ESPN visits, national radio spots, photo shoots, video sets, Ryan Preece is riding the wave.
Ryan Preece celebrates a Whelen Modified Tour victory earlier this year at Riverhead (N.Y) Raceway (Photo: Adam Hunger/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The spoils of being the youngest champion in the history of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for Ryan Preece has been a non-stop schedule of promotion since the season ended on Oct. 20 at Thompson International Speedway.
Preece, who celebrated his 23rd birthday last Friday, made an appearance on NASCAR Now on ESPN2 last week and also appeared for the Motor Racing Network on a national radio spot.
In addition the Berlin driver has done some video work preparing for NASCAR’s touring series banquet that he will be honored at in Charlotte on Dec. 14. Saturday he’ll do a photo shoot for Speedway Illustrated magazine.
“I’ve been pretty busy for the most part,” Preece said. “Nothing like out of the ordinary, but we’re still trying to get things going. Right now is the time to take advantage of any [public relations] I can do.”
Preece finished the 2013 season 31 points ahead of runner-up and 2012 series champion Doug Coby of Milford. He had a series leading four victories and 10 top-five finishes in 14 events.
Preece, a full-time competitor on the Whelen Modified Tour since 2008, said the sinking in part of winning his first series title is coming in stages.
“It’s still coming in waves,” Preece said. “I was just thinking yesterday, I’ve been trying to win this title legitimately since 2009. We came in second twice. To finally be able to do it, it means so much to me. I don’t think anybody really understands what it means to win that championship until you actually do it.”
As far as opening doors, nobody has rung his doorbell offering any full-time rides down South, but Preece is confident he’ll see some spoils of championship opportunities in 2014. He made his Nationwide Series debut driving a car owned by Sprint Cup Series team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr. last July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He’s hoping for more collaboration with Baldwin in 2014.
“Right now pretty much the deal is I’m with Tommy and we’re trying to put together some races for next year that will work around the schedule as far as Nationwide [Series] races,” Preece said. “And if we can come up with the funding to do it, that’s the plan. Obviously the Modified Tour is priority. Whatever I do is going to be scheduled around the Modified Tour.”
As far as his local schedule, Preece said there will be no slowing down. Last year he ran an SK Modified full-time at Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway and he ran regularly in a Tour Type Modified at Riverhead (N.Y.) Raceway.
Preece said in 2014 he’s looking to split time between Riverhead and some appearances in the SK Modified division at the Waterford Speedbowl.
“I’m going to try to bounce around on Saturdays,” Preece said. “I want to go to Waterford a few times and I want to race at Riverhead for [team owner Bill Park]. I’m not really going to sink myself in at one place. I’m going to kind of jump around. We’ve got to look at schedules and see what works and see what doesn’t. A lot of things come into play where if an opportunity comes with the Nationwide car I’m going to have give up some Saturdays. But everything is up in the air right now.”
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