By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
After missing out on a top five to start the year in the Daytona 500, Ryan Preece left the next superspeedway race with his first.
After starting 30th in Sunday’s Geico 500 from Talladega Superspeedway, the JTG Daugherty Racing rookie maintained a position in the Chevrolet draft to finish third after a wild wreck ended the event under caution.
“If we went another half-lap, you may be talking about a different situation,” Preece said. “I’m not going to make a move going into Turn 1 and get flushed by Turn 3. That already happened at Daytona, I’ve learned that lesson.”
Behind fellow Chevrolets Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, the No. 47 was finally able to run the bottom lane, hooking onto the manufacterer train to finish up front.
“To be honest, I couldnt work with them at the beginning when all the Chevys were lined up,” he said. “My car was so loose, I had to keep the right rear out in the air. So, I couldnt run there.”
Lining up for a four-lap run to the end, a virtually all-Chevy bottom lane opened the door for them to burst into the lead.
“A lot of it was right situation,” he said. “That restart, really, could not have worked any better for Chase [Elliott] and Chevy being lined up on the bottom. It created a huge opportunity for all of us to push each other and move forward.
“Ultimately, we wish we couldve raced to the line but it’s still a good day. When I watch some races in the past, third place is usually the guy who ends up making out.”
With JTG’s last four top-five finishes coming on a superspeedway, Preece knew Sunday was an opportunity day.
“I said to Ernie [Cope] that this is one of those races to pull an upset,” he said. “It’s not just a win but you lock yourself into that championship.”
With only two top-20 finishes since his eighth place at Daytona, Preece noted the importance of a strong day to the team’s momentum.
“A top five is great, it’s another top 10,” he said. “It’s a good way to head into Dover. We’ve had a lot of down weeks. Im looking forward to moving forward. Hopefully, we’re building some good runs on 1.5-mile tracks.”