NASCAR: 3 possible landing spots for Ryan Preece in 2022
By Randy Smith
With JTG Daugherty Racing downsizing to one car for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, Ryan Preece is expected to be without a ride. Here are three possible options for him in 2022.
With JTG Daugherty Racing’s confirmation that they will run only one car in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, Ryan Preece will likely be the odd man out at the Harrisburg, North Carolina-based team.
JTG Daugherty Racing have run the entire 2021 season without a charter for Preece’s #37 Chevrolet. The team’s #47 Chevrolet, however, does have a charter.
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When asked about the downsizing of the team, JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner Brad Daugherty said that they “want to be a really strong one-car race company”. With only one chartered car, Preece will seemingly be pushed out of the soon-to-be defunct #37 Chevrolet.
While the Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway shouldn’t be Preece’s last ride in a NASCAR touring series, it will leave him without a ride going into the following season, much like Wood Brothers Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto and Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman.
With his future uncertain, here are three possible landing spots for Preece in 2022.
Possible landing spot for 2022 No. 1 – Xfinity Series
If Preece can’t find a ride in the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series is his best option. Preece ran his lone full-time Xfinity Series season for JD Motorsports in 2016 and finished in 17th place in the championship standings. However, he is a former winner in the series from when he competed part-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 and 2018.
Wins at Iowa Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway could be enough to convince a team to sign Preece, even if it’s for just a partial schedule. There are plenty of Xfinity Series teams without plans fully made yet for next year.
In addition to his wins, Preece has 12 top five finishes and seven additional top 10 results. Stats such as these would be more than enough to compete for an Xfinity Series title in a top-tier ride should he able to find one with a full-time schedule. If not, even a lower-tier team could elect to sign the 30-year-old.
Though his Cup Series stats aren’t anything to write home about, his ride in the Cup Series is by no means a top-tier ride. But another go in the series where he formally raced could provide the resurgence that the Berlin, Connecticut native needs.