Can you believe where Ryan Preece started 2025? A wild flip at the Daytona 500, then mechanical headaches, it was rough for him. But now, he’s turning heads with RFK Racing. He’s credited crew chief Derrick Finley’s no-quit attitude as the spark that’s changed everything for his No. 60 team

“There are a few guys that have been around for a long time within the road crew. There is a wide variety, so I think for Derrick – which I’ll give him a lot of credit for – is teaching and instilling this mindset in guys that haven’t ever had the opportunity to race for wins, and telling them to expect to try and win every given Sunday.”

Let’s rewind a bit. Preece’s journey didn’t start smoothly. Two tough seasons at SHR left him bruised—23rd in 2023, 26th in 2024, with only one top-five finish and five top-10s in 2024. The team shut down after 2024, and for a while, it looked like Preece might fade into the background.

But RFK Racing saw something in him. They handed him the No. 60 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Now, he’s proving them right. Three straight top-10s—third at Las Vegas, ninth at Homestead-Miami, and seventh at Martinsville on March 30, 2025. That’s not just luck—that’s a racer finding his groove.

Ryan Preece is inculcating consistency as a habit

Preece and team were stuck in the middle of the pack, just scraping by, and now they’re rolling with back-to-back top-10s. It’s not just about finishes, it’s about truly believing they can do this. Preece’s comeback proves that when you have someone in your corner who won’t let you give up, it lights a fire that’s hard to put out.

Martinsville was the latest chapter. Starting 26th, Preece clawed his way through on that tight half-mile track. He grabber stage points in Stage 2, stayed patient, and crossed the line seventh—making his best-ever streak in 194 Cup starts. RFK co-owner Brad Keselowski finished 26th, and teammate Chris Buescher took 14th, but it was Preece who carried the flag for the team.

After the race, Preece opened up, hitting struck the right chords with his analysis. A reporter asked him, “How awesome is it that you’re in that position to be dissatisfied with getting like a SE place?” He asked. Preece shot back, “I think that’s just personality. You know, I’m competitive and I hate losing. I’ve done a lot of losing over the past five years.”

Reflecting upon Preece journey, he added, “So when you start getting a taste of running consistent and being where you need to be, it lights a fire in you. I don’t do this to just be out here. I do this to try and win. I hate, I hate losing more than I love winning. He added, “And, you know, for those that know me, racing modifieds and short tracks, I’ll do whatever the f—- it takes to win.”

Then, about his day? “Got stage points. Ended up with a great finish. And that long run? “I probably could have pushed it on Ross, but what’s one spot. I wasn’t going to catch the guys in front of us, and I wanted that spot, but I also wasn’t going to bring a caution out and have this race decided on pit road. Adding on he said, “Just kind of had to do what we had to do there, but yeah, no, our car was good. It was really good.”

After rough years at Stewart-Haas Racing, he’s finally clicking with RFK. Third at Las Vegas, ninth at Homestead, and now this. He’s 14th in points, 28 points shy of the top 10, with the playoffs in sight. Preece continued to shine and he showed he belongs among the elite.

And he’s not just saving face for RFK, he’s lifting them up when they need it most. Can he keep it going? We hope so, because this is one comeback story we can’t stop rooting for.

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Ryan Preece’s heartbreak and hustle Shine at Martinsville

You can feel the weight of Ryan Preece’s journey. At Martinsville Speedway on March 30, 2025, he grabbed a career-best seventh-place finish—his third straight top-10 with RFK Racing. But instead of popping champagne, Preece was gutted, and it’s hard not to ache for him.

“I probably ran the worst I ever did here” he told after the race. “That’s the crazy part about it—usually when I come here, I run so good and something happens where I don’t finish good.” That’s Preece in a nutshell: a guy who’s tasted more disappointment than victory, yet keeps pushing. Still, he’s not here to celebrate seventh; he’s here to win.

This isn’t just about one race. Preece had warned everyone about short tracks like Martinsville. “You’re going to see a lot of torn-up racecars and a lot of upset drivers,” he predicted on the Rubbin’ Is Racing podcast. He was right, chaos erupted, but Preece stayed smart, avoiding wrecks to finish strong. It’s that kind of racer’s instinct that’s turning heads now.

For Preece, it’s not enough. “I’ve been doing this way too long to not be in victory lane,” he admitted. That hunger, that raw ache to win, it’s what makes his story hit so hard. He’s not just racing, he’s fighting for redemption, one lap at a time.