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NASCAR Next: Ryan Preece

Topics: Ryan Preece, NASCAR

NASCAR Next: Ryan Preece

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
June 8, 2013

Rising Star Preece Announced to the 2013 NASCAR Next Roster

For Immediate Release

NEWTON, Iowa (June 8, 2013) - - 22-year-old Ryan Preece, a short track ace from Connecticut, was announced into the “NASCAR Next” program today at Iowa Speedway.

The NASCAR Next program began in 2011, and is an initiative to help NASCAR’s rising stars gain the necessary recognition, that will help further their careers toward the ultimate goal, competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This year’s program has a diverse roster of thirteen drivers.

“Being part of the NASCAR Next program opens up a whole new realm of opportunity for me, it’s a great chance to move my career forward,” said Preece from the Next announcement in Iowa. “It’s awesome to be part of a great marketing push by NASCAR for a new generation of drivers. It means the world to me. I’m honored.”

A regular on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) since 2007, and a championship-winning NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) driver, Preece brings a stellar resume to the NASCAR Next program.

In a Modified career that started at the young age of 14, Preece has five career wins and twelve career poles on the NWMT, and has NWAAS track championships at Stafford Motor Speedway (2011) and Thompson International Speedway (2012). Preece picked up a signature win in the 2008 “Made in America” Whelen 300 at Martinsville Speedway, along with a signature pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2009.

Twice a runner-up (‘09 & ’12) in the chase for the prestigious NWMT championship, Preece currently is tied for first place in the 2013 standings. Preece also leads the SK Modified standings once again at Stafford Motor Speedway.

Racing is a family affair for Ryan Preece. His grandfather, Bob Judkins, was the car builder and owner of the famous No. 2x Modified, driven by such greats as “Steady” Eddie Flemke, Sr.

Ryan’s father, Jeff Preece, was a standout driver at Riverside Park Speedway, where he met, and eventually married Bob’s daughter Jodie. Those two would eventually own Ryan’s first race cars, and still occasionally field a car in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour.

The racing family has grown over the years, with many different hands touching Preece’s career. He currently drives for seven different car owners: Flamingo Motorsports / Eric Sanderson (NWMT), Bob Hitchcock, Kelly Iverson, and Mike Paquette (NWAAS at Stafford), Albert and Cathy Moniz (NWAAS at Thompson), Bill & Barbara Park (NWAAS at Riverhead), Jeff and Jodie Preece (NWSMT), Mike Murphy and Steve Greer (TQ Midget), and Adam Cantor (NEMA Midget).

Between those seven rides, over 90 races are planned for Preece during the 2013 racing season. With maximum seat time already in place, and now the NASCAR Next program to help promote his achievements, one can only wonder what is “next” for Ryan Preece.

For more on Ryan Preece, please visit RyanPreece.com.

Preece tweets too. Follow him on Twitter @RyanPreece16.

Contact: Mike Herman Jr. · mhr@mikeherman.com · (704) 791-0308