy. He seemed to enjoy and go out of his way to ruffle feathers. He clearly ruffled feathers, even in VL he took shots. But that doesn’t work in the big leagues. In the big leagues, you have to stay on the script that appeases sponsors and not be antagonistic. TC had the driving thing down for the most part, but didn’t have the total package. So to address the point that Franky brought up as his advice that Preece needs to be like TC, that is bad advice. TC didn’t make it to the big leagues because of who he was, he ruffled feathers, and he didn’t practice restraint. Don’t we want to see Preece make it to the big leagues? TC was the villain and it didn’t work for him, didn’t get him above off-off-off-off Broadway. Why would you want Preece to do that?
All eyes will be on TV next week to cheer for Ryan. I hope Ryan has some sort of TC and/or #13 memento on his car next week.
The way the 6 ran this season, and finished where it did despite missing 2 races, should be getting plenty of attention. And that Preece is wrenching the car is incredibly valuable. THAT is a package. There was a huge positive change in Preece and the car when he took over putting the car together. Owners take notice, THAT is marketable. That is where NASCAR needs to go.
Deral I hope the people who comment on Racedayct now see you for the low life idiot you are TC RIP.
Cash me outside dareal;Howbow Dah?
450mike, I don’t speak Deplorable.
Racer, if TC was that good, he would have been in the big leagues decades ago. It never happened. Why would you tell Preece to use TC as a role model? In case you haven’t noticed, villains are not welcome in NASCAR anymore. Even the Busch brothers have been neutered… they don’t cause as much trouble as they used to. Those days are over, Racer.
Weather for this race, yaknow, the one this thread is about, looks great.
Is this about Preece or T.C.? Not much said about Preece the last 15 +.
5 comments supporting Ryan (which article was about) and 21 on whether or not T.C. was the greatest.
Good luck Ryan, bring it home for us here in the Northeast……
Ryan, having my golf cart shipped to Homestead for the ride to the Press Box!!
Thank you Scott. That was my point way back in the beginning of this, but some people (Dareal and Doug) just didn’t seem to get it.
Bob Npt., content gets by you too.
If you notice, my first post on this thread was short and congratulatory, directed at Preece.
Franky then chimes in saying Preece needs to be like TC, that NASCAR needs a villain. That comment by Franky brought TC into this conversation. I responded to that which brought out the TC fan club in droves. And because I do not agree with the TC fan club, and I do not believe that TC was the best and greatest ever, that draws their ire. Too bad.
Preece is doing pretty good by doing all he can to NOT be like or look like TC. Preece knows that being like TC doesn’t and didn’t work. At that, Preece is getting looks, why would you want to end that by having him be like TC? Preece was interviewed after a rough stretch of races and made it clear that he does not want to be like TC. I think that was the 2015 season, before he went full-time xfinity. TC relished the Court Jester role, Preece wants nothing to do with it. Deal with it. And the last couple years, since TC was thrown out of the Al-Lee 36 and couldn’t get a top quality ride all those years, that tempered his temerity and wrecking rate. He finally got the message. TC is not a role model for Preece.
Interestingly, I wasn’t the only one to express those thoughts. Those were long posts that required a long attention span and cognitive ability.
So this thread is about Preece, and the Deplorables can’t stop bringing up TC. If the Deplorables didn’t bring up TC, the thread could have stayed that much more on topic. Just like the GOP can’t stop talking about Clinton, Obama, Clinton, Obama… If the GOP had a clue about what their job was and could do it, they wouldn’t have time to talk about Clinton, Obama, Clinton, Obama, …
Let Preece enjoy the success he is having. He’s doing it his way, and it’s working.
Weather is looking great for this season ending race. As I told the teams I coached, there is no better way to end a season and spend the off-season than relishing a win.
Good luck, Ryan!!!!