Ryan Preece just wrapped the most successful NASCAR season of his eight-year Cup tenure, although without a playoff ticket. For the first time, he finished just outside the top 16, in P18, with three top 5s, 14 top 10s, and one pole win. He will not let the off-season gather dust. The RFK Racing driver plans to keep his foot in it at the Snowball Derby, scheduled for December 4 to 7 at Five Flags Speedway, intent on staying plugged into the grind even when the Cup garage goes quiet.
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The short-track classic will feature a trio of NASCAR Cup Series headliners this year: Erik Jones, Ryan Preece, and Noah Gragson. Jones enters as a two-time winner and the most recent driver to claim back-to-back trophies, a streak he authored in 2012 and 2013. Gragson, the 2018 champion, returns for the fourth straight year.
Preece has three Snowball Derby starts on his card, most recently in 2023, with a fourth-place run in 2021 in a race won by Chandler Smith.
He described his latest effort as a labor he could not wait to fire. “I’m excited. I actually just fired it up last week before Martinsville. For me, having our son and all the things throughout the year, usually when I get a race car, I’ll put it together in three or four weeks.” This build stretched his timeline far beyond the norm.
“This one, I picked the chassis and the body up in mid-December, and it took all the way until the middle of September, October to get it prepared to where it could be fired. Once the season is over, I’m ready to be in my race shop and finish setting it up and getting ready to go test down there in two or three weeks,” the #60 Ford driver added.
Explaining why the Derby still hits the sweet spot, Preece stated that racing, for him, doubles as leisure and livelihood. While some drivers seek a breather with golf or other pursuits, he treats a steering wheel as his nine-iron.
Whether he straps into a modified or a super late model, he enjoys the work as much as the laps. He likes building the cars, turning the wrenches, and chasing speed wherever the track map leads.
But Preece is keeping his expectations measured as he does not know how the Snowball Derby will break, admitting the uncertainty. In the past, he relied on Chris Gabehart on the box, a crew chief he considers a top-tier super late model driver and strategist.
This time, he plans to roll in with trusted friends and familiar racing partners. He will call his own shots and tune until the car drives the way he wants.
The Derby will cap a year in which the Connecticut native kept his short-track chops sharp. He raced Modifieds at Bowman Gray Stadium, New Smyrna Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Thompson Speedway, and Stafford Speedway.
The Stafford stop included a victory in the Cleetus McFarland New England 900, where he outdueled former NASCAR Cup Series veteran Greg Biffle to bag the win.
Star power runs deep on the Derby’s initial entry list. Alongside Preece, Jones, and Gragson, three other former champions have thrown their hats in the ring. Last year’s winner, Kaden Honeycutt, returns to defend his crown. Two-time winner Ty Majeski lines up for another shot, and 2022 victor Derek Thorn also enters for a heavyweight bout.
For the rest, the Tom Dawson Trophy remains the white whale. Most notably, Bubba Pollard will make his 20th attempt at the crown jewel, still chasing a first win that has stayed just out of reach.
