Ryan Preece reached an important career milestone at Bowman Gray Stadium on Wednesday night, one that took a long time coming. He dominated the final stages of the Cook Out Clash, beating William Byron to the checkered flag by nearly 2 seconds to register his first victory in a Cup car.
Advertisement
Even though the race was not part of NASCAR’s season, the win, which made Preece join Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin as drivers who won the Clash before recording a Cup Series victory, was a confidence booster for him. After all, he has been racing in the top tier since 2015, and a maiden win can prove to be a career-turning moment for a driver.
This year’s Clash was anything but straightforward. Delayed by rain, it held a flurry of cautions that led to a shuffling of positions in the field. Drivers struggled to find dry lines to handle their cars better. However, Preece’s crew figured out a way to make the right adjustments that would help him find a good balance on the track.
It was through the team’s efforts that Preece was able to manage his tires well and get the better of his contenders toward the end of the race. Talking to the press after the race, he detailed why he is looking forward to racing on short tracks more this season.
“My hats off to Goodyear because it wasn’t our traditional soft tire. It was a ‘rain’ tire. I still feel between them and the increase in horsepower on a quarter-mile with the gear that we are running, you could feel that,” said Preece.
“There were multiple times that I couldn’t go wide-open on the throttle. That’s saying something. I am excited about short tracks this year,” he added.
“I hold @Chris_Buescher on a pedestal!”@RyanPreece_ gave credit to his @RFKracing teammate, as who he looks up to him and says he’s played a big role in his growth.
He also tells what he learned and what helped him go from 10th to 1st!#NASCAR | #CookOutClash | @MtrsprtsToday pic.twitter.com/uvKf5nW3ct
— Tim Moore (@IveBeenTimMoore) February 5, 2026
Preece, of course, is looking forward to racing on all track types this season, though the win makes him particularly fond of short tracks. He also praised his teammate, Chris Buescher, for helping him grow. He described Buescher as one of the greatest drivers he has ever been teammates with. Preece expressed his gratitude to team owner Brad Keselowski as well.
The 35-year-old finished 18th in the standings in 2025, in what was his maiden full-time season with RFK Racing. Preece had secured three top-5 finishes and 15 top-10s. He almost won the race at the Talladega Superspeedway, but was disqualified for a spoiler infraction in the last minute.
Preece appears to have set off the 2026 campaign on the right foot with this Clash victory. It was the first Victory Lane experience for his crew chief, Derrick Finley, as well.
Finley, in fact, had given Preece a pep talk during the race that helped the driver regain his focus amidst the challenging weather conditions. “I finally said, ‘You know, OK, we’re going to do this, so there’s no point in being mad. Let’s just go win this thing,'” Finley recalled telling Preece.
Hopes are that his official Victory Lane tally will begin in the near future.
