After news broke about Stewart-Haas Racing’s closure post-2024, three of its drivers—Noah Gragson, Chase Briscoe, and Josh Berry—quickly secured their seats for 2025. However, Ryan Preece’s future remained uncertain until recent developments hinted at a potential opportunity.
Advertisement
While Gragson, Briscoe, and Berry are set to join Front Row Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Wood Brothers Racing respectively, Preece is rumored to be eyeing a spot at Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing, potentially behind the wheel of their #60 car.
The buzz around Preece’s next move gained traction when Brad Moran, the NCS Managing Director, dropped what seemed to be a hint during his commentary on the Goodyear wet-weather tire testing at Homestead, broadcasted on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Moran mentioned,
“We’ve been working hard at it. We started doing some testing a few years ago,” inadvertently stirring speculation about Preece’s 2025 plans. Obviously, we got to see more of it this year and it worked out very well at New Hampshire as well as North Wilkesboro…”
He added, “We have not been running in downpours, but we certainly have run on wet tracks, Goodyear has done just a fabulous job with the tires. So at Homestead, we had the #42 car with John Hunter in it, #48 with Bowman, and then Preece was in the #60 car, which is his drive for next year.”
Where will @RyanPreece_ be racing in 2025? A top NASCAR official unexpectedly confirmed the driver's ride during an interview on @SiriusXMNASCAR. pic.twitter.com/HkcqYQVeAo
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) October 29, 2024
The buzz around Preece‘s future solidified, owing to a hint dropped earlier by Moran, links back to a mid-August report suggesting that major sponsor Kroger could join forces with RFK Racing in 2025. The partnership could prompt RFK to field three full-time chartered cars.
Yet, where this additional charter will come from is not known. Industry whispers hint that RFK might negotiate a lease for one of Rick Ware Racing’s two charters.
Previewing Preece’s Upcoming Race at Martinsville Speedway
Throughout this season, Preece has taken the green flag 34 times, securing one top-5 finish and five top-10s along the way, amassing a total of 552 points, which places him 26th in the standings.
So far, the #41 driver has averaged a finish of 20.7, which marks an improvement of 5.5 positions per race from his average starting spot of 26.1.
At Martinsville, Preece’s track record shows an average finish of 23.8 across 10 starts. His performance on the track peaked during this year’s spring race, the Cook Out 400, where he clinched a top-10 finish.
Given his recent form—finishing three of the last seven races in the top 10—Preece is poised to use this momentum as a springboard. Should he maintain this upswing, it bodes well for his concluding run at the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, potentially marking an effective upturn in his year-end standings.
