Ryan Preece praised his teammate Chris Buescher after an emotional NASCAR Clash victory and called him one of the best drivers he has raced with. Preece won the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium for the second time as an RFK Racing driver, despite snow delays and a record number of cautions. He pushed through to take the checkered flag and expressed deep respect for Buescher and the RFK team.
Preece joined RFK Racing for the 2025 season in the No. 60 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, following Stewart-Haas Racing’s closure of its Cup operations in 2024. He joined the three-car RFK lineup alongside co-owner Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher, who has been a consistent performer and a playoff contender in recent seasons.
After the win, Preece reflected on the role his RFK teammates played. He said that he held Chris Buescher “on a pedestal,” a strong expression of admiration from one driver to another. Preece said that he had raced many great drivers in his career, but Buescher ranked among the best he has shared a garage with.
Preece explained how much he has learned from Buescher’s experience.
“I’m excited about short tracks this year. I’m excited about all the racetracks. … All we’ve heard for the past year is how consistent we are. I hold Chris Buescher on a pedestal. That’s saying something. I’ve raced a lot of great people, but he is one of the best race car drivers that I’ve been teammates with,” Ryan Preece said.
Buescher, the six-time NASCAR Cup winner, has two short-track wins at Bristol Motor Speedway and Richmond Raceway. The most recent one came at The Glen at Watkins Glen in 2024, and he almost made it to the playoffs last season after five top-5 finishes.
“To be able to study with him and kind of lean on him, take some of his strengths from the mile-and-a-half stuff as well as Brad [Keselowski, RFK Racing co-owner], his strengths, how methodical he is on superspeedways, I feel like our team and our organization can be really lethal this year. We just got to keep pulling the rope in the same direction and grind it out,” Preece added.
Preece, who is about to start his seventh full-time NASCAR Cup Series season, won the short-track preseason exhibition race in sleet and rain.
“I’m thankful I didn’t choke” – Ryan Preece reflects on making it through difficult wet conditions
Ryan Preece commented on the wet racing conditions after the Cook Out Clash and shared that he was happy because the race finally went his way.
“There’s been multiple times in the past couple years that I wondered if it was ever going to go my way. I’m thankful it did. I’m thankful I didn’t choke, and execute,” Ryan Preece said.
The 35-year-old added that dirt made visibility poor and that he had to fight the track and keep the car straight and under control. He will now head to the 2026 season’s first points race at the Daytona International Speedway, where he has had a bad track record of flipping multiple times.
Read More:
RFK boss Brad Keselowski celebrates Ryan Preece’s breakthrough NASCAR Cup win at Bowman Gray Stadium
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