One of the final pieces of the 2022 NASCAR roster puzzle has been placed. 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion Ryan Preece and Stewart-Haas Racing announced this morning that he would be representing the team as a reserve driver throughout the 2022 season.
“Ryan is a versatile wheelman with a racer’s mentality who fits extremely well within our culture at Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Greg Zipadelli, vice president of competition, SHR. “Between the amount of testing and development work we’re doing with the NextGen car this year, his added insights and time in the simulator will make us better by allowing us to learn faster.
It should be noted that Preece is represented by Kevin Harvick's management team and won a race in David Gilliland Racing's Ford F-150 in 2021. According to the press release, Preece will run a total of 12 races – two in Cup, three in Xfinity and seven in Truck. His Cup and Xfinity Series races will be in coordination with SHR and its technical alliance partners. His Truck Series starts will come with David Gilliland Racing. His Cup starts will take place at Dover on May 1st and Charlotte on May 29th.
“This is a unique setup, but I feel like it provides me with the best opportunity to win races and contribute to a championship-caliber team while expanding my racing experience,” said Preece, who spent the last three seasons (2019-2021) competing fulltime in Cup. “I’m a racer, and Stewart-Haas Racing is a team built by racers. They measure success by wins. Whether I’m in the simulator, in one of their cars, or in a Ford Mustang or Ford F-150 for another team, I’m here to help SHR and Ford win.”