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RFK Racing driver Ryan Preece made a strong statement after a career-best third-place finish in the Pennzoil 400. The No. 60 Ford Mustang driver was not afraid to take chances in the race, reflecting the team's motto of living and dying by the fire.
Preece has shown promise throughout the season but was yet to finish in the top 15. His finish in Las Vegas is now the joint-best performance in his NASCAR Cup Series career with the GEICO 500 at Talladega in 2019. Preece entered the 2025 season after two underwhelming seasons with Stewart Haas Racing, hoping to revive his career with a move to RFK Racing.
Going into the season, Preece and RFK Racing were clear about their mindset and the importance of taking risks. He was onboard with the team motto which he reiterated after the race.
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"Going into the season the motto is live by the fire, die by the fire and take chances, be aggressive, be on the offense, and just put us in position." (via NBC Sports)
RFK Racing also reposted Preece's quote on their X account after the race. This fearless approach was displayed in his last race as well where he fell off initially but came back to progress from 33 to third position at Phoenix in the first stage. He ultimately finished 15th and came to Las Vegas with momentum.
Preece also thanked his teammates Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski for their help.
"He's (Keselowski) has been a great teammate, a great person to help mentor me. I really enjoy racing with Chris (Buescher) and I feel like when we're around each other, we help each other...Hopefully, we're going to keep elevating the program," Ryan Preece said via Frontstretch after the race (2:15 onwards).
Las Vegas was a good day for all the RFK Racing drivers, as all three of them finished in the top 15 with Keselowski finishing 11th and Buescher 13th.
RFK Racing's Ryan Preece overcomes setbacks to secure a third-place finish at Las Vegas
Ryan Preece started in the sixth row alongside RFK Racing teammate Chris Buescher in the 12th position and had an average start to the race. He fell to the 19th place at the end of Stage 1 after receiving a penalty for speeding in the pit road but came back running 11th in the second stage.
He remained in the top 15 for most of the final stage before a multi-car wreck involving Ryan Blaney on Lap 195 led to a caution.
Some teams decided to pit with 68 laps left under caution ahead of the final stretch of the race, but the #60 Ford Mustang team decided to stay on course. This put Preece in the third row during the restart with 60 laps to go. He maintained this position throughout the race and capitalized on the battle between William Byron and Ross Chastain overtaking them from the fifth position.
He was also happy about Josh Berry's win congratulating him after the race.
"Man, I’m happy for Josh. I really liked him when we were teammates and I’m just super proud of everybody on this Consumer Cellular Ford Mustang Dark Horse." (via NBC Sports)
He finished behind second-place Daniel Suarez and eventual winner Berry. NASCAR next heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 on March 16.
