“I Was Looking for Houses in Connecticut!” Ryan Preece Reveals How Brad Keselowski Saved His NASCAR career

Ryan Preece reminisced about the time when Brad Keselowski provided with an opportunity of a lifetime to race for RFK after exiting SHR.

“I Was Looking for Houses in Connecticut!” Ryan Preece Reveals How Brad Keselowski Saved His NASCAR career

Ryan Preece (via Getty), Brad Keselowski (via Imagn)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Ryan Preece had joined Stewart-Haas Racing in the 2022 season as a test and reserve driver. Preece ultimately found a permanent seat with SHR in 2023 before they ultimately shut down the team by the end of the year. The 34-year-old was left with no options and could have been forced to quit NASCAR if it weren’t for RFK racing and Brad Keselowski having faith in him. Now, the #60 driver recalls his tumultuous phase in the sport before signing with his current team.

Ryan Preece was unable to score any race wins while racing for Stewart-Haas Racing, as he could only achieve a single top-5 finish over the year. Following SHR’s shutdown due to financial troubles, Preece had nowhere to go. Moreover, his results in his debut year at his previous team weren’t so great that he could easily land a seat in the top team. Regardless, Brad Keselowski showcased faith in the 34-year-old and offered him an opportunity of a lifetime.

While Ryan Preece possessed great racing talent, he had given up on finding a seat with any teams in NASCAR and was prepared to fully move out of the sport. Preece even started looking for houses in Connecticut to move on to the next chapter of his life. However, while he searched for the house, Brad Keselowski called him and questioned his interest in joining RFK Racing for the upcoming third seat.

Ryan Preece recalled the time and revealed that there were some rumblings about a deal brewing for him at RFK Racing. Then, Brad Keselowski called him and finalized a deal for the #80 car. As such, Preece asserted that ultimately he ended up working with RFK and cancelled his plans to move to Connecticut. The 34-year-old pointed out that he would have been frowned upon and looked at like the guy who couldn’t make it in NASCAR if it weren’t for Keselowski and his last-minute deal.

There were some rumblings about everything coming together with RFK. Brad calls me and says, ‘Hey, if there was an opportunity to start a third car, would you have any interest?’ I’m thinking to myself, Yeah. Ultimately, it ended up working out, and I really thought I was moving back to Connecticut—going to be looked at like this guy that could never do it.

Ryan Preece said on Dale Jr. Download.

Ryan Preece recalls his family ‘going broke’ to fund his racing career

Ryan Preece’s racing career started at a young age of seven, when he started racing the quarter-midget karts. Since then, Preece climbed the junior ladder of racing and made his way to the big leagues. However, the 34-year-old’s father ran a humble plumbing and HVAC business in his hometown. Because of this, his family couldn’t really keep up with the expenses to fund his racing career since his early days.

Ryan Preece
Ryan Preece (image via Ford)

Even though Preece’s family was tight on money, he did some jobs to help earn money and ease the financial load on his family. The 34-year-old recalled that he saw the financial burden of having a racing career, as it was very expensive. Moreover, he didn’t want his family to go broke just so he could succeed in racing. As such, he started doing all the jobs he could find and built himself and fun racing career without letting anyone else suffer money-wise.

I saw the financial burden that it was… And as you know, racing’s expensive. So, I didn’t want my father or my family to go broke because we were racing. I wanted to find my own way, I wanted to build it up without (anyone suffering financially).

Ryan Preece noted.

All the hardships that Preece faced early on in his career helped shape him into the wonderful person and driver that he is today. The 34-year-old has showcased resilience even during the most difficult times and is prepared to face adversities head-on. While he is having a difficult time in the 2025 season, he is surely going to bounce back stronger than ever and start scoring much better results on track.

Read More: Kerry Earnhardt Is “Ashamed” as Dale Earnhardt’s Widow Is Planning to Make $30 Billion Legacy Ruining Move