Ryan Preece joined Stewart-Haas Racing as a reserve driver for the 2022 NASCAR season and the organization loved what he did for the entire team. This resulted in a full-time ride in the NASCAR Cup Series for the 2023 season.
Preece replaced Cole Custer in the No. 41 car, who was demoted to the organization’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program to drive the No. 00 car alongside young driver Riley Herbst. Now, the driver of the No. 41 car could face a similar reality as Custer.
Through 20 races, Preece has a 22.0 average finishing position and sits 26th in the point standings. Most notably, he is the only driver in the top 30 of the point standings that doesn’t have a top-10 finish and this has raised questions about his future with Stewart-Haas Racing.
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Latest on Ryan Preece’s chances of driving for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024
It hasn’t been the start to the 2023 season that Preece imagined when he received a full-time ride at Stewart-Haas Racing; however, the entirety of the organization has struggled to have speed in the NASCAR Cup Series this year.
Kevin Harvick, the driver of the No. 4 car, sits as the best Stewart-Haas Racing driver in the point standings in ninth place. Meanwhile, Preece is actually the second-best driver in 26th place while Aric Almirola sits in 27th place.
Ryan Preece’s career stats (Cup Series): 0 wins, 2 top-5 finishes, 9 top-10 finishes
Chase Briscoe, the driver of the No. 14 car, was slammed with one of the biggest penalties in NASCAR history. The sport found a counterfeit NextGen part on the No. 14 car after a trip to NASCAR’s R&D Center.
For now, Preece has six more races to make the NASCAR playoffs but will these next 16 races represent his first and final full-time season with Stewart-Haas Racing? FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass wrote an article that mentioned Preece’s status in the No. 41 car and it appears to be good for him.
“While (Ryan Preece) would like to be higher than 25th in the standings in his first full season at (Stewart-Haas Racing), it appears SHR will give him at least one more year (in the No. 41 car).
Bob Pockrass on Ryan Preece’s future at Stewart-Haas Racing
It has not been pretty for Preece to this point; however, it seems like Stewart-Haas Racing will give him another season in the No. 41 car. This makes sense as the entire organization has been struggling during the 2023 season.
Plus, Harvick is set to retire after the season finale at Phoenix Raceway and will have Josh Berry replace him in the No. 4 car. Due to Harvick’s retirement, his sponsor, Busch Light, will move to Ross Chastain at Trackhouse Racing.
This means Preece’s sponsorship would come in handy as Almirola is “widely expected” to retire as well. The No. 10 car could lose Smithfield Foods and leave Stewart-Haas Racing with little sponsorship for a four-car team.
However, what if Preece surprisingly doesn’t return to the No. 41 car for the 2024 season? Continue reading to find out three ideal drivers for Stewart-Haas Racing to consider if this takes place!
Related: Kyle Larson calls out Ryan Preece after big incident at Bristol Dirt
3 ideal candidates to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing if Ryan Preece surprisingly doesn’t return
Stewart-Haas Racing may need to reshape its entire driver lineup outside of Briscoe and Preece but what happens if the No. 41 car also joins the group? There are three obvious candidates that stand out amongst the rest.
Custer is one driver that makes a lot of sense for Stewart-Haas Racing. Custer, 25, has previous experience driving for the organization in the Cup Series but one big issue for him in this scenario would be his lack of sponsorship.
The 25-year-old driver has been one of the best drivers in the Xfinity Series as he sits fourth in the point standings with two victories. Custer has the talent to be in the Cup Series and if he dominates the rest of the 2023 season, it’ll be hard to see him stay in the Xfinity Series.
Herbst has one major advantage when it comes to potentially moving to the Cup Series and that is his sponsorship with Monster Energy. Herbst, 24, had a strong start to the season in the Xfinity Series but has cooled down as of late.
Despite the 24-year-old driver’s struggles, Monster Energy would be an important gain for Stewart-Haas Racing as the team struggles with sponsorship. If Herbst has significant improvement, he could become an obvious choice for the organization.
Zane Smith would be a perfect fit with Stewart-Haas Racing as he remains Ford’s best prospect in the lower ranks of NASCAR. Smith, 24, is the defending NASCAR Truck Series champion and has run well in 2023 with two victories.
The 24-year-old driver has a multi-year contract with Front Row Motorsports, which is the only issue for Stewart-Haas Racing. Would the organization be able to buy out Smith or could other options be more intriguing due to the cost?
There will be plenty of movement for Stewart-Haas Racing; however, Ryan Preece seems likely to stay in the No. 41 car at this point. It is important to keep some continuity but these three drivers would be beneficial in making the process easier.