NASCAR insiders react to Ryan Preece joining RFK Racing
Ryan Preece will drive the No. 60 car for RFK Racing in 2025 after spending two seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing. On The Teardown podcast, NASCAR insiders Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Atheltic shared their thoughts on RFK Racing adding Preece to the team.
“This is going to be a really big moment for Ryan Preece,” Bianchi said. “When he got hired at Stewart-Haas Racing, that team was kind of already starting its decline. Now, he’s going to an organization that is on the upswing. You look at what Brad [Keselowski] has done the last couple of years, he’s gotten better and better. Chris Buescher didn’t make the playoffs but really should have by all accounts.
“…This is a big moment for Ryan to prove himself at the Cup Series. He’s never had a better opportunity than this. It’s going to be interesting to see how he does.”
Bianchi also talked about Kroger being part of RFK Racing and how it impacts Preece. “He’s had a familiarity with Kroger, and he’s a driver who has shown flashes and now he has to go prove it,” Bianchi added.
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Kroger will be the primary sponsor for Ryan Preece and RFK Racing
Gluck had a slightly different take on Preece to RFK. “I actually disagree with you. I don’t think this is that big moment of Ryan Preece,” Gluck told Bianchi. “I think that the fact that Kroger likes Ryan Preece… We’ve seen where drivers can be just okay and if you have a sponsor who is very fond of you or connected to you or likes what you do for them, you’re not necessarily on the hot seat.
“You probably would have said Ryan Preece getting the ride at Stewart-Haas, to begin with, ‘Well, this is his last chance. You got to go prove something.’ It didn’t really happen, yet he ends up in a great opportunity again. We got caught up a lot in performance and how much performance matters and the on-track results. But what you do off-track in many cases as a driver to connect with your sponsor to work hard for them can pay off.”
Preece, 34, finished 26th in the Cup Series standings this past season, finishing in the top 10 three times. In his Cup Series career, Preece has earned zero wins and 14 top-10 finishes in 177 races.