Ryan Preece

Ryan Preece Bio

Ryan Jeffrey Preece (born October 25, 1990) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 60 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing. A veteran of the short tracks of the Northeast, Preece built his reputation in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour before climbing through NASCAR’s national series ladder.

Over the course of his career, Preece has competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series East, and ARCA Menards Series West. He also made multiple starts in the defunct NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour and won the Whelen Modified Tour championship in 2013 after finishing as the runner-up in both 2009 and 2012.

Early Life and Background

Ryan Jeffrey Preece was born on October 25, 1990, in Berlin, Connecticut, to Jeff and Jodie Preece. He is the youngest of three sons and grew up surrounded by the deep short-track racing culture that defines the northeastern United States. Berlin and the surrounding Connecticut racing community provided an ideal environment for a young driver eager to learn the craft of stock car racing.

Preece attended Xavier High School, graduating in 2009. While still a student, he was already spending his weekends at local ovals, cutting his teeth against veteran competitors and earning a reputation as a determined and fearless young racer. His early exposure to Modified and open-wheel competition in the Northeast shaped the versatile driving style that has followed him throughout his career.

Path to NASCAR

Preece began his racing career in 2007 in the Northeastern Midget Association, finishing 32nd in the championship standings with the Bertrand team. A year later, he reached the podium for the first time with a third-place finish at Monadnock in his only Northeastern Midget race of the season, signaling his rapid progress through the regional open-wheel ranks.

In 2011, Preece won the SK Modified Series championship at Stafford Motor Speedway, the same year his future wife, Heather DesRochers, earned the series’ Rookie of the Year award. That title opened the door to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, where he made an immediate impact and laid the foundation for his transition to NASCAR’s national touring series.

Ryan Preece Career

Early Career (2007–2012)

Preece’s earliest national-level visibility came in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, where he captured his first career victory by dominating the Made In America Whelen 300 at Martinsville. That breakthrough win established him as one of the top young talents in Modified racing and set the stage for sustained success in the series.

He finished as the runner-up in the Whelen Modified Tour championship in both 2009 and 2012, consistently contending for titles while balancing additional starts in regional touring series. These development years allowed Preece to refine his race craft, build relationships with respected car owners, and prepare for the next step into NASCAR’s national series.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Breakthrough (2013–2017)

In 2013, Preece captured the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship with four wins in fourteen races while driving for Flamingo Motorsports, owned by Eric Sanderson. The title was the culmination of years of near-misses and cemented his status as one of the premier Modified drivers of his era.

He returned to Flamingo Motorsports in 2014 and won the final two races of the season, finishing second in the final standings. After a stint in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Preece rejoined TS Haulers Racing, owned by Ed Partridge, in 2015 and continued to compete in the Modified Tour in subsequent seasons, remaining a respected figure in Northeast short-track racing even as his national series schedule expanded.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2013–2019)

Preece made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in 2013 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, finishing 24th in the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for Tommy Baldwin Racing. He returned for additional starts with the team in 2014 and then joined JD Motorsports full-time in 2016, driving the No. 01 Chevrolet with primary sponsorship from Flex Seal, narrowly missing the first-ever Xfinity playoffs.

In July 2017, Preece joined Joe Gibbs Racing for a part-time Xfinity schedule in the No. 20 Toyota Camry. He finished a career-best second at New Hampshire behind teammate Kyle Busch before winning his first career Xfinity race at Iowa, holding off teammate Kyle Benjamin on a late restart. Later that year, he won the Bristol Dash 4 Cash race and the $100,000 bonus. In 2018, Preece ran another partial schedule with JGR in the No. 18, and in 2019 he joined JR Motorsports for a part-time slate, posting four top-ten finishes with a best of fourth at Pocono.

Camping World Truck Series Debut (2021–2022)

Preece made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in 2021 with David Gilliland Racing, scoring a win at Nashville Superspeedway in his first career Truck start after passing Grant Enfinger with six laps remaining. The victory made him the fifth driver in series history to win in his debut.

In 2022, he added seven Truck starts with David Gilliland Racing, capturing his first career Truck Series pole at Nashville Superspeedway in June and leading 74 of 150 laps to win Stage 2 and his second career Truck Series victory. The season also included part-time Xfinity and Cup appearances as he positioned himself for a return to full-time national series competition.

Cup Series Debut and JTG Daugherty Racing Era (2018–2021)

Preece made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2015 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for Tommy Baldwin Racing. After a handful of additional Cup starts in 2018 with Premium Motorsports and TBR, he was announced on September 28, 2018, as the full-time driver of the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for JTG Daugherty Racing beginning in 2019, replacing the departing A. J. Allmendinger and competing for Rookie of the Year honors.

He moved to the No. 37 in 2020 after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joined the team, scoring an unofficial pole at Darlington via field inversion and surviving a violent Kansas Speedway crash in July. Preece returned to the No. 37 in 2021, but the car lacked a charter and full sponsorship, and the team shut down at the end of the season, leaving Preece without a full-time Cup ride.

Stewart–Haas Racing Era (2022–2024)

On January 6, 2022, Stewart–Haas Racing hired Preece as a reserve and simulator driver, while he also raced Cup, Xfinity, and Truck events with other organizations. On November 16, 2022, SHR announced that Preece would replace Cole Custer in the No. 41 for the 2023 season, with Chad Johnston returning to SHR as crew chief.

The 2023 season included a first career Cup pole at Martinsville and a serious airborne crash at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona in August, which eliminated his playoff hopes but ended with Preece walking out under his own power. In 2024, he started with a 23rd-place finish at the Daytona 500 before Stewart–Haas Racing announced on May 28, 2024, that it would shut down its NASCAR operations at the end of the season.

RFK Racing Era (2025–Present)

On November 19, 2024, RFK Racing announced that Preece would drive the No. 60 Ford Mustang Dark Horse full-time in 2025, partnering with crew chief Derrick Finley. The move brought Preece back to the Ford camp and aligned him with one of NASCAR’s most respected organizations.

His 2025 campaign opened with another airborne crash at the Daytona 500 when contact with Christopher Bell flipped his car, though he emerged uninjured. Preece then scored a third-place finish at Las Vegas, tying his career best from Talladega in 2019. At Talladega, he initially finished second to Austin Cindric by 0.022 seconds but was later disqualified after post-race inspection revealed the spoiler had three shims instead of two.

Driving Style and Strengths

Preece is widely regarded as one of the most versatile short-track racers in NASCAR, with a particular strength on flat ovals and intermediate tracks where race craft and mechanical sympathy matter most. His Modified Tour background has made him comfortable in tight, side-by-side racing, and he has built a strong technical partnership with crew chief Derrick Finley at RFK Racing.

Notable Races and Milestones

Signature moments include his 2013 Whelen Modified Tour championship, his first career Xfinity victory at Iowa in 2017, his debut Truck Series win at Nashville in 2021, and his dramatic airborne crashes at Daytona in 2023 and 2025, from both of which he walked away uninjured. His 2025 Talladega runner-up finish, later overturned by disqualification, underscored his continued competitiveness at the sport’s highest level.

Ryan Preece Career Wins

Ryan Preece has compiled wins across the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, along with championships and feature victories at Stafford Motor Speedway and across the Northeast short-track circuit.

NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Highlights

Preece captured the 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship with four wins in fourteen races for Flamingo Motorsports, after finishing as the series runner-up in 2009 and 2012. His first career Modified Tour victory came in dominating fashion at Martinsville in the Made In America Whelen 300, and he added late-season wins in 2014 to finish second in points once again.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights

Preece’s first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory came at Iowa Speedway in 2017 with Joe Gibbs Racing, where he held off teammate Kyle Benjamin on a late restart. He added a Bristol win and the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus later that season and recorded additional top-five finishes with both JGR and JR Motorsports over the following years.

Other Wins and Performances

In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Preece won at Nashville Superspeedway in 2021 in his first career Truck start and added a second Truck victory at Nashville in 2022. He also captured the 2011 SK Modified Series championship at Stafford Motor Speedway and earned a Northeastern Midget Association podium at Monadnock in 2008, reflecting the depth of his short-track résumé.

Ryan Preece Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Ryan Preece was born to Jeff and Jodie Preece and is the youngest of three sons. The family has deep roots in the Connecticut racing community, and his upbringing around Berlin’s short tracks played a central role in shaping his career path.

Personal Life

Preece married his longtime girlfriend, Heather DesRochers, in 2017. DesRochers is also a racing driver, having participated in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity combine in 2009 and 2010. The couple met at Stafford Motor Speedway in 2009 and competed against each other in the 2011 SK Modified Series, where Preece won the championship and DesRochers was named Rookie of the Year. Together they have two children: a daughter, Rebecca Marie, born on August 7, 2023, and a son, Bentley, born on October 10, 2025.

2025 Season Performance

Ryan Preece’s 2025 season opened with one of the most talked-about moments of the year when he was involved in another airborne crash at the Daytona 500. Contact with Christopher Bell flipped his No. 60 Ford Mustang Dark Horse on lap 196, yet Preece climbed out uninjured and avoided a serious setback to his early-season momentum.

He rebounded quickly with a third-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, tying his career-best Cup result from Talladega in 2019. The performance demonstrated the strength of his partnership with crew chief Derrick Finley and validated RFK Racing’s decision to bring him aboard as the team’s newest full-time driver.

At Talladega Superspeedway, Preece initially crossed the line second to Austin Cindric by just 0.022 seconds before being disqualified in post-race inspection when the spoiler was found to have three shims instead of two. Despite the disappointing outcome, his speed at Daytona and Talladega confirmed his comfort on superspeedways, and his playoff outlook for the remainder of 2025 will depend on consistent top-ten finishes at intermediates and short tracks with RFK Racing.