The recent stretch of Cup Series races have seen Ryan Preece falling below the cutline for The Chase, but he and RFK Racing remain quite positive entering the North Wilkesboro weekend.
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They only see opportunities ahead of them, starting with Sunday night's race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
"North Wilkesboro, Iowa, New Hampshire, those are all places that I've had success at and I look forward to going to," Preece told media members earlier in the week.
"And I feel like attrition and taking care of your tires and the things you learn throughout the steps to get to Cup level, these are where they really come into play.
"I did a little bit of studying last night watching the Open and the All-Star last year and what you're gonna really have to focus on, so one week at a time and feeling prepared."
This opportunity-rich schedule includes North Wilkesboro on Sunday, Iowa on Aug. 9, Richmond on Aug. 15, and New Hampshire on Aug. 23. Four of the final six regular-season races take place on short tracks, and they provide points-scoring opportunities.
He feels that this bodes well as a rebound opportunity for him after DNFs at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, and Michigan International Speedway. He also finished 32nd at Chicagoland Speedway.
The biggest hit for Preece came after the trip to Texas Motor Speedway. NASCAR penalized him for wrecking Ty Gibbs, taking away 25 driver points. The penalty dropped him closer to the cutline, and then the recent rash of issues knocked him below.
He now remains 26 points behind Erik Jones, the first driver above The Chase cutline.
Yet despite the multiple setbacks, Preece believes he will be able to get back into The Chase picture over the final six weeks of the regular season.
Preece's confidence stems from his history racing on short tracks in numerous series. He battled for countless wins in the Modified ranks, and he celebrated dozens of times.
Since moving to NASCAR, he has continued to contend for strong finishes. He has yet to win a points-paying Cup Series race, but he has delivered multiple top-10s and top-fives at such tracks as Bristol, Richmond, Iowa, and Martinsville. He also won the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in February.
North Wilkesboro, in particular, is a track where Preece believes he can capitalize. He just has to avoid the attrition that will take out other drivers vying for spots in The Chase.
"I think that there's nowhere to hide at North Wilkesboro," Preece added. "It's not Bristol, but it's very similar. In the pack, the front of the pack is gonna be coming.
"The nice part that we saw in the All-Star and in the Open is it got really wide, so we're not gonna hear, I mean dirty air is a thing, there's just a lot of groove at North Wilkesboro to navigate and try and get out of somebody's way (to) make speed, so with that comes the potential of guys lapping very quickly and if you're struggling, it's gonna be a long, long day."
