UPDATE: NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion Ryan Preece will compete in multiple NASCAR Cup Series races in 2022 for Rick Ware Racing (RWR) as a part of the team’s alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). Preece’s first race behind the wheel of the No. 15 Ford Mustang will be the inaugural Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum Feb. 6 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Preece, the Berlin, Connecticut native, has competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, where he’s collected a combined (28) wins.
“Ryan is a great addition to the RWR lineup for 2022,” commented team owner, Rick Ware. “His talent on the race track has been shown through his achievements in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR Xfinity Series. Our alliance with SHR and Ford has allowed us to put a wheelman behind the wheel, starting at the quarter-mile showdown in LA.”
“Being a part of the Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum is special to me because of the opportunity it presents,” said Preece. “A 1/4 mile bullring is the type of racetrack that I have had a lot of success on, and I’m looking forward to the future races ahead as well.“
Primary sponsors will be announced at a later date.
The inaugural Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum is set for February 6, 2022. For more information on Rick Ware Racing, visit www.wareracing.com, or follow along on social media; Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
— K1 Marketing —
ORIGINAL POST 1-6-2022: Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has hired Ryan Preece as its reserve driver for the 2022 NASCAR season.
The 31-year-old racer from Berlin, Connecticut, will perform simulator work while running a mix of races across each of NASCAR’s top-three touring series – Cup, Xfinity and Camping World Truck. Preece will be a Ford Performance driver in each series, and he will be the default driver if any of SHR’s fulltime drivers are unable to compete due to COVID-19 or any other unforeseen circumstance.
“Ryan is a versatile wheelman with a racer’s mentality who fits extremely well within our culture at Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition, SHR. “Between the amount of testing and development work we’re doing with the NextGen car this year, his added insights and time in the simulator will make us better by allowing us to learn faster.
“Plus, we’re still dealing with COVID. As much as we all want it to be over, it’s not. We needed a more robust plan in the event COVID sidelines one of our drivers. We have that now with Ryan.”
Preece will run a total of 12 races – two in Cup, three in Xfinity and seven in Truck. His Cup and Xfinity Series races will be in coordination with SHR and its technical alliance partners. His Truck Series starts will come with David Gilliland Racing.
“This is a unique setup, but I feel like it provides me with the best opportunity to win races and contribute to a championship-caliber team while expanding my racing experience,” said Preece, who spent the last three seasons (2019-2021) competing fulltime in Cup. “I’m a racer, and Stewart-Haas Racing is a team built by racers. They measure success by wins. Whether I’m in the simulator, in one of their cars, or in a Ford Mustang or Ford F-150 for another team, I’m here to help SHR and Ford win.”
Preece’s two Cup Series races will be May 1 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway and May 29 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. His three Xfinity Series races will be April 2 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, May 28 at Charlotte and June 25 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. His seven Truck Series races will be March 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, March 19 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, May 6 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, May 20 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, June 24 at Nashville, July 23 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and Sept. 9 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.
Preece made two Truck Series starts last year, winning in his series debut June 18 at Nashville. He is a two-time Xfinity Series victor, winning in July 2017 at Iowa Speedway in Newton and April 2018 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
Preece is especially known for his exploits on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. He won the series championship in 2013 and has amassed 25 victories, three of which came last year – July 17 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, Aug. 6 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway and Sept. 10 at Richmond.
— Stewart Haas Racing —