Ryan Preece on stepping up & “showing leadership” at Tony Stewart’s NASCAR team ahead of 2024 season start

Amid the significant changes underway at Stewart-Haas Racing, Ryan Preece is ready to hold an important leadership position. During an exclusive interview with Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass, Preece revealed his way of leading the team through the key moments of the 2024 NASCAR season.

The spotlight is on Stewart-Haas Racing, as the organization is going through a pivotal period, such as renewing the Ford contract, acquiring new sponsorships, and the exit of veteran drivers Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola.

The No. 41 Ford driver underlined the need to move into a leadership role during this period of change. He said:

"We as drivers need to step up as leaders. I think it's an important time at Stewart-Haas Racing to show leadership."

For Ryan Preece, performance is vital to effective leadership, and he is committed to giving results and creating the right atmosphere for his colleagues. He stated:

"When you go out and perform and win races, typically all the other things come, so my main focus is always been winning races throughout my entire career."

The 33-year-old driver pointed to a change in the team’s mentality, hinting at a desire for progress. He said:

"This year I feel like it's a change in everybody's demeanor. We all hated the fact that we didn't win last year. I feel like there's been a lot of internal changes and certainly all for the good."

With the Daytona 500 and early-season races in sight, Preece showed confidence in his team.

"We're all eager to get to Daytona. Superspeedways are certainly one of our strong suits and short tracks are really good for us as well, so the first 5 or 6 races fall into our wheelhouse so hopefully all of us can execute and establish ourselves as contenders," he added.

Ryan Preece and Stewart-Haas Racing will be on the racetrack again at Daytona International Speedway for the 2024 Daytona 500 for the Cup season opener on February 18 at 2:30 pm ET.

---

Ryan Preece reflects on returning to Daytona after last year's accident

The 2024 Daytona 500 is days away, and the spotlight will be on Ryan Preece. Last August at Daytona International Speedway, Preece, driving the No. 41 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing, crashed disastrously, spinning his car across the racetrack and flipping almost a dozen times.

After the crash, Preece spent the following night in the hospital being observed, and returned to racing a week later.

When asked about his return to the track after last year's accident, Preece reflected on the nature and risks of being a race car driver. He was quoted as saying (via motorsports.com):

“As a race car driver, I think we all understand the risks that we take.”

“I chose this profession for a reason, so if I’m afraid to drive a race car and get the max potential I can, then I should probably retire and just quit.”