NASCAR: 3 possible landing spots for Ryan Preece in 2025
By Randy Smith
Ryan Preece has yet again found himself at a crossroads in his NASCAR career. The journeyman driver from Berlin, Connecticut found himself back in the Cup Series full-time last season after losing his ride at JTG Daugherty Racing following the 2021 season.
After only two appearances in the Cup Series in 2022, driving the No. 15 Ford for Rick Ware Racing, the 33-year-old landed a ride behind the wheel of the No. 41 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Preece's debut season with Stewart-Haas Racing did not live up to the hype, but it wasn't a total loss. While he only scored two top 10 finishes, he was able to score his first career pole. Needless to say, progress was a goal heading into 2024.
But so far this year, Preece has scored only one top 10 finish and sits 29th in the point standings. With his lack of progress, he seems to be an outlier in the Stewart-Haas Racing camp. But most importantly, the future of the entire team is already in jeopardy, with the team confirming a shutdown at the end of the 2024 season.
Here are three possible landing spots for Preece in 2025.
No. 1 - Full-time ride in a lower series
Preece spent most of his 2022 season competing in the Truck Series for Tricon Garage, then known as David Gilliland Racing. In addition to his 11 Truck Series starts, he also drove in three Xfinity Series races for B.J. McLeod Motorsports.
While Preece was under a reserve contract with Stewart-Haas Racing at the time, it's hard to imagine he didn't garner interest from other teams that watched him compete throughout the year. During the 2022 season, he was able to score two top six finishes in the Xfinity Series, plus a win at Nashville Superspeedway and six other top four finishes in the Truck Series.
Such success shouldn't be ignored, and it most likely hasn't been when it comes to teams looking for a veteran in 2025. Truck Series teams such as Rackley WAR have been known to take on veterans such as Matt DiBenedetto and Ty Dillon.
If Preece can't find a Cup Series ride and decides to continue to pursue a career in one of NASCAR's three national series, looking to the Xfinity Series or Truck Series could be his best bet for 2025.