Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports reported Friday that Ryan Preece will likely run a part-time schedule on the NASCAR Cup Series for JTG Daugherty Racing in 2021.
Preece ran full-time for the organization on the Cup Series in 2019 and 2020.
JTG Daugherty’s three-year lease on a Cup Series team charter for Preece’s No. 37 car ran out after the 2020 season.
Brad Daugherty, one of the JTG Daugherty team owners, told Pockrass that the organization has funding in place for Preece to run 24 of 36 Cup Series events in 2021.
Pockrass wrote on Twitter: “If they don’t get additional funding and get to a point during the year where they feel they are stretching themselves too thin, will then make a decision on what races to skip.”
Preece was no immediately available for comment on Friday.
During an episode of the Unmuffled podcast last week, Preece – the 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion – said he would be running many Tour Type Modified events in 2021.
“I’m working on doing an aggressive schedule when it comes to racing,” Preece said during Episode 82 of Unmuffled. “… The way it is right now, it’s created lot of opportunity for drivers like myself to go and compete … where they’re from. I’m going to use that to my advantage and go race.”
Preece will kick off his Modified racing schedule for 2021 by competing in the Tour Type Modified division at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway. The division will run five consecutive nights of Modified features from Feb. 8-12.
Standard operating procedure. Just putting the word out that they are looking for sponsors.
How long did it take you to figure that out captain obvious? I believe the article said they only have enough funding (sponsorship) for 24 of the 36 cup races. You are telling us something we already read in the article.
No dummy. Brad Daugherty is putting this out nationally that he is looking for a sponsor. Getting the world out to potential sponsors across the country. Two weeks before Daytona is a really good time to put this out there actually. Even better if Ryan wins the 500. He runs really well there.
Maybe we can start a collection and get RaceDayCT on a lugnut or something. LOL
When each race costs about $235,000 on preece’s end its easy to see why it wore thin. With all of the rule changes they are basicly making teams buy themselves out at the highest level. There is no margin left for low budget guys to work with so they can only last for so long. Thats why stafford and Thompson basicly booted nascar because its all about nascar becoming a monopoly and wanting to take control of what they worked so hard for and thats why all the big money guys stay alive and all the guys with the real skills will suffer in the end
Dummy? Look in the mirror. When the owner makes a statement like he did what else do you think he would be looking for? Believe me JD, we are all intelligent enough to connect the dots without anyone holding our hands.
I hope the kid can attract the sponsorship $$$$$$ so he can run a full schedule however with the economy the way it is it will be a tall order. Let’s hope for the best.
The other day I posted about the passing of Ruby Pascale. His first name was James, although everyone called him Ruby. He was a fixture on the modified racing scene back in the day,racing with the #3 “ole blue team” up and down the east coast. He also sponsored allot of drivers including Ron &Ken Bouchard, Bugsy Stevens ,Fred Desarro, Mike McLaughlin, Eric Beers, Ryan Preece, Timmy Solomito and Ronnie Williams, along with a few others. He was president at Sanderson & Mc cloud until retirement in 2010. He had most recently worked with the #16 Flamingo Motorsports WMT car, as well as the #50. Jim was a great guy, well known in the modified community. He always treated people with respect, and was rarely seen without a smile upon his face. He will be missed. Condolences go out to his family and friends.
The article mentions that the lease on the charter for the #37 ran out at the conclusion of the 2020 season. This means they will have to race their way in to each race (where qualifying actually happens, or by procedure when there are more than 40 cars). Even though they’ve got sponsorship for 24 races, being uncharted makes things more difficult, including finding sponsorship. Don’t forget, chartered teams are guaranteed to start every race. Wish Ryan the best of luck in what looks to be difficult times ahead.
Earl, believe me when I say, you guys are not.
JTG had a supposedly revolutionary sponsorship approach in that they were aggregating many smaller sponsors instead of just a couple big sponsors. Need to secure a few new sponsors for those twelve races. Tough times right now. Good luck.
Amen
I guess you can put me in the dummy column as well because I don’t see any of this as being standard operating procedure other then the fact it has happened before for struggling teams about to become defunct.
NASCAR did a profile on the 37 team on January 22 not mentioning any of this and setting goals for the team to reverse last years results. Now the the 37 charter goes back to Spire, Preece has to run as an open car and qualify for races and potential sponsors now know their name may not even appear in a race if the 37 does not qualify.
My take is it’s a bloody disaster. Starting with the fact that’s probably why Preece is back. The team knowing they didn’t have the resources to attract a better driver so they’re making do.. Preece knew all of this was coming as he announced plans to appear in more local races is my guess. Perhaps JTG Daugherty knew it was happening when they switched Preece to the 37 last year knowing Stenhouse was going to be the guy they ended up putting most of their money on. That’s all conjecture but the reality is we’re here now with an under funded open car and that is a recipe for a spiral downward from team moral to marketability.
I’d also take issue with an suggestion there is a connection between this and local tracks dropping the NASCAR sanction. They are two separate issues. Fact is the charter move was a point of contention in the fall. A fall that saw teams springing up and existing teams expanding with charter movement in play. NASCAR Cup may be on a longer term downward trajectory at this stage or bottomed out I have no idea. What this is however is chess pieces moving that for Preece and his fans is not working out so well at all. In fact I’d classify it as a dead end with little to no upside other then he’s still a NASCAR Cup driver albeit with very dim future prospects.
I
The Dummy (aka Doug)
The truth always comes out.
I was right.
A WIN WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING !!!! Come on Men, Steve Park , Bodine, Bouchard , Hamilton , all got the Big Win to launch their Careers !!!! WE have seen this movie before , Ryan Preece pulls off the Biggest upset Win in his life, we will all be on our FEET cheering him on to the Finish Line, Same as we did for our other Northern Heroes. That’s why they run the race ….. JUST WIN BABY !!!!! keep the FAITH !!!!!
The bell is tolling on JTG #37 I fear.
While I share your enthusiasm Suitcase, A very tall order.
Unfortunately, a non-fully funded year at this level, will probably mean that the 37,, when it does run, will be the r&d car for the fully funded 47.
Preece certainly deserves better sure, but nobody was ringing his phone off the hook in a contract year is my guess, or he would be somewhere else. $$$$. As usual, the very early young 20 year old something phenom, with rare exception gets the look.
My antennas were up when Preece indicated that he was going to race everything he could this year, adding modified races, ect, and I thought to myself, how can he do that, as he is running a full time cup schedule? I dismissed that thought, just figuring that I was reading too much into the comment. I guess it was a hint that the shoe was about to drop. Hindsight. Yep suitcase, he has to win, or he is done at cup level. Too bad, I had a renewed interest in watching cup when he got the ride, if only, to see how Preece was doing.
Preece is not a publicity whore like Micheal Waltrip, who had only 4 wins in 33 years and 784 Cup races. Micheal Waltrip’s first win came in his 17th year. Only 215 lead lap finishes. Up until his first win, he was known as the most popular driver without a win.
Preece is not a clown, so he needs to do it with pure performance. There’s only so much his talent can do to make do with the equipment he has to work with.
You can have all the money in the world. Without that golden ticket known as a charter, the money is worthless, especially this season, where most of the races run will have the starting field determined by postmarks. This means at best Preece will start 37th in a 40 car field, and could be sidelined by a team that made it to the post office ahead of them. There is only so much talent a non chartered team can support for any length of time, the more talented guys end up working for chartered teams, the same goes for sponsorship, it’s easier to obtain, then retain a good sponsorship when your guaranteed to start every race.
Dad gum Jake that is some powerful optimism. We’ll see real quick if the team is doing what is necessary to get good finishes or if they are suffering morale and resource problems and just putting in their time to fulfill sponsor commitments.
It’s selfish but it will be nice to see him running more local events. I’d bet he does very well the more events he runs.
Dad gum, me too! I have pumped up his cup ride at JTG for 2 years! Ever optimistic we all were! Rose colored glasses (other than Preece’s raw talent which is tremendous ) had I!
But it’s over, unless he hits that lottery I spoke about a year or so ago. Was so hoping it did not come to this for Ryan.
I love the guy, but JTG is what it is, and always has been so far. No fault of Preece’s
Geez I hope the racing God’s find him a ride in the bigs. Ever optimistic. Just not at JTG is all. He deserves better. Sure, I can be selfish too, and be glad to see him running more local events, but I would also hazard a guess, that probably may not be his first choice, and he is probably very disappointed. I feel for the guy for sure. Crappy business if you don’t bring big money for sponsorship at that level, no matter how talented you may be. Just not enough, that you are talented, and passionate about what you do. He, and a lot of others deserve better. But in the end business is business, no matter how much I like the guy (and others). This just obviously sucks…oh well, no more rose colored glasses for me, jmo.
Well I’m not going to mince words about the steaming 💩 deal that Ryan Preece has received from Cup racing. The guy goes out on a limb and rents top notch equipment to try and show that if given a chance in good stuff he can drive at NASCAR’s top levels and not only runs well but wins and it’s still not enough for a top team ride. The way Cup racing has gone with it’s segment racing,silly playoff format were as you could literally win every single race in a season and every race in the chace but last one and you’re not the season champ.lol silly isn’t it? When a guy named Anthony Alfredo has a full time cup ride and proven racer like Ryan doesn’t there is a problem. Ryan can’t catch sponsorship money but the media darling Bubba has companies lining up to throw money at him and guy couldn’t drive Monahan’s shagging wagon to the front at the bowl for crying out loud!!!!
That’s pretty obvious bringing Bubba Wallace into this conversation when he has nothing to do with any of it. It’s about the color of his skin. You couldn’t be more of a race fan stereotype if you used the N word.
Wallace can drive fine and if he’s landed in Michael Jordan’s car because of the color of his skin is that really much different from some rich white kid getting a premium ride because of money. Tell you what.
NASCAR Cup has no shortage of young white guys with money. It does have a shortage of faces with color that I know a lot in the fan base think is perfect the way it is but otherwise is not considered a good marketing strategy to grow the fan base.. All of which has nothing to do with Ryan Preece’s situation now.
As fans of Preece there is a cup half full scenario. The excitement of seeing him get into the field based on pure speed. I admit not being that familiar with the process but am boning up on it. Correct me if I’m wrong but as things stand now there will be 4 spots available to open teams in most races. Based on past performance and baring rain the 37 should be the class of the open teams with regard to speed. True he’s not in the field automatically but he will still start not after all the chartered teams but at the speed the car earns. Racers race, Preece is the consummate racer so if they can give him the car he’ll do the job.
Also in the cup is half full category I reject the notion that Preece is somehow a victim in any regard. If his stint in Cup ends tomorrow it was the achievement of a lifetime overcoming incredible odds. He raced Cup and had some good finishes and few can say that. You can’t be blaming owners for putting young guys with money behind the wheel in a sport that requires so much money.
Preece is also the complete racer. Part of that includes knowing cars and what makes them go fast. He’s developed relationships in the Cup garage. Who’s to say that won’t translate to some other iteration in the sport where he can be a part of the sport at the top level. That too happens all the time with Northeast guys like The Reg where driving isn’t the only way to be relevant and make a living.
All doom and gloom from the keyboard warriors. Ryan will be just fine. The best place for him is on the track. There are a bunch of retirements coming up. There will be opportunities. Look at Matt D. How many years did it take him to find a decent ride in the the 21??? That’s already over after this season. The Dinger(AJ) found an Xfinity ride last year after being let go. He did damn good including a race win. He’s running the 24hrs of Daytona as we speak. He’s also running the Daytona RC race in Feb. Ryan has earned some respect in the garage and will have other opportunities if this falls through.
As discussed, his short term goal should be winning the Daytona 500. He excels on the superspeedways and has a real shot.
Nothing saying they can’t find a sponsor for the additional races either. It’s only January folks.
Doug I purly judged bubba on his on track performance said absolutely nothing about race at all. If anything you seem to think he should have his ride based on his skin color which would technically make you a racist!!!! Idiots like you Doug are part of the problem bringing race into a conversation when there was ZERO reference or implication of any kind. I was merely stating that a driver that very few fans have ever heard of has money so he’s in and that there is sponsorship money out there for other drivers who aren’t exactly proving they are capable of running in the series. But I’d imagine you once again you’re going to claim it’s a race thing when that’s very clearly not what I said.
I know a bigot when I read one because I am one. A more mellowed, congenial and introspective version but well versed in the basics of prejudice, intolerance and the ways it can be made to sound almost logical. And that’s exactly what you did and now you deny it all I can say is Wow.
To believe your fundamental premise that Bubba Wallace is a sub standard race car driver I’d have to believe that Richard Petty is an ignorant hack that for whatever reason allowed the sub standard driver to pilot his car for 112 Cup races over 4 years. And apparently Denny Hamlin, Jordan’s partner in the new team also is willing to look past Wallace’s lack of talent to put him in the new car for reasons only he knows.
You could have stopped with the kid “Fast Pasta”. Tying Preece’s current situation with Alfredo would have been equally obtuse but it would have been main stream fan ranting. But you just couldn’t resist sticking the black guy in. One with not only the credentials mentioned above but Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series experience as well. And you label the black guy as not only incompetent driver but the equally ill defined label of “media darling” whatever that means.
Now comes the faux outrage. What me a bigot. I’m just stating facts. You Doug are the bigot.
It’s text book bigotry and I know it chapter and verse. Wallace isn’t a substandard driver and he isn’t a media darling. What he is, is a black driver that got a lot of attention last summer for being black that I’m betting he would have preferred not to get. What he would prefer is to be treated with complete disregard for the color of his skin. This is the USA however and NASCAR is what it is. A place where guys like Wow can cast aspersions on a black driver that are completely unfounded then say awe shucks I’m just stating facts.
PS. It’s the “Swaggin’ Wagon” not the ” shagging wagon”.
Wow wrote, “Idiots like you Doug are part of the problem…”
Apparently I’m not the only one that sees it.
I was right again.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Holy cow what a minus IQ Doug has. This egotistical old fart has used the word “chick” to describe female racers and has the audacity to call people out on race when all I did was make a point about the state of sponsorship in cup racing. Doug admits to making decisions based on a person’s race and brings race into a discussion that had none. So Doug then everyone who doesn’t think Bubba deserves his ride is a racist? Notice how it wasn’t a problem I put Anthony in there on your first response? Race baiting at its best. You disagree with my observation on there driving skills is ok but calling people racist without proof is silly at best and more likely just shows your incredibly low intelligence. Now I see why everyone on this site gives you a hard time. You bring it on yourself. The true biggots are the ones who bring race into conversations.
I’m so verklempt. 😭 😢 Tears of joy. 🥲
Wow gets it. I’m so relieved.
Wow, Doug, and all his other screen names are the supreme judge of everyone else. Well, at least he thinks so. When you disagree with an opinion of his, or even better when you dismember what he presents as facts, he takes offense, as if it was a personal attack. That’s when it gets fun. 🤩
Congratulations.
It could very well be I am an” egotistical old fart”, “idiot”, “minus IQ Doug” and/or a person with “incredibly low intelligence” as you have said. On the other hand I think I made a solid case that I never thought you would agree with.
It didn’t escape me that while you loaded up on insults you steered clear of any fact about Wallace that would prove your thorough trashing of the guy. The more I looked into Wallace’s stint in the 43, a car that is not a highly competitive car and compared his record to the previous drivers I’m more convinced then ever your invoking Wallace was abundantly ignorant as well as bigoted.
One correction. You inferred I called you a racist when that did not happen. What is on the table in my view is creeping bigotry masquerading as a fact based critique sans a single fact to back it up. Didn’t even call you a bigot so much as try to show your comment was bigoted.
Any who it is what it is and I leave it to any folks out there that care to show interest to judge it as they may.
Now it’s Doug the victim.what a tool. It’s funny that you seem to take exception to me calling you exactly what you are only after you’ve labeled me a bigot based on a comment about sponsorship. The only point you’ve made is my assessment of you as a bellow intelligence person is correct. It’s ok to have a different opinion on wether or not a driver’s talent supports how far they’ve made it but what’s not ok is labeling someone as something that society deems as vile as a bigot. Got it stupid.
Ryan Preece will WIN a Cup Race before he hangs up his helmet. !! IT may come in a spot start for another TEAM. . WE have all seen , many things happen in this sport, Injuries, Births, Concussions and all sorts of Crazy things happen in Cup. …It may come in a Gibbs Car… or another opportunity may just come out of left field…. He has the Talent !! People are always watching… Attitude is everything so Ryan will WIN given the chance in equal equipment…. Good things will happen…. to good People…..Winners Win….. Just remember you have to be in the Race to Win … How many races have been Won on gas mileage, strategy , tires, WEATHER…. Go and WIN …….Un- Foreseen Circumstances await ….. WIN….
At first I thought that line of thinking was a bit Pollyanna-ish and hopelessly contrarian. Now not so much. It’s true we only see what’s right in front of us and on the cusp of the biggest race of the season race cut backs and open team status is not good no matter how you spin it.. Still Preece came back from the dead last year with some good runs and he is definitely on peoples radar so yah, A win I don’t know but continuation as a driver at the highest levels of Nascar I’m completely on board with. I’d even think it to be likely.
The reality is $$$$$$$$ is what racing is all about… No matter the level…