Ryan Preece NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Speedway Preview

(Press release from Stewart-Haas Racing)

●  Event:  Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol (Round 17 of 36)

●  Time/Date:  7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 16

●  Location:  Iowa Speedway in Newton

●  Layout:  .875-mile oval

●  Laps/Miles:  350 laps/306.25 miles

●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 70 laps / Stage 2: 140 laps / Final Stage: 140 laps

●  TV/Radio:  USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

●  Ryan Preece and the No. 41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang Dark Horse team are set to compete in Sunday’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway in Newton. The .875-mile oval boasts 10 degrees of banking on the frontstretch, 4 degrees on the backstretch, and progressive banking from 12 to 14 degrees in its corners. The Cup Series heads to Iowa after NASCAR previously hosted Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series races there from 2009 to 2019.

●  Preece has three starts in the Xfinity Series at Iowa, with a July 2017 victory for Joe Gibbs Racing in his most recent outing. It was his first NASCAR national series win. Preece held off runner-up Kyle Benjamin in overtime by a .054 of a second. It was a dominating performance for Preece as he led 141 of 254 laps, won the first stage and finished second in the second stage. Preece is among 19 of the 36 drivers starting Sunday’s Cup Series race who has won previously at Iowa.

●  Last weekend at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, Preece got off to a strong start, finishing with a top-five overall lap average in Saturday’s practice session. He started Sunday’s 102-lap Save Mart 350k 30th, but a fast racecar and strategy calls placed him and the No. 41 team second by the end of the second stage, earning nine stage points, Preece finished the race 18th after a late spin. Preece earned 28 points throughout the day, moving him up three spots in the driver standings from 29th to 26th. He heads to Iowa 11 points behind 25th-place Erik Jones.

●  Morton Buildings will be the primary sponsor of Preece’s No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse at Iowa. The industry-leading company in post-frame manufacturing and construction previously adorned the hood of Preece’s racecar April 28 at Dover. Based in Morton, Illinois, Morton Buildings is distinguished by meticulous attention to detail. The company sets itself apart with leading-edge innovations, top-tier warranties and highly skilled 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:

You were a part-time driver with only four scheduled starts when you scored your first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 at Iowa. What did that win do for your career?

“Ultimately, that win changed my life. I went from living in a small condo in Connecticut to eventually having an opportunity to race for one of the best teams in NASCAR. When I moved home in 2017, before that win, the whole dream of chasing after a career in the Cup Series had pretty much fizzled out, but then the opportunity came along to run those races for Gibbs in the Xfinity Series. Iowa changed my life.”

You haven’t competed at Iowa since your life-changing win there in 2017. What’s your confidence level like heading back to Iowa?

“I think the racetrack has changed since the last time I raced there, but I certainly feel good about our chances this weekend. It’s obviously a place that I’ve run well at in the past, and it’s a style of racetrack that I’ve had a lot of success on. I’m definitely excited about going back for the first time since that win. It will be special.”

Iowa was typically a multi-groove racetrack when the Xfinity Series and Truck Series competed there. What do you think the on-track product will look like for the Cup Series on Sunday?

“I’m sure the product will be good. I think you’ll see drivers running all over the racetrack, but I think the bottom will be the fastest way around until the top is worked in later in the race.”

There is more practice time this weekend for drivers and teams. How important is practice at Iowa?

“Practice is important everywhere, but having the extra practice time this weekend will certainly give us somewhat of an understanding of what to expect on Sunday.”

How do you feel the season has been going so far, and what are your expectations going forward?

“We started getting momentum heading into Dover, but then the issue there set us back on so many different things. I feel like our team is heading back in the right direction. Sonoma showed a little bit of light for us. We had some speed there, and I feel optimistic about the races coming up. I’ve won at Iowa, New Hampshire and Nashville, so hopefully we can keep moving the needle forward this weekend.”