Points or no points, a win is a win for Preece

Ryan Preece won on Wednesday night’s Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, and he isn’t interested in any conversation or comment about it being unofficial as an exhibition race.

“It feels pretty damn good,” Preece told RACER and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio in victory lane about being called a race winner. “The ones that know, the ones that I grinded it with for a long time, it's just… I don’t even know how to explain it. Yeah, it’s a non-points race. It doesn’t matter, though. Winning is winning, and all these things that you go through to accomplish that goal and execute a race.

“For me, it makes me feel better when we get to these other racetracks and we’re going do that. So, it’s just nice when you talk about, ‘We’re here to win. We’re here to win. We’re here to win.’ Well, eventually you have to win ... So, I’m proud. I’m excited about it.”

• RACE REPORT: Preece overcomes weather, 18th-place grid spot to win Clash

Preece is in his seventh season as a full-time Cup Series driver and his second driving for RFK Racing. He is the first driver to win a Clash race for Jack Roush since 1999.

The triumph puts Preece in elite company alongside Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin as drivers who have won a Clash event before their first points-paying race. Preece has made 223 starts in the Cup Series to date.

On Wednesday night, Preece was a contender in both the dry and wet conditions. He took the lead for the final time on lap 156 by overtaking Shane van Gisbergen. Over the final 45 laps, Preece focused on managing his right rear tire.

“Mentally, there was a point where obviously I was pissed off,” Preece admitted of his emotions from the night and the changing weather and track conditions. “I’m from the northeast, and northeast people, we’ll tell you exactly what we think. I can tell you, I’m going to get an earful from my wife because there was a point where I know even I got a little excessive, and thought to myself that that phone call is going to be pretty interesting.

“But it’s the passion. We need passion, and I’m not afraid to show it.”

Preece called the accomplishment a great morale booster for his No. 60 team and RFK Racing. Although the group, in its first season together in 2025, was praised for its consistency as a top-16 contender, the knock on them was the lack of a win. Now they have one, even a non-points win and Preece hopes it is a tone-setter for what is to come in 2026.

“This week was extremely challenging,” Preece said. “Not only for our team, but for every team in this garage, because you’re trying to do this event, but you’re also trying to get your car ready to be the fastest it can possibly be for the biggest race of the year. You’re missing days because of the snow, and there are just a lot of things going on. But I wouldn’t want any group prepping my race car to go to the Daytona 500 to try to win the pole and try to win the race.

“I can’t wait for the next 10 days, because I’m going to drive through the night tonight. I’m going to head to New Smyrna Speedway, I’m going to go race my late model on Friday. I’m going to practice it tomorrow. I’m going to race a modified on Saturday. I’m going to race a modified on Monday and Tuesday. I’m going to do what a racer should do, and that’s race. So, it’s a hell of a lot better to be talking about that right now after a win than if I finished 23rd.”

The first on-track activity for Cup Series teams in Daytona is a week from Wednesday night with qualifying for the Daytona 500. Derrick Finley, the crew chief of Preece’s team, who was also celebrating his first Cup Series win, is ready for the final push after putting Bowman Gray in the rearview mirror.

“We’ve been working on the speedway car during this, whatever you want to call it. The break we’ve had since we were supposed to race (on Sunday),” Finley said. “It’s difficult to go from speedway mode to short track mode overnight, and that’s what we did. Now we’re going to turn around and be able to go to speedway mode. But to be able to go in there with a win, everybody will be excited, and it’s going to make a huge difference.”