Ryan Preece's long journey to NASCAR's top level finally yielded a win

Ryan Preece was not a happy camper as sleet and rain fell at Bowman Gray Stadium on Wednesday and made for a wet second half of NASCAR's exhibition Cook Out Clash. 

"Somebody tell these guys it's too f------ cold, it's too f------ wet and we're just going to keep f------ wrecking," Preece said over the radio, per Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic.

But Preece, a Berlin, Conn., native and a short track racer by trade, pressed on and eventually found himself in a position to win. 

Preece was — and still is — yet to officially win a NASCAR Cup Series race. Yet he brought the trophy and the checkered flag into the media center post-race and was grinning like a Cheshire cat as the emotion and weight of the moment caught up with him. 

"There was a lot of emotions there," Preece said of his radio rant. "Obviously, I'm on the good side of it right now. I'm extremely happy and proud to have had this opportunity, to be holding this trophy."

Ryan Preece's long journey

Preece won a NASCAR Southern Modified Tour race at Bowman Gray in August 2013. That win was part of his long journey to NASCAR's top division - a journey that has been far from easy but is bearing fruit. 

"This was part of that journey to be at the Cup level," Preece said. "I've been doing this full-time for the most part since 2019. I was moving back to Connecticut two years ago."

"The stars aligned, and this opportunity at RFK came about. I remember there was nights where I thought, 'Is this going to come together? Am I just going to be another story where it falls apart at the last second?'"

Needless to say, Preece's story went in a different direction. 

"I'm excited for 2026," Preece said. "Yeah, (the Clash) is a non-points race, but winning at this level is not frickin' easy." 

Things won't magically get any easier for Preece after Wednesday evening, but he and the No. 60 team know they are capable of winning. All that's left to do is to do it in an official capacity and reap the benefits.

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.