The 2025 season has completely changed things for Ryan Preece. After facing many challenges in his career, he’s finally performing well and is proving to everyone he can be a front-runner.
In the №60 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing, Preece is more confident and competitive than before. Let’s take a look at why Preece is having such a successful year. Here are four major factors behind the success:
4. Resilience and Continuous Improvement
Ryan Preece’s journey has been marked by overcoming obstacles, team closures, on-track issues, and seasons where his future was uncertain. After finishing 26th in points in 2024 and losing his ride when Stewart-Haas Racing shut down, many thought his Cup career was coming to an end.
At 34, he’d been through a lot, changing teams, fighting for relevance, and being overlooked. But instead of giving up, he doubled down. His ability to learn from past experiences, stay focused, and keep pushing has paid off big time with RFK Racing.
This season, he’s put together three straight top 10s for the first time in his Cup career, including a career-best third and a seventh-place run at Martinsville after starting 21st. Just like with his career, he got here with steady improvement and not backing down. That’s on resilience, now one of the reasons he’s having the best season of his career, and it could even get better.
3. Aggressive and Adaptive Race Strategies
A lot of Ryan Preece’s 2025 success has come from the aggressive, flexible approach he and his RFK Racing team have brought to the track every week. With crew chief Derrick Finley calling the shots, they’ve been making bold pit calls and on-track moves that have paid off big time.
In Vegas they overcame a speeding penalty and still finished the race third (his best ever finishing position) thanks to fast stops and an alternate strategy. At Homestead another top 10 showed how well this calculated risk taking is working. Preece has fully bought in this mindset saying, “We’ve been aggressive. Aggressive on pit calls, aggressive on the track, aggressive everything and that’s what I want to keep going for our group.”
2. Innovative Use of Technology and Data Analysis
The use of technology and reviewing data have been a big part of what Ryan Preece achieved in the 2025 season. Him and his crew chief, Derrick Finley, study Sports Media Technology (SMT) data and race tapes to fully grasp the metrics and what the competitors are doing.
According to Finley himself, their successful season this year is largely thanks to Preece’s use of data and tech tools.
Also Read: NASCAR schedule 2025: Covering Trucks, Xfinity, and Cup Series
1. A Stronger Home at RFK Racing
The team’s recent years’ success and return to the playoffs have created the perfect place for Reece to grow. Team co-owner Brad Keselowski has even said that he considers the 34-year-old driver to be both «underrated» and «coachable» to learn.
Preece finally has the stability and support he’s been missing for most of his Cup career. After years of bouncing between underfunded teams, being with a competitive, well-funded team like RFK has made all the difference.
With the team looking strong and runs leading to good results, this partnership not only feels like the beginning, but it might lead to the playoffs and maybe even Reece’s first Cup win.
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