First Up: Ryan Preece Kicks Off Big Weekend With Whelen All-Star Mod Shootout Win At NHMS

Ryan Preece celebrates victory in the Whelen Modified Tour Whelen All-Star Shootout Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Photo: Michael Ivins for Nascar)

LOUDON, N.H. – The ultimate goal for Ryan Preece this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway revolves around what would be a massive first in his racing career.

Preece is hoping that his chance to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing in Saturday’s Overton’s 200 at NHMS could afford him the chance to win his first NASCAR XFINITY Series event.

But Friday at NHMS Preece was busy checking another first off his list at the track.

Preece, of Berlin, passed NASCAR Monster Energy Cup regular Ryan Newman on the final lap to win the 35-lap exhibition Whelen All-Start Shootout for the Whelen Modified Tour.

It was Preece’s first career victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 24 career Whelen Modified Tour starts at the track dating back to 2007. He has made 20 career points starts and three starts before Saturday in the exhibition All-Star event.

Preece said the fact that he oversees maintenance and preparation of his Eddie Partridge owned Modified this season made his first victory on the 1.058-mile oval even sweeter.

“It’s something I’ve told a lot of people, when you’re doing it yourself it brings a whole different emotion to it when you get to victory lane,” Preece said.

Newman was second and Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y. third.

Preece erased a big lead for Newman and got to his bumper by lap 27 and began preying all over him.

From lap 30 to 33 Preece pushed Newman down the frontstretch and backstretch, sizing up to the chance to make his move. On lap 34 Preece took a peek under Newman in turn one but backed out.

After taking the white flag Preece got under Newman into turn one. The two made contact in the corner with Newman jerking up to the high side of the track. Newman saved the car from wrecking, but Preece had checked out by the time Newman was straightened out.

“We had a really good car,” Preece said. “We chased him down from about seven or eight [car lengths] back. He seemed to be a little tight and I was a little tight. … I just tried to get that run down the frontstretch and clear him the first time with two [laps] to go and I couldn’t quite make it happen. Sent it in there and I thought I was going to clear him sliding up and then I felt [his] left front [on the right rear]. Ryan has been a great person. He’s always offered up plenty of information, so you never want controversy like that to win a race.”

Newman seemed hardly angered by the last lap contact in the battle for the lead.

“Preece was just in a better position, being able to draft and being able to catch my draft,” Newman said. “He had a good racecar. I don’t think he hit me on purpose by any means, but he had position. I stuck it down there on the outside of him trying to hold him down and he knocked me up into the marbles. I wish we could have raced to the checkered, but it was a heck of a race, at least from our standpoint. To try to figure out what he was going to do, because you never know if a guy is going to start racing with five [laps] to go or on the back straightaway [on the last lap].”

Comments

  1. Unless I am missing something, didn’t he do the same thing to the deuce? Excuses, excuses!

  2. The duece actually did it to him in the same exact spot on the track. Difference being Newman won’t spend the next 2 years crying about it. The 6 team almost quite the tour over the Coby incident. I guess their perspective has changed, LOL.

  3. Coby caused a wreck that took out his closest challengers in the points race. Newman didn’t crash and it was an all star race. It’s the same move TC has done hid whole career.

  4. I have a question for all you WMT fans in the know if you care to respond. I’ve read a lot about the integration of the Yates spec engine into the tour over the last 5 years I think it is now. Does anyone know if it is the standard now. Do most teams use it. Is it a success costing teams less or is it still controversial and in competition with built engines.

  5. My bad it was the other way around. Sorry about that!

    Does anyone know the official finishing order from top to bottom?

  6. Jerry Fascione says

    Wow how many times have we heard this before “Ryan has been a great person. He’s always offered up plenty of information, so you never want controversy like that to win a race.” well maybe leave out Newman’s name but dive bombing somebody on the last lap and knocking him out of the way to win the race sucks. But typical Ryan response after he does this again is “I don’t like to win a race that way” but you do it over and over and then claim you don’t drive like that “NEWS FLASH” yes you do. And I’m not a big Teddy fan but somebody here brings up his name at least with Teddy he doesn’t knock you out of the way and then say he doesn’t like to drive like that.\ he tells it like it is. Sorry Ryan you earned nothing in that race !

  7. darealgoodfella says

    humphry, how do you get a wreck like that mixed up??!?!?! It was massively controversial. These forums were overloaded with comments about it. Coby took out numerous top 5 cars with that bonehead move. The internet had numerous videos of it.

    What finishing order are you asking for? The NASCAR website, it’s all there.

    Go back to yelling at kids to get off your lawn.

  8. I wish I was as perfect as you dareal, do you work hard at it or does it just come natural? As I have said before, you are a legend in your own mind so just go back to your pathetic life. At least I admit it when I make a mistake.

  9. Yes everyone is running spec motors from one place the costs keep going up and NASCAR keeps making money

Leave a Reply

Copyright 2018 E-Media Sports

Website Designed by Thirty Marketing