“Not today, Bob. Coming soon” is what Brad Keselowski told Bob Pockrass when he asked the RFK Racing co-owner if adding a third car in 2025 is a possibility for the team. Oh, and potentially featuring Ryan Preece. “Everything is in the realm of possible,” Keselowski added. And that realm of possibility includes Preece breaking a four-year streak, one that could positively impact his chances for a seat next year.

Things haven’t been particularly good for Ryan Preece in 2024. Other than the fact that Stewart-Haas Racing is shutting down at the end of the season, effectively leaving the No. 41 driver without a seat, Preece had just 3 top-10 finishes in the regular season. His best result came in Nashville, where he managed a surprising 4th-place finish. Despite not making the playoffs to compete for the ultimate title, he seems to have turned a corner.

After an 18th-place finish in Atlanta, the SHR driver crossed the line in 9th at The Glen. And a week later, he backed that top-10 finish with another one – 7th place in Bristol. As a result, after the first round of the playoffs, Ryan Preece is the 10th-highest point scorer with a total of 79 points. In terms of those not competing for the championship, he’s only behind Ross Chastain (103 points). But what was the four-year streak that Preece broke for the No. 41 team?

Well, owing to his results in Watkins Glen and Bristol, this was the first time since 2020 that the No. 41 car has had back-to-back top-10s. The last time this happened was when SHR’s Xfinity driver Cole Custer was in the driver’s seat when he managed a P7 in Kansas, followed by a P8 in New Hampshire. Interestingly, less than a month before this (at the beginning of July 2020), Custer achieved an even more impressive back-to-back top-10 result.

A week after a 5th-place finish in Indianapolis, Cole Custer drove his car to Victory Lane in Kentucky. That was the last time the No. 41 took a win, and now that the team is dissolving at the end of the season, there’s no doubt SHR would want to sign off on a high. If it comes at the hands of Preece, that would only increase his chances of staying in the Cup Series for another year.

His SHR teammates are all headed to different teams in 2025 – Chase Briscoe is joining Joe Gibbs Racing, Noah Gragson to Front Row Motorsports, and Josh Berry to Wood Brothers Racing. With Cole Custer returning to the Cup Series with the Haas Factory Team, RFK Racing seems like the most likely destination for Ryan Preece.

Brad Keselowski’s team is expected to sign Kroger as a sponsor for 2025. And with speculation that RFK Racing could lease a charter from Rick Ware Racing and that Preece had a good relationship with Kroger when he drove for JTG Daugherty Racing, it makes him the heavy favorite to join Keselowski’s setup. Moreover, the 2012 Cup Series champion hasn’t denied any of these rumors and is expected to make a decision within the next month.

So, when Ryan Preece’s newfound form owing to his top-10 finishes made headlines on Reddit over and above Brad Keselowski’s “coming soon” comments, fans flooded the discussion. They discussed the No. 41 driver’s future, and while some believe RFK Racing will be where he goes, others argued that it would be Kaulig Racing was a possibility as well.

Fans believe “unclaimed talent” Ryan Preece is in for a good 2025

A fan pointed out that Preece often finishes in the top 20, but he’s had some tough luck in crucial moments of races. “Honestly, Preece has usually been a top 20 guy in the 41, then he gets scr*wed over late,” they wrote. It’s a common frustration among fans who see his potential but feel he’s not getting the breaks he needs to achieve better results. But coming into Bristol, he may have had an air of positivity around himself.

After all, Preece has a pretty good track record here. Before the race, he had two top-20 results in two Next Gen races at the tack – a P14 and a P12. But there’s more. The top-20 finishes extend back to 2019, with his lowest result being P18. As for 2024, “He’s had good runs early in the season too; he was there at Nashville in the end,” commented another fan.

They’re referring to his P4 finish after he started in 22nd, having restarted in 4th on the 5th attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. Despite some memorable performances in 2024, some suspect Preece may be in for a season in the Xfinity Series. With Trackhouse Racing signing Shane van Gisbergen for the Cup Series in 2025, it frees up a place in Kaulig Racing’s Xfinity setup.

“That Preece to the 97 announcement is going to be huge,” wrote a speculative fan. According to them, the SHR driver will not join Brad Keselowski but will surprise the world with a move to the Kaulig Racing No. 97 car. But the overarching sentiment was that Brad Keselowski’s future is in RFK Racing.

A fan complimented Brad Keselowski’s knack for scouting potential drivers who will do well in the sport. The comment read, “Nice. Brad’s eye for unclaimed talent will remain impeccable, I guess.” Moreover, it also aligns with the vision Keselowski has, as another fan pointed out. They wrote, “Brad has said since joining RFK that having 3 cars is the perfect situation for data sharing and resources, which is why Penske uses that team model.” 

Even though RFK Racing will likely lease a charter, a third car will only help improve the team’s trajectory faster. While their recent results haven’t been anything to write home about, their average finishes are still inside the top 10. And with the Kroger sponsorship most probably coming their way, RFK Racing fans could be in for a treat in 2025.

Considering this, a fan believes Ryan Preece has a bright future, and they directly compared him to his teammate Noah Gragson. As of now, Gragson leads Preece in the standings by one position, and despite what the scoreboard says, the fan feels the latter will do better. “I have some faith for him next year; I think he’s been better than Gragson all year, despite what people would have you believe.”

As Ryan Preece looks to solidify his future in NASCAR, his recent performances have sparked hope among fans and speculation about his next chapter in racing.