● Ryan Preece and the No. 41 Morton Buildings Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) are headed to Music City for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. Race time is 7 p.m. EDT with live coverage on NBC, MRN and SiruisXM NASCAR Radio.
● Welcome Morton Buildings to the No. 41 team. Morton Buildings, headquartered in Morton, Illinois, is the industry leader in post-frame manufacturing and construction. At Morton, the difference is in the details. From cutting-edge innovations and best-in-class warranty to its craftsmen in the field, the company is dedicated to surpassing expectations. Its legacy of excellence in construction spans more than a century and more than a quarter-million satisfied customers. Morton Buildings is 100% employee-owned and proud to be ranked No. 65 on the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) 2022 Employee Ownership 100 list, which includes the nation’s largest companies that are at least 50% owned by an employee stock ownership plan. For more information, visit www.mortonbuildings.com.
● Prior to the start of the race weekend in Nashville, Preece will be at Robert’s Western World on Broadway for an appearance including an autograph session, guest bartending and a meet and greet with fans to kick things off. The event is from 4 – 6:30 p.m. CDT and everyone is welcome. For more information about Robert’s, visit https://robertswesternworld.com/.
● Sunday’s 300-lap race will mark Preece’s second Cup Series start at the 1.333-mile concrete oval. He made his Nashville debut in 2021 with JTG-Daugherty Racing, starting 20th and having to retire early – on Lap 197 – due to a brake issue. Last season, Preece made his first NASCAR Xfinity Series appearance at Nashville. He started 27th for BJ McLeod Motorsports and finished sixth.
● The NASCAR Truck Series added Nashville back to its schedule in 2021 for the first time since 2011. Preece ran for David Gilliland Racing in the Truck Series events in 2021 and 2022 and took home the victory in both. In 2021, he qualified sixth and led eight laps en route to his first Truck Series win. In 2022, he qualified on the pole and led 74 laps.
● Prior to the sole off-weekend on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule last weekend, competitors took on Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway for the season’s second road-course race. Preece kicked off the weekend on the West Coast with a victory in the ARCA Menards Series West race on Friday afternoon. He qualified his No. 9 Bonanza Ford on the pole. From there, he dominated the race by leading 55 of 64 laps and crossed the finish line 9.675 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Sammy Smith. Saturday, Preece qualified 22nd for the Cup Series race and finished 13th in Sunday’s 110-lap race.
● The No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang team has seen improvement and consistency in recent weekends, providing a heightened sense of motivation. Preece had a career weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in April, earning his first Cup Series pole and leading a career-high 135 laps. In 16 points-paying events this season, Preece has five top-15 finishes, three of which came in the last four points-paying races May 14 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, May 29 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and June 11 at Sonoma.
● Preece heads to Nashville 25th in the driver standings with 269 points.
● Preece kicked off the 2023 season with a strong showing in the non-points Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, leading a race-high 43 laps but ultimately finishing seventh after a fuel pump issue. He has a best points-paying finish of 12th this season, which came at Phoenix Raceway in March.
● RaceChoice.com, a proud partner of Preece, has launched a special racing experience giveaway for fans. The winner will receive airfare and a two-night stay during Coke Zero 400 weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. RaceChoice.com will also give the winners two pit passes for the race, set for Saturday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. ET, preceded by a meet-and-greet with Preece, driver of the No. 41 SHR Ford Mustang. Visit https://racechoice.com/2023-daytona-giveaway/ for more information.
Back-to-back Nashville wins in the Truck Series in 2021 and 2022, and now you’re heading there for the Cup Series race. Your thoughts?
“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to Nashville this weekend. It’s another one of those tracks that I’ve had circled on my calendar. I don’t know what made me perform so well in the Trucks, but the track has been really good to me. I’ve got a lot of confidence heading into the weekend and it’s a track that I’ve really emphasized with my team. I won with (crew chief) Chad Johnston in the 2021 Truck Series race, so we’ve worked together at the track already. These types of tracks have been stronger for us this season than our other programs, andI think this weekend will be strong for our 41 team.”
What is it like racing on the concrete at Nashville? Is it similar to any other tracks on the schedule?
“Nashville races are similar to a short track, which is right up my alley because short tracks are what I’ve done my entire career. But it’s also a mile-and-a-half track, so it’s a little bit bigger and it’s kind of got that little bit of an in-between. There’s a lot of shifting and different lanes, so that makes it an interesting track to race on. It’s also a night race this year, so I’m looking forward to that. I think you can compare it to a Bristol or Dover, and it is concrete but it doesn’t have as much banking in the corners. It’s a distinctive track and I’ve only been there twice, but we won those Truck races both times, so it’s a place I’ve enjoyed going to.”
You have another new paint scheme this weekend with Morton Buildings on the No. 41. Can you explain your relationship with the company?
“Morton Bulidings has been a huge supporter of mine and they’re an organization that I feel like I can really relate to. They’re all really good people who work extremely hard on their craft and create beautiful things for people. I know that firsthand because they built my race shop at my house and we’re actually working on an expansion now. I’m really excited to have them onboard my Ford Mustang this weekend in Nashville and I hope we bring home a win for them.”
Coming off the sole off weekend of the season, do you feel like the break rejuvenated you and your team?
“I mean, for me, I always want to be racing as much as I can, but I do appreciate the off weekend. It does give all of us an opportunity to either travel or just spend quality time at home. I got to do a lot of that and work on things that I might not have as much time to focus on during the weeks, usually. It was good, but I’m ready to get back to the track and back to racing. Our team has a lot to keep proving and we’re ready to do it, and I think Nashville is a great place to keep it going.”
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