By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When cars started dropping out left and right in Sunday’s Daytona 500, Ryan Preece was among the few who just kept going.
Avoiding two late accidents by mere inches, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series rookie saw the checkered flag in eighth spot.
Making his first Cup start since 2015, the night ended well for the famed short tracker.
“This is one for the grassroot guys,” Preece said. “We did what we needed to do and that was finish. We got a little bit of a torn-up car, not as bad as some. All in all, a good day.”
Surviving his first race at Daytona, Preece only wished he brought more aggression to the late stages of the overtime race.
“It’s intense, man. It’s something I have never been a part of,” he said. “I’m really just disappointed with not being more aggressive with blocking. I have a lot of learning to do for sure. Today was the type of day you just wanted to race around these guys, not be erratic, not do anything stupid.”
The respectful drive, in part, sets Preece up for a few new friends when the series jumps to Talladega in May. Hopefully, more help, said Preece.
“What I take away from this type of stuff is learning when to be aggressive and when not to be aggressive,” he said. “And hopefully making more friends for in the future, I can get some help when I need help.
“If I were them, I would do the same thing they were doing to me. And that’s abandoning ship. I don’t really blame them.”
Starting his first full season with JTG Daugherty Racing with a top-10 finish, the year seems to have some momentum already.
“How can you be upset? A top 10 in my first Daytona 500,” he said. “I’m really happy for everything we did.”