Ryan Preece's 2025 Season: So Close, Yet So Far!
Imagine pouring your heart and soul into every race, fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot, only to come up just short. That's the story of Ryan Preece's 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. While he didn't quite reach the promised land of the playoffs, his performance with RFK Racing showed tremendous growth and hinted at a potentially explosive future.
Editor's Note: This is the 13th installment in our series reviewing the top 30 NASCAR Cup Series drivers from the 2025 season, working our way up the standings.
Let's dive into the details:
- Driver: Ryan Preece, piloting the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford.
- Crew Chief: Derrick Finley, the strategist calling the shots from the pit box.
- Final 2025 Ranking: 18th in the overall standings.
- Key Stats: 0 wins (a statistic he's desperate to change!), 3 top-five finishes, an impressive 14 top-ten finishes, and 133 laps led throughout the season.
How the Season Unfolded:
Preece was a consistent contender throughout the regular season, keeping his playoff hopes alive week after week. He ultimately fell short of securing a spot by a mere 66 points. Both Preece and his RFK Racing teammate, Chris Buescher, found themselves on the outside looking in as the entire organization missed the playoffs.
But here's where it gets interesting... Despite the playoff disappointment, Preece ended the 2025 season on a high note. He racked up seven top-15 finishes in the final ten races, including four top-10s in the last five! This late-season surge suggests he and the team were really hitting their stride.
The Race That Almost Was:
While not his best finish, Preece's run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was arguably his best race. Starting from a less-than-ideal 23rd position, he showcased his skills, leading 12 laps and positioning himself as a potential winner. The race was a 'crown jewel' event, meaning it was a high profile, prestigious race that carries extra weight. He was banking on the leaders running out of fuel, hoping for a chaotic finish that could hand him the victory.
Unfortunately for Preece, Bubba Wallace managed to nurse his car to the finish line, taking the checkered flag on fumes, and avoiding another rain delay and subsequent NASCAR Overtime restart. With playoff implications and the prestige of Indy on the line, the 35-year-old veteran came agonizingly close to a career-defining victory.
Other Notable Moments:
- Las Vegas High: Preece secured his best finish of the season early on at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, capitalizing on a late-race strategy gamble to grab a third-place result. This sparked a streak of three consecutive top-10 finishes, demonstrating his early-season momentum.
- Iowa Success: Following his impressive Indy performance, Preece continued his strong run with a fifth-place finish at Iowa Speedway, proving his ability to perform well on different track types.
- Strong Intermediate Runs: He also notched top-10 finishes at intermediate tracks like Kansas and Charlotte in the spring, showcasing his consistent performance on these common track layouts.
- Chicago Street Course: A solid seventh-place finish on the tight and challenging Chicago Street Course further highlighted his versatility as a driver.
- Talladega Heartbreak: And this is the part most people miss... Statistically, Preece's strongest race was actually at Talladega in April, where he earned the best Driver Rating over the 500 miles of racing. He crossed the finish line in second place, but was ultimately disqualified post-race. This is where things could get controversial. Some fans might argue that the disqualification negates the strong performance, while others might say it shouldn't diminish the fact that he ran a dominant race. What do you think?
Key Stat:
Preece's average finish of 15.7 in 2025 marked his best Cup Series season by a significant margin. His previous best was a 20.8 average finish in 2023 during his first season with the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing team. This improvement clearly demonstrates the positive impact of his move to RFK Racing.
Preece's Perspective:
"So a change in mindset was probably a big piece of that, as well as coming over to RFK and seeing what Brad’s been able to help build and continue to build back up of what we can be … We’re all frustrated we didn’t make the playoffs, but there’s a ton of potential between all three of us, and I’m excited for that. For me, it was probably a change in mindset as well as a great group of people that came together and are working on accomplishing the goal."
This quote, given at Phoenix Raceway before the season finale, really encapsulates Preece's positive outlook and his belief in the potential of the RFK Racing team.
Looking Ahead to 2026:
Preece will be back behind the wheel of the No. 60 Ford for his second season with RFK Racing in 2026, and his sights are firmly set on the playoffs. Having never made the playoffs in his six full-time Cup Series seasons, he enters the year as a strong contender to finally break through and score his first career victory. If Preece can find that extra bit of consistency, he's poised for a truly breakout season.
What do you think? Will Ryan Preece finally make the playoffs in 2026? Can he secure that elusive first win? Share your predictions and thoughts in the comments below!
