(Press release from Stewart-Haas Racing)
● Event: NASCAR All-Star Open | NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points races)
● Time/Date: 5:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 19
● Location: North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway
● Layout: .625-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 100 laps/62.5 miles | 200 laps/125 miles
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
● Ryan Preece is headed to North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway this weekend to compete for a spot in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race. The driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Stewart-Haas Racing will have to race into the main event by finishing in the top-two positions during Sunday’s undercard All-Star Open. NASCAR returned to North Wilkesboro after a 27-year hiatus for last season’s All-Star event. Preece qualified eighth and finished fourth in last year’s All-Star Open, falling just two spots short of advancing to the main event.
● Preece is known for success on short tracks similar to North Wilkesboro. He made a name for himself racing on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, which competes on racetracks 1 mile or less. He clinched the championship in 2013 and has 26 career Tour wins. His two career NASCAR Xfinity Series win both came on short tracks – the .87-mile Iowa Speedway in Newton on July 29, 2017, and the half-mile Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on April 14, 2018. In the April 2023 NASCAR Cup Series race on the half-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Preece qualified on the pole and led 135 of 400 race laps. He also finished fourth at the .75-mile Richmond (Va.) Raceway in the July 2023 Cup Series race, marking his best result of 2023. Preece’s ninth-place finish last month at Martinsville remains his best result thus far in 2024.
● Preece arrives at North Wilkesboro after starting 26th and finishing 17th in last Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. It was his sixth top-20 finish this season and the 10th time in 13 races he finished better than he started. This weekend’s All-Star event provides drivers and teams with a break from the points-paying season. The regular season will resume on Memorial Day Weekend with the traditional Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Preece currently sits 28th in the driver standings with 192 points.
● Joining Preece and the No. 41 Ford Mustang for the second consecutive All-Star Open is HaasTooling.com, the cutting tool division of Haas Automation. HaasTooling.com allows CNC machinists to purchase high-quality cutting tools at great prices. Haas cutting tools are sold exclusively online at HaasTooling.com and shipped directly to end users. Haas Automation, founded in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers, rotaries and indexers, and automation solutions.
What Ryan Is Saying:
North Wilkesboro has been paved since last season’s All-Star Race. How do you envision it will affect the race compared to last season?
“With North Wilkesboro’s repave and all the improvements to the racetrack, some of that takes away from the tire fall-off. However, at the same time, I had the opportunity to go there earlier this year to do a tire test, and it’s still the same North Wilkesboro that all of us love. It should be an exciting weekend from both a competition and entertainment standpoint.”
What’s your mindset heading into the weekend, as you will have to race your way into the main event via the All-Star Open?
“This is the weekend where no points are on the line. We’re looking to bring as much speed as possible and race for the money. It’s over a million dollars on the line, so it’s a really big deal for a lot of us. Having a strong performance there can certainly give you a boost when we go back to points racing at Charlotte next week.”
What are your thoughts on North Wilkesboro hosting the All-Star Race and being on the schedule in years to come?
“Going back to North Wilkesboro, a track that was closed for many years, seeing the improvements that have been made to the facility is really good to see. It really has been a resurrection. It’s been a resurrection of the town and the racetrack. North Wilkesboro is an important place for our sport and certainly an important place for our sport to continue to be and grow with into the future.”
What would it mean for you to race your way into the All-Star Race?
“Someone like myself who’s a big short-track racer and grassroots type of guy, getting into the All-Star Race and being a part of that event would be huge for me and my career. Having an opportunity to race for a million dollars would be nice, as well.”
JUST GET IT DONE !!!
This is the track, I hope SHR provides the car.
If SHR wants a win, make sure Ryan gets a car that can get it done.
Im not sure he can suitcase. I just dont see the evidence that there’s a genie in the box anymore. Would love to be proved wrong though.
Unfortunately Ryan is looking more and more like the “odd man out” at SHR.
last race when he was driving around in the back of the pack, Chad admitted that he had no ideas left so he decided to go with the same setup as the rest of SHR….and guess what… Ryan was able to drive through the field and if it wasn’t for 2 pit road mistakes he would have been challenging for a top 10.
Hopefully now Chad will put his pride away and start working with the SHR cars. Praying this will help unload faster cars. At this point they have nothing to loose
AS we all know… You’re only as good as the car underneath you , the team on pit road & you’re crew chief…. I agree with my fellow RDCT FOLLOWERS if something GREAT like a WIN does not happen… I am afraid Ryan will either grab a ride in Xfinity or Trucks or back to Modifieds … It’s super hard going up against the MEGA MONEY TEAMS …. & BEST DRIVERS IN THE WORLD in FENDERED CARS… The competition is just so high … But we have seen other HASS cars run consistently up front..???? Ryan needs that breakthrough WIN .. like Steven Park …was able to do in CUP … Steve did WIN and would have Won more races than anyone from the Northeast if he wasn’t injured in those HORRIBLE GRINDING CRASHES and the final pit road crash that took him out with Head Injuries… What a Shame….Steven had all the TALENT you could ask for behind the wheel and Chassis Knowledge to BOOT… Hell he built a car for DEI that he won in and Jr Won in after he moved up to Cup.. Listen to Dale Jr podcast with Steven and you will learn all the things he did late at night alone in the Shop… Excellent stuff to listen to on these Rainy Days.. I am waiting for the ARK to arrive so i can jump in … 2 or 4 inches of rain already and still comming down hard in Southeast Ma…. WOW the ponds and stuff are overflowing ..
Just another driver who will compete mostly mid to bach pack. Its a shame really. Hes a good driver
Joe Gibbs made a huge mistake.
Suitcase;
Im not trying to bait you, but, haas is a big money operation.
Secondly, Park? No comparison. Park imo is head and shoulders above Preece until Foyt hit him in the drivers door, which was no fault of Foyt. (For all the reasons you listed) Could not have scripted a more bizarre, life threatening, career ending accident.
So Suitcase, ever the optimist, I’m asking, what the hell happened? Preece certainly looks like the r&d car of the haas operation to me at this point.
Someone once said in response to one of my posts, that I don’t really know Preece, and inferred that this was to be expected.
I hope not. But have I given Ryan too much credit? No slam, As I’ve followed him for a while, including all cup races. He’s had flashes. But something has to be going on it seems to me.
If its him, then the only thing I can think of, is he lost that automatic feel that every race driver has in his ass, split second timing, maybe from that scary Daytona flip?
I just dont know.
Talk me off the ledge Suitcase. I dont have Doug no more it seems, to bring a different light to this. And I’m still watching and hoping Mr Preece pulls a rabbit out of the hat. Jmo.
Bobf, I believe Ryan still has the seat of the pants feel & talent to Win …. But he is now in with the best drivers in the WORLD with fenders on… So Steven Park was the real deal… He was a Winner in everything so that’s why he got the CALL from DALE SR…which he didn’t return because he thought it was the guys pranking him… But after the 2ND CALL and a little irritated DALE SR leaving another message… He got it… Won right away in Busch & Won in Cup also… Ryan is not in that league. 20 something Modified Tour Wins & a Championship… Ryan desperately needs to grab that BIG WIN very soon or it will be curtains in Cup … Top 5 for his Rookie teammate Josh Berry shows the cars are improving so either the Crew Chief or Ryan will depart soon if no top 10’s top 5’s are achieved soon.. Briscoe is always near the top 10 so whats the 41’s issue… A change may be on the way.. Hopefully Ryan can dig deep and will himself to Victory… But not so easy with the level of talent & quality of the other teams the MEGA teams who have thousands of employees compared hundreds at HASS … Still have HOPE that Ryan can get it done if not this year I am afraid it will have to a step down to REBUILD his career with a top notch Xfinity ride or Truck Ride…. Lots of ifs & buts …. time will tell…
Thx suitcase, appreciate feedback. Last year, dareal called for a crew chief change and i wasn’t buying it. Thought it was the driver over driving the car, and using up equipment too quick, plus pit road driver error mistakes. This year, when stewart hired Berry, I called for Berry winning first, for next win, by haas. Why? Because of Rodney Childers, no knock on Berry, who is a good shoe in his own right. My apologies to dareal, who I think had it right last year on the crew chief call. I was blind to it. Good luck Ryan.