Ryan Preece NASCAR Cup Series Dover Preview

(Press release from Stewart-Haas Racing)

●  Event:  Würth 400 (Round 11 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 28

●  Location:  Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway

●  Layout:  1-mile, concrete oval

●  Laps/Miles:  400 laps/400 miles

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 120 laps / Stage 2: 130 laps / Final Stage: 150 laps

●  TV/Radio:  FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

●  After securing his third consecutive top-15 of the season, Ryan Preece is set to tame the track affectionately nicknamed the “Monster Mile.” Sunday’s Würth 400 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway marks the first appearance of the season for Morton Buildings as primary sponsor of Preece’s No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing. Morton Buildings, the industry-leading company in post-frame manufacturing and construction, previously adorned the hood of Preece’s Ford Mustang during one race in 2023, and for several races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series when the Connecticut native made select starts during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

●  During last weekend’s race on the high banks of Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Preece and the No. 41 team qualified an impressive 11th, just missing out on the second round of qualifying by .007 of a second. At a racetrack where momentum reigns supreme, Preece went on to earn two stage points and ran up front with his Ford teammates throughout the 500-mile race. Despite getting caught up in a multicar accident coming to the checkered flag, Preece still managed a 14th-place result.

●  Heading into Dover, Preece sits 23rd in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 162 points, having moved up one spot with his strong showing at Talladega. He’s climbed seven positions in the standings over the last three races and sits just two points behind John Hunter Nemechek.

●  Preece has seven previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover with a best result of 17th, which came in his first start with Stewart-Haas last May. He has an additional three starts there in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with a best finish of fourth, earned in October 2018, one of his two top-10s in those three starts.

●  Morton Buildings, based in Morton, Illinois, is distinguished by meticulous attention to detail. The company sets itself apart with leading-edge innovations, top-tier warranties and highly skilled field craftsmen, all aimed at exceeding customer expectations. With a construction legacy extending over a century and a clientele exceeding a quarter-million satisfied customers, Morton Buildings takes pride in its 100-percent employee ownership structure. Recognized for its commitment to employee ownership, the company holds the prestigious rank of No. 65 on the National Center for Employee Ownership’s 2022 Employee Ownership 100 list, which showcases the nation’s largest companies predominantly owned by employee stock ownership plans. For additional details, visit www.mortonbuildings.com.

What Ryan Is Saying:

A few weeks ago, you said that April would be an important month for you and the team to build momentum. Results say that things have gone in your favor, but do you feel like you’ve done what you hoped to achieve over the course of the month?

“I would definitely say that, outside of Richmond, we’ve had a decent amount of races throughout the month. We’re going to continue to build on that going into Dover, which I feel pretty good about based on the direction that we’ve headed at places like Martinsville and even Texas. We’re heading in a good direction, and I’m really hopeful that we can continue to work on the speed, as well as qualifying, and running good at Dover and the other tracks coming up.”

You scored your best finish at Dover in the racetrack’s most recent race held last spring. What do you need in the car to keep the momentum rolling and post a strong run this weekend?

“I think it’s just working on the direction that we’ve been heading in. My cars have been getting more and more comfortable. We certainly seem to make the cars better from when the weekends start to end. So, we’re just going to keep making decisions based on the notes that we take and keep making those decisions positive ones, like we’ve been doing in the past few weeks.”

Dover is very close to the Northeast. You’re a Northeast guy. Does that add any extra confidence or motivation into the mix?

“Dover is definitely a track where you get a lot of people from Long Island, Connecticut, and just the Northeast area in general, so it’s a track where I certainly want to run well. I think Dover is a track that suits my driving style somewhat, so I’m definitely excited to get there and, hopefully, we will have a really solid run.”

Are you and the team drawing from experience and data from the tracks you’ve already run this year to apply to your setup at Dover?

“Yes, I think looking at what we had here last year and some of the differences that we’ve seen this year with the new aero package at the short tracks that we’ve been to already helps us understand the right feel for what we’re looking for to be fast. Most drivers in the past were able to go test and find what worked for them and what didn’t. Now, drivers have to go through entire races and those weekends to see what works and what doesn’t for them. I think it’s really about taking what we know from experience to this point and making educated decisions.”