This weekend's Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium kicks off Ryan Preece's tenure at RFK Racing. The season has yet to start, but driver-owner Brad Keselowski has set some big expectations for his new teammate.
Videos by FanBuzz
"I feel Ryan will win his first Cup race this year," Keselowski posted on X, the platform formerly known on Twitter, on Jan. 30. He made this comment in response to a quote from Preece about his mindset.
Preece, who has 187 career starts, met with media members earlier in the week and explained that he's not happy just competing on Sundays, whether with JTG Daugherty Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, or RFK Racing. No, his goal is to win races.
Partnering with RFK Racing provides Preece with what he views as a strong opportunity. He has seen the progress made by Keselowski, Jack Roush, and the Fenway Sports Group as the team's drivers have been in regular contention for wins. He has seen his former teammate, Chris Buescher, win races with quality equipment.
"My expectations are high," Preece told media members on Tuesday. "They've always been high. I don't ever set a bar low. I always want to set it really high and winning races is the goal.
"I didn't move down here and do the sacrifices and put my family through what I've done to come down here and just be a part of the show. That's not who I am as a racer. I'm somebody that wants to win races. It doesn't matter if I'm at my local short track or racing Cup on Sunday. The goal is to win."
Preece, who has won in both Trucks and Xfinity, enters the 2025 season with 16 career top-10 finishes in Cup. He posted a career-high five last season with Stewart-Haas Racing. His career-best finish was third at Talladega Superspeedway in 2019.
Preece knows the expectations entering his first season at RFK Racing. Now the time has come to go out there and meet them.
But where will he get this win that Keselowski expects? The easy answer is the short tracks. Preece has four top-10 finishes split between Martinsville, Bristol, and Richmond. He also led the pole and led 115 laps at Martinsville in 2023 before a penalty relegated him to a 15th-place finish.
