6 playoff drivers were in a stressful battle at Martinsville Speedway. The Xfinity 500 race marked their final chance to punch tickets to the Championship 4 race. Yet some non-playoff drivers were there to make it more difficult for them. Ross Chastain surged late in the race and almost toppled the frontrunners, finishing 4th. Then there was Ryan Preece – but his intentions extended beyond just a good spoiler story.

RFK Racing has not experienced its brightest year. Contrary to a multiple-win season in 2024, the Ford team has not visited Victory Lane so far in 2025. However, Brad Keselowski can count a massive achievement regardless – Ryan Preece’s growth. One reason for that is the driver’s background.

Martinsville stirs up old memories

Long before Ryan Preece ascended to the NASCAR Cup Series, he was tasting success elsewhere. Between 2008-2015, Preece competed in seven full-time seasons in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. This time period spelled major success, as he picked up one championship and four runner-up finishes in points. Even while pursuing his NASCAR ambitions, Preece had continued his short-track roots, winning 25 times across his career. And the recent Cup Series race also unfolded on a short track – the 1/2 mile ‘Paperclip’ track of Martinsville Speedway. “I consider myself a short-track guy,” he said post-race.

So Ryan Preece felt right at home in Martinsville. He started the race 18th, quietly waiting for an opportunity. By the end of Stage 2, he had cracked the top ten, running 7th. On lap 355, he turned heads as he wheeled his No. 60 Ford past Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Chevy, grabbing third place.

Unfortunately, he could not hold onto it and finished in 6th place by the end. And Preece remembered his roots: “When I come to a short track and I don’t run as well as I feel like I should for being what I come from, it’s frustrating. So, today I felt like I could demonstrate the tools that we learned racing at Short Tracks, and that was fun.”

The main turning point may have been the last caution on lap 482. Carson Hocevar spun out for the third time, changing the dynamics of the frontrunners of Martinsville. And it also axed the pace that Ryan Preece held. So the RFK Racing driver lamented, “I thought I was the best car in the long run. But it’s challenging because you’re dealing with traffic. So, anything you gain, sometimes you lose, and probably needed track position, you know, and I think that was the biggest thing. That car was phenomenal. Wish that caution didn’t come out; not sure how it came out.”

As Ryan Preece hails his short-track background, another driver does the same.

Beating his Modified record

At the end of 2024, people thought that Brad Keselowski had made a risky gamble. After all, other Stewart-Haas Racing drivers got seats in other teams, only Ryan Preece was left. And Keselowski roped him into RFK Racing’s fold. A driver who had not achieved beyond 5 top tens in any Cup Series season did not evoke enthusiasm. Yet Preece made fans’ jaws drop – as he picked up his 13th top ten finish. After all, Keselowski had not taken a gamble at all, considering Preece’s Modified record.

Ryan Preece won his Modified championship in 2013 at the age of 22 years, 11 months, and 25 days. Three days ago, another stellar short-track racer beat this record. Austin Beers won the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship at Martinsville Speedway at 22 years, seven months, and five days old. He hailed Preece’s talents, reminiscing, “Ryan was young running the Tour and just getting started, and my dad (Eric) was running the Tour. He’d hang out in the camper with me, and we’d play video games…I’ve looked up to Ryan my whole racing career and pretty much since I was 6 years old.”

Even Ryan Preece had rooted for the young champion before the race. “If somebody was gonna beat that record for being the youngest champion, I’d want it to be him. I’m excited for him…to have that opportunity and hopefully go do it,” he said.

Ryan Preece’s Late Modified background is now in the spotlight, especially due to his phenomenal improvement. We can only wait and see him soar to greater heights.