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Ryan Preece Wears Emotions On His Sleeve After Winning Wild Cook Out Clash

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
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Ryan Preece

In a race that featured rain, sleet, 17 cautions and all manner of chaos after being delayed three days by winter weather, it seemed only fitting that a first-time winner – Ryan Preece – emerged victorious in Wednesday night’s long-awaited Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Although the win (which awards no points) doesn’t count, technically-speaking, it was still a milestone achievement for the second-year RFK Racing driver, who has faced an uphill battle just to make it in NASCAR’s premier series.

In taking the checkered flag, Preece became only the third driver in the 48-year history of the Clash to capture the preseason exhibition prior to winning a points race.

The other two drivers to do it?

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. And three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.

But joining two legends in the history books was just the icing on the cake for Preece, who wore his emotions on his sleeve during post-race interviews after leading the final 45 laps in his No. 60 Ford.

William Byron finished second, 1.75 seconds behind the unlikely race winner.

Why Was Ryan Preece So Choked Up In Victory Lane?

Although NASCAR’s official records will continue to show that Ryan Preece is for 0-for-223 in Cup Series competition, finishing P1 on Wednesday night at the quarter-mile Winston-Salem, North Carolina short track clearly carried a lot of meaning for the 35-year-old Berlin, Connecticut native.

After all, prior to Wednesday night, he hadn’t won anything in NASCAR’s top division.

Preece has also struggled just to keep a ride, bouncing around between three organizations since first going full-time Cup Series racing in 2019. In 2022, following a three-year run at the organization then known as JTG Daugherty Racing, Preece didn’t have a ride at all. That year, he made two cameo Cup starts while also dabbling in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) Series.

So, it’s no wonder Preece could hardly contain himself on the heels of Wednesday night’s triumph.

“I hate talking about it, because I hate getting emotional about it,” Preece said after climbing out of his race-winning vehicle. “But it’s not just the Clash. Winning means everything to me. I’ve put a lot into it.”

Ryan Preece Used Icy, Rainy Weather To His Advantage

Wednesday night’s weather conditions, which forced the participants in the main event to strap on rain tires for a portion of the race, played right into the hands of Ryan Preece.

He’s a short-track ace who owns more than 25 wins on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour that competes mainly at such venues.

“I’m a quarter-mile killer,” Preece said. “When it comes to this style of racing, it’s what I grew up doing. … It’s an absolute grind.”

Clearly caught up in the moment, Preece threw out a typically off-limits obscenity during his televised post-race interview. That obscenity didn’t make it into the below Victory Lane clip, which nevertheless offers some good insight into how much this night meant to Preece.

“It’s not a points race,” he said. “But winning means everything. Man, I’m just speechless.”

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
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