A dream came true for Ryan Preece two days ago when he won the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray, his first major NASCAR win beyond the lower-tier series. Everyone witnessed the 35-year-old broke down in tears when he gave the race-winning interview in his cracking voice. And now he revealed the true reason behind those emotions. It wasn’t just the win or the long wait. It was the man on the other end of the mic.

The NASCAR veteran behind Ryan’s emotional interview

“I couldn’t hold it back,” Ryan Preece said when asked how he felt after his emotional victory. In a recent episode of the Stacking Pennies podcast, Corey LaJoie and Ryan Flores were having a conversation about Denny Hamlin’s shoulder surgery when, coincidentally, Ryan Preece called LaJoie on his phone.

LaJoie answered the call, with the conversation audible to everyone, including the viewers. When LaJoie asked him how he felt, Preece opened up about the tears that overwhelmed him when he locked his eyes with former NASCAR driver and present Fox Sports journalist Regan Smith, who took his post-race interview.

“I mean, honestly, when you cross the line, and you win, and your whole thing, and when I looked at Regan in the eyes, that’s really when it hit me.”

His voice was heavy from exhaustion as he said that he had only slept for 45 minutes because of late-night digging for race prep, but still, he didn’t stutter once, talking about his admiration for Regan Smith.

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“I’ve known Regan for quite a while, and he was a grinder, and I could see it in him, and I’m like, ‘Oh shit, here it comes.’ So, I couldn’t hold it back…”

Regan Smith, a NASCAR veteran, started his journey in 2002 at the age of 18 with his debut in the Truck Series. His first NASCAR win came in the Cup Series in 2011 at the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Throughout his NASCAR career, he had 100 top-10 finishes across the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series. He earned his reputation as a grinder not because he always had the fastest car, but because he consistently showed up, worked hard, and made the most of every opportunity throughout his NASCAR career

“To be honest with you, it’s been a f*cking long road. It’s the Clash but man, it’s been years and years of grinding,” said Preece.

In 2024, when Stewart-Haas Racing closed, Preece’s future was uncertain, but RFK Racing didn’t lose its trust in him. This was indeed a memorable win for Preece. And he wished his family were present to witness it.

Ryan Preece missed his family after the victory

Victory celebrations are incomplete without family. And unfortunately, the Clash victory was a bit incomplete for Ryan Preece this time because his wife, Heather, was not present at Bowman Gray.

As Ryan Preece expressed his emotions about how he felt after winning the Clash and how grateful he was to have Regan Smith by his side, Ryan Flores pinpointed a wholesome moment he captured between Preece and his wife, Heather.

“My favorite was when you saw Heather on FaceTime, and you went, ‘Fu– me.’ You’re not. I wish you were here. Like, I felt that in my soul, like, ‘Man, I wish my wife and kids were here,’ because they’ve been through the struggle with you.”

This sentiment is something that everyone in the NASCAR garage would relate to. For a racer, their family stands by them from every best to bitter point of their racing career.

So when a moment like this occurs, you yearn for your family to be by your side because you will definitely want to share the happiest moments of your career with the people who were present with you during all the ups and downs.

“When I was driving down here, I was thinking about it, because she was there for that truck race. She was there for the Xfinity race, and obviously, when you have kids, to have them out there that late at night, it’s like, I don’t think you want to bring them out there. It’s gonna be thirty-four degrees, this and that.”

Ryan Preece said, explaining that his wife, Heather, was present with him during all the previous races, but this time it was also about the kids.

Ryan Preece has two kids: a daughter who was born in 2023 and a son born in 2025. Ryan expressed his concern about how, in Bowman, it’s extremely cold, which can be harmful for the kids, so his wife had to stay back with the kids to celebrate his victory from home.

But Ryan also expressed his emotions that he deep inside wanted them to be present there because it gives a boost of confidence to win more.

“I almost wish I said, ‘Hey, you know what, we just came out.’ Because if I was able to see Rebecca running at me, and Heather, I guess that’s just more incentive to go do it again.”

Either way, Preece will definitely not want his wins in 2026 to stop here. The NASCAR garage and fans alike are excited and waiting to see what the new season has for Ryan Preece.