34-year-old Ryan Preece underwent his third team change in four years in the Cup Series season that just ended. Driving the No. 60 Ford Mustang for RFK Racing, he put together an impressive performance all year and finished 18th in the final standings. Before putting on his racing gloves again to keep the engine hot for the 2026 season, he has some key tasks to get done during the offseason.
He spoke of them to Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a recent episode of the Dale Jr. Download podcast. He said, “I’m probably going to run speed weeks with my modified a couple times just because I feel like that’s a great way to get the racing mindset of attack going. Outside of that, I mean, that’s all I planned on short track racing. Once we’re done with Pensacola and Five Flags, it’s trying to decompress.”
“It’s trying to relax. As a racer, I’ve been non-stop racing, always thinking about racing for so many years. And for me, it’s hard to shut that switch off because it’s been turned on for many years.” Preece began his racing career when he was only 17 years old. Ever since, he has basically lived at race tracks and slept to the music of roaring engines. But short breaks are necessary at the level that he is now.
Understanding this, he continued to detail that he would be visiting family in Connecticut and New England. He also plans on spending quality time with his daughter and son. His daughter is currently two years old, and his son will be two months old by Christmas. Following the stellar season he had, all he wants now is to enjoy this different side of his life and create lasting memories.
Ryan Preece’s verdict on the horsepower increase
Preece was one of the three drivers involved in the tire test that NASCAR and Goodyear conducted at Bristol recently. During the test, he also got to try out the Next Gen cars with 750 HP under their hoods. This increase from 670 HP will be implemented on road courses and all tracks under 1.5 miles in 2026.
He told Junior, “For us, initially, I’ll be honest with you, 750 horsepower, that little bump, you’re not going to feel it initially on stickers. So, I think it’s really going to take the combination of going softer on tires with the bump in horsepower.”
He believes that it is all factors, such as better tires and more horsepower, that will need to come together to improve the racing product. What is sure for now is that Preece didn’t get a long enough run to feel the horsepower to the extent where he needed to “manage” it.
