Ryan Preece is ready to kick his feet up after a very busy 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. The 34-year-old completed his third team change in just four years. Behind the wheel of the No. 60 Ford Mustang for RFK Racing, the Connecticut native delivered strong performances throughout the year. But the efforts weren’t fruitful, as RFK failed to bag a win this season.

However, with the dust settled on the 2025 season, Preece is looking forward to what’s next. He ultimately finished 18th in the final standings, and before gearing up again for the 2026 season, the racer has a few key off-season priorities to tackle and he didn’t hesitate to share his plans in a recent conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Ryan Preece is set to let it rip on short tracks

Speaking on the Dale Jr. Download, Ryan Preece laid it bare. He said, “I’m probably going to run speed weeks with my modified a couple times just because I feel like that’s a great way to get the racing mindset of attack going. Outside of that, I mean, that’s all I planned on short track racing. Once we’re done with Pensacola and Five Flags, it’s trying to decompress.”

Preece’s racing journey began really young. At the age of 17, he had practically lived at racetracks. However, even at the elite level he competes in, brief breaks are essential. The RFK Racing driver intends to remain active this season, keeping his skills sharp by participating in the December Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola.

The Derby will serve as the culmination of a year in which the No. 60 driver maintained his short track edge racing Modifieds at Bowman Gray Stadium, New Smyrna Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Thompson Speedway, and Stafford Speedway. His Stafford appearance included a notable victory in the Cletus McFarland New England 900, where he battled former NASCAR veteran Greg Biffle to secure the win.

However, after those runs, the 34-year-old is ready to take his mind off racing to spend time with his family, especially his son, Bentley Ryan, and daughter, Rebecca Marie. Ryan Preece added,  “And but for me, it’ll be visiting family and going up to Connecticut and seeing everybody in New England, but also spending time, you know, home. My daughter’s two, my son is, you know, he’s going to be two months when Christmas comes. So really, it’s going to be enjoying the different side of life and trying to, you know, create great memories with my family.” 

But before Preece can take a breath of relief, the RFK Racing driver is more than ready to battle head-on at Pensacola. This will mark his fourth Derby start, having previously competed in three, including a fourth-place finish in 2021 behind race winner Chandler Smith. NASCAR royalty Kyle Busch is also expected to join the field, but the Connecticut native feels ready for the challenge.

Ryan Preece drops his verdict on the increased horsepower

Last week, after the 2025 Cup Series season, Preece joined Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman at Bristol for a Goodyear tire test, helping evaluate new compounds and the 750-horsepower package set for 17 races next season to improve the Next-Gen car performance. However, Preece explains that it included the new package with the diffuser removed, the horsepower boost, and various tire options.

While the results were encouraging, he noted that drivers likely won’t feel the extra horsepower on sticker tires alone. He said, “For us, initially, I’ll be honest with you, 750 horsepower, that little bump, you’re not going to feel it initially on stickers. So I think it’s really going to take the combination of going softer on tires with the bump in horsepower. Everything we did is going to help for sure. And I think what we’re all asking for, as well as the fans, is to see…not get stuck when you get behind a guy where the aero side of things just outweighs the grip that you have in your race car.” 

He also admitted he didn’t run long enough at Bristol to fully experience the horsepower’s impact. He added, “And at Bristol, that place is really tough. It’s really tough because it’s super fast, and it really just depends on what we end up bringing. So what I did learn is I probably didn’t go long enough into the run to feel the horsepower, kind of, to where I had to really manage it, so to speak.”

His comments echoed Kyle Larson’s earlier cautionary note that fans should keep expectations realistic regarding the boost. Nonetheless, the 34-year-old driver came away with insights, noting that the team successfully corded tires on either site and managed their durability, even with just three cars and cooler 55-degree track conditions. But as of now, Preece has just two things on his mind: the postseason races and spending time with his family.