NASCAR CUP SERIES: COKE ZERO SUGAR 400

August 29, 2026

Ryan Preece

Press Conference

An Interview with:

RYAN PREECE: How we doing? Bet y'all didn't expect to see me here (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by tonight's race winner, Ryan Preece.

We'll open it up for questions.

Q. After the Clash I asked if you felt like that was your first career win or the first points race is going to be your first career win. You said the Clash was the first career win. Now that you have a win, do you still feel the same way or...

RYAN PREECE: The Clash feels like the first one. I saw a lot of the things of what people say, where it's like, You haven't won a points-paying win. I knew I had to beat all the same guys I had to beat tonight to do that. What does it matter?

If anything, the Clash, to be honest with you, if you look at how we had to qualify for that race, face all the adversity that we did that day to even make the show, that's hard. Like today, we were guaranteed in. We raced. We did everything right.

It feels really good to win at Daytona, a place that I'm not being dramatic, but three years ago could have been life-changing. That's the risk you take as a race car driver.

Yeah, I'm proud. I'm proud of the journey that I've had because sometimes it's easy for people to forget the risks, the path that I've taken.

Kevin Harvick was very adamant on it, you cannot drive a slow car fast. I'm very, very proud to be driving these RFK Ford Mustangs at Daytona, superspeedways, road courses, street courses, and have the support from Brad Keselowski and everybody at Fenway and Jack Roush.

I'm a racer. To be able to stand here at Daytona, like, I can't imagine what my phone, if I really look at my messages, what it's going to say from all the racers that I've raced with up in the Northeast.

One thing is for sure, racing them last week in the modifieds, I'm proud of the way I've gotten here because I've done it with respect. I've done it my way. Is it the typical way of what most people see of doing legend cars and super late models, ARCA, Trucks, Xfinity, and so on? No. It was open-wheel modifieds in the Northeast because that's where I was born and raised. That's where I could race. Proud of the path.

Q. The way stage one ended, sliding through the grass, Shane wins the stage, what does it say about the grit of this team, yourself?

RYAN PREECE: If I was in a street fight, my knuckles would be pretty tore up right now. I knew when we drove through the grass, and Shane went and won that stage, he was doing everything it took. It was much like what I told you, it was going to be a heavyweight fight. That was the first round. Lucky for me there was two more. I answered that call. I went and we got second in the next stage with damage. Then we put ourselves in position to win the race, and we did.

It just comes down, no different than my career a lot of times where one door shuts and we break down the next door, even if it's locked. I'm going to kick through it.

Had a fast race car to do that tonight. Had a great communication on the radio with Brandon, my spotter, B Wilks, Derrick, everything I needed to do to save fuel as well as gain track position and put ourselves in position to win that race. Great horsepower from Doug Yates and everybody at Roush-Yates Engines.

Honestly, sitting here if front of all of you, like I watched the Whelen Modified Tour race last night and I saw Teddy Hodgdon win that race, saw the emotion that went through him, his family, because that was a family-owned race car, it wasn't a big race team. They work on their race car and they go and do it because they love it.

That's what I know and see up in the Northeast. There isn't a lot of pay rides. There's people that are passionate about racing. They go and race for other people. There's owners that hire race car drivers. Then there's family-owned teams. Much like the sprint car world on a smaller scale.

I'm proud of where I'm from. I know they're proud of me. Yeah, I'm just thankful to have learned the things that I've learned throughout my career. I'm proud to be sitting in front of all of you right now where I'm actually able to race in the Chase, not just for an owner's title but also a driver's title.

Q. If I have my facts straight, I believe in the 2023 wreck, Heather was at home and Rebecca had just been born a couple weeks before, how she had to endure that experience of watching that from afar. I'm sure it wasn't lost on you tonight that here you are back at the same place in Victory Lane with them. What was that experience like having them with you?

RYAN PREECE: There's a photo I'll pull up that I've been looking at a lot this week. For me, this was the day after when I was holding my daughter, after that wreck. To me, that showed me how lucky I am, but how bad I want it, how bad my family wants it.

Yeah, I mean, every day I'm very thankful to be racing in the Cup Series. It's not easy. Some people have an easier path than others. Every day I'd make up and say, Yeah, I wish I had it easy as well, but I am thankful to hell that I've had to fight for everything I've worked for and everything that I've won and everything...

I am proud of the way I've done it. So the clock resets at midnight. After tonight all eyes are going to be to Denny Hamlin and these guys that are in the top five or top six. But my goal and Derrick's goal, everybody on the 60 team and RFK and the 17 right now is to make a Playoff run.

When you look at Darlington, worldwide technology something, Bristol, Talladega, Martinsville, Homestead, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Kansas, these are all places we run really well at. I feel like we've gotten rid of some of the tracks that we don't.

The job is just beginning. I feel like momentum is on our side. We're going to do our best to be a contender and be a part of the battle that Kyle Petty thinks even if you're 16th in the Chase you can't be a part of (smiling).

Q. Did I hear correctly that you're channeling your inner Keanu Reeves/Shane Falco tonight?

RYAN PREECE: Yeah. Winners want the ball. Give me the ball.

Q. Brad said it's like the feeling proud when one of his four kids does something. What is it like having a team owner still has a same sense of pride?

RYAN PREECE: I sat in this seat next to him yesterday. I said to all you guys, our goal is to try to qualify on pole, win all the stages, then win the race. At that point we're going to do that. I was very, very confident.

Having Brad's support, like I remember when SHR was shutting down, there was a week where he called me and said, Hey, if all these things can align, what are you doing next year?

It took quite a few things that almost didn't happen. I was very nervous of being a statistic of what I've heard of many other race car drivers were. It gets to the one-yard line and then doesn't come true.

To be able to go into RFK when everything came about, having the support from Kroger, all of RFK sponsors, the Mohawk Northeast company from Connecticut, seven minutes from where I grew up, a big supporter of racers all across the country, it's a big deal.

Brad as a race car driver, he's not selfish. Like, I can tell you there's a lot of people that would not have given up the pit crew that he had in 2024 to make sure that we had what it took the following year in '25. Putting the people in place to go on the 60 car, to make sure that we weren't going to all struggle, we were going to hit the ground running, and we did.

Yeah, I have conversations with him, that the people that know me know me as what you see is what you get. I don't play games. I'm very straightforward. I'm not going to lie to your face.

For me, to sit here and have his support, Chris and I to be able to be in the Chase, that's a big deal for the RFK employees. I just want to say that, too.

It's no different than when I race my Whelen Modified Tour car, the same group of people I've had since 2007. Kind of grabbed a few along the way. Super proud.

Q. Going back to those incidents in '23, did you ever feel like this place owed you?

RYAN PREECE: I never feel like you're owed, but I believe in the law of averages where things can only go bad for so long. I crossed the Daytona 500 finish line backwards. That was a real kick in the gut that day.

Yeah, I mean, I love this place. Much like many people probably think I don't because the hits that we take here as drivers are real, they hurt. But I'm just glad Daytona decided to love me back today like I love it.

Q. You're on the front row getting ready to restart with two laps to go, they keep adding caution laps. You're so close on fuel. What's going through your mind?

RYAN PREECE: I mean, I felt like I was doing a really good job saving fuel. I wasn't concerned. Maybe Derrick wasn't telling me how close we may have been.

I mean, I just kind of knew with eight laps to go, whatever it may be, I'm riding around with the motor shut off, we should at least have enough for a green-white-checkered.

At that point you do everything you can do. You leave it all on the racetrack. That's what I said. I said that before the green-white-checkered, and I meant it, to my spotter, Brandon, we're going to leave it all out here tonight and we're not going to wish we did something different.

Proud to say we did the right things.

Q. A lot of talk about the new superspeedway package coming into this race. You were able to maneuver your way through the pack. Were you satisfied with what you raced? Do you feel like it allowed you to control your own destiny here?

RYAN PREECE: I mean, yeah, I won. I like it (smiling). Did you like it?

Q. I'll have to watch it back. It seemed good.

RYAN PREECE: I'll be honest with you, I grew up at a point where I dominated a lot of races, and a promoter pulled me aside and said, Hey, I know you can win by half a track, but it's probably in your best interest to not stink up my show because we'll keep tearing your car apart.

At that point I quickly figured out that we as drivers can make the show look really good or make the show not look good. I'm proud to be part of a Daytona race that had everybody standing, cheering, chanting.

Yeah, there was some differences for sure, from what we've been racing. It seemed like you could make some moves and be a little bit more aggressive which lane you wanted to be in. I'm still going to go back and think I could have done a few things better. I'm sure a lot of other drivers do, as well.

It was just a different type of race. I thought pushes, you could be very aggressive on them and slam guys rather than attach. There's a lot of things that people are going to learn to be better when we come back.

I also think when you come here for Daytona in the sun, handling is probably going to be a real handful.

Q. And then you kind of stole my thunder the way that you came in here --

RYAN PREECE: Good, because I'm Preece Lightning.

Q. They were playing "Rocketman" for you over the track PA. Did you hear that and did you appreciate the sense of whoever was operating the PA system to do that?

RYAN PREECE: That's my man, the DJ. Yeah. We always talk about what I'm going to come out to for driver introductions. I did hear that. I hope I sold some more merch on my website with my Rocketman stuff. I did say that Derrick and RFK gave me a rocket. We took it to the moon.

Yeah, it's good to know that the Ryan name is still running with Rocketman because Ryan Newman was Rocketman. I guess I'm kind of joking with that.

I did hear it. I did enjoy it. I do get a good laugh from it.

Q. With the Chase starting next week, what does your mindset look like? Do you think it is different than the mindset heading into tonight when you were currently below the cut line needing to perform really well?

RYAN PREECE: I like pressure, man. I don't know if you guys have picked up on that yet, but I enjoy it. I'm 100% serious when I say I'm numb to it. I'm a fighter.

I think you've seen my passion when it comes to racing. I think that goes back to my New England roots. Doesn't matter if it's the Patriots, the Red Sox, the Bruins, we're fighters. To be in the Playoffs along with Joey, being from Connecticut, being a fighter, it's a big deal for me.

Yeah, going into next week, Darlington has been a good place for RFK. I always love talking about the metric because the metric sets you where you go out for qualifying. We just probably happen to be in the best position to go out, at least in the last few. So I feel pretty good about it going into Darlington, throwing on my boxing gloves, going in to fight.

Q. In a broad term, would you have ever envisioned that your first points-paying victory was going to come in such a crucial race with you having to overcome a points deficit to get into the championship, to do all of this? It's almost like a script.

RYAN PREECE: Yeah, that's funny how life works sometimes, right?

I'm happy that my family's here today 'cause when I was at the Clash, they weren't. They were at home. To be able to have my daughter, my son, my wife, my dad, have FaceTimes from my brother, my brothers and my mom probably texting me, it's a big deal. It's a big deal for the Preece name.

My grandfather, I come from a strong racing family in the Northeast, up in Connecticut, racing at Thompson, Riverside Park, Stafford. Didn't have a father or anybody in my family that raced in the national series. It was nice to kind of claim this and do this for our last name, have my family there to enjoy it, as well.

Q. Ultimately you end up erasing the points penalty.

RYAN PREECE: Damn right (smiling).

Q. It was looking for a while like that was going to be the margin you would have missed by. How would you have coped with that? How good is it to not have that be the factor?

RYAN PREECE: I can tell you in the moment I'm proud of during the process that I had RFK's full support. We did everything in our power to prove a lot of things. Now we can just look forward. It doesn't matter.

I've had the talk from Mr. Jack Roush a few times now. He came up to me before the race and shook my hand hard and said, I'm not going to have to talk to you after the race, am I?

I said, No sir.

I did look at him and say, I'm going to try like hell to make sure I get you back to Victory Lane.

I'm proud. I'm proud to get somebody that -- my father was a big Ford guy, the Raptor, the Excursions, the F-150s, the F-350s, we were a blue oval family. Mr. Jack Roush was a name. The Roush Mustang is legendary. Driving for him, I know when I came through those doors and sat in the building with Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Jack Roush, that was a pretty special moment for my father and my family.

So yeah, now we just get to race the hell out of 'em.

Q. How aware were you of the surroundings of the points position at that time?

RYAN PREECE: I didn't want to ask the question, but I did see it on all the big screens that Daytona happens to have around here. So I saw that.

I knew if I go and win, I'm pretty confident we're going to make it in. That 20 points is a big deal. As a race car driver, Shane did everything right tonight. He's a hell of a race car driver. He's a hell of a road course racer, but he's a hell of a race car driver.

He knew that I had my knee on the throat or my thumb on the pressure point, and he answered that in stage one. When he threw that right hook, metaphorically, in a metaphor, I felt like I answered that back in stage two, so...

I'm proud of the racer I am. I'm proud of competing against him. The bar he sets on road courses, because he's a true talent that we're lucky to have here in the United States, but I'm happy New England beat New Zealand today (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Ryan, thanks for your time. Congratulations.