Ryan Preece Discloses How Kevin Harvick Saved His NASCAR Career After Being a Charter System Victim, Shuts Down L.A. Coliseum Controversy

Ryan Preece has had quite a turbulent year in the Cup Series with Stewart-Haas Racing. His Daytona crash left every fan on the edge of their seats. But his opportunity in the Cup Series itself was looking grim a few years ago, when his former team, JTG Daugherty had to close its doors due to the lack of a charter.

Preece’s struggles with finding the funding to go racing have taught him the importance of covering the expenses for younger talent. And that’s exactly what he had in mind as he reminisced about the time Kevin Harvick lent a helping hand to get Preece out of the 2021 mess.

Kevin Harvick is the ideal role model according to Ryan Preece

Preece sat down with fellow icon Bubba Pollard and Brannon Ernest to talk about all things NASCAR. And when the topic of his come up in the Cup Series dawned on the trio, Preece immediately spoke of the example he wanted to set for future racers. He felt that when he put people in his race cars, he would like to pay for those seats instead of having the drivers do so. Just like when Harvick had given him a shot in the Truck Series, Preece wanted to pay the deed forward.

He shared that almost a decade ago; he had asked a team owner at the track for such an opportunity and pleaded that he’d do whatever it takes. To his disappointment, the budding racer never got a reply. Which is why he added, “And I just, you know, it’s things like that, I don’t want to do that to somebody else. If I truly stand behind somebody and I think that they’re good, and I can financially do it, I’m going to put them in that race car.”

He then pointed to what Kevin Harvick did for Preece as his agent in 2021. He shared, “You know, it’s the same thing Kevin Does with me, you know, those truck races, back in 2021, when I was going to be out of that JTG car, he put together two truck races for me, and I went out and I won, won the race. And then coming down here with the super, he puts me in this race car and he knows that, because same thing with Josh Berry, we’re going to do what it takes to win. We’re there.”

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Harvick not only helped Preece get a few Truck Race performances in to showcase his talent, but the call from Stewart-Haas Racing also set Preece’s future in the Cup Series into motion. While Preece was immensely grateful for the opportunity he got back in 2021, he also had a bold statement to make which might put the fans at ease with the L.A. Coliseum replacing the Daytona International Speedway for yet another exhibition race.

Preece excited for the L.A. Coliseum showdown despite the community’s disapproval

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With the NASCAR community eager to see the Daytona Speedway return for the Busch Clash, Ryan Preece had an opinion that could change their minds in a second. Because according to the #41 SHR Driver, the new Ford Mustang dark horse will be a sight to behold at a quarter-mile track like the L.A. Coliseum. The Camry XSE will also put up a challenge, while the Camaro fends off the new behemoths one last time.

When Bubba Pollard asked the 33-year-old what he thought of the new Cup Series deal, Preece’s attention immediately shifted to the new Ford challenger. He shared, “These new cars are bad-a**! I mean, I love it! It’s like it’s modified, for me. Like going to a quarter mile at L.A. Coliseum, we should run them every week. I loved it, everyone else didn’t, but that’s like my little playground.”

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It’s safe to say Ryan Preece is grateful for the opportunity Kevin Harvick gave him back in 2021 and will do his best to pay the gesture forward. But with his comments about the new Dark Horse, we can’t help but turn our attention to the L.A. Coliseum brawl coming soon!