Tony Stewart claims ‘smart driver’ Ryan Preece knows every nut and bolt of the cars he race

Tony Stewart highlights how smart his driver, Ryan Preece, is as a racer.

Tony Stewart claims ‘smart driver’ Ryan Preece knows every nut and bolt of the cars he race

Ryan Preece and Tony Stewart (Via IMAGO)

NASCAR started as a competition for racers who, with their small team, most often family members, built cars in their garage or race shop. Sports has now evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry where the drivers are limited to their primary role of extracting the maximum speed out of the cars given to them.

This produces racers who need to be more knowledgeable or have less understanding of the mechanics of the cars. But some racers still follow the traditional roots and build their race cars. Tony Stewart has identified his driver at SHR, Ryan Preece, as a racer who understands everything about the cars in the top-tier

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The ex-NASCAR Cup champion revelation came in a recent podcast discussing how the current drivers have limited knowledge about cars. He even shared a hilarious story from the past, showcasing that even the 2021 Cup champion Kyle Larson was clueless about cars while driving at the top tier.

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A lot of smart drivers…You go to a sprint car race, you go to a dirt late model race, you go to a modified race, Ryan Preece, for example. These guys know every nut and bolt on those cars.
Stewart said via Hot Rod Pod.

2024 might be Ryan Preece’s final chance to prove himself in the top-tier

Ryan Preece is an accomplished racer in the NASCAR roots levels but hasn’t been able to replicate the same in the top tier when he was given the shot. The fact that his Cup outings were always in midfield teams made it harder.

Ryan Preece, Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, and Chase Briscoe (VIa IMAGO)
Ryan Preece, Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, and Chase Briscoe (VIa IMAGO)

Preece first made it to the Cup series as a full-time racer in 2019 with JTG Daugherty Racing. He spent three seasons with the Chevy team but failed to establish himself as he couldn’t pull off any magic with the cars he had. He lost the seat in 2021.

After missing out on the 2022 season, he was able to land a seat at SHR. His debut year with the Ford team wasn’t great. He scored just two top-10 finishes the whole season and was able to finish just P23 in the championship. He can’t afford another season with a similar result; 2024 will be vital for him.

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