The penultimate race of the Cup season has heightened anticipation in the NASCAR community. The last round of 8 races at Martinsville Speedway will declare the championship contenders this weekend. But Ryan Preece has decided to occupy the track on Thursday itself for an exciting reason.

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver is going to grace the season finale of the NASCAR Wheelen Modified Tour on the short-track oval. As shared on their social media page, it was all hands on deck for the #41 Ford Mustang team. 

Ryan Preece is Going to Revisit his Championship Ground with the No. 41 Ford Team

Ryan Preece made his NASCAR debut a decade ago in the 2013 Xfinity Series. The very same year, Preece won the NASCAR Wheelen Modified Tour championship in a modified Ford. The versatile driver has a long-standing history with modified car racing, having been a runner-up in 2009 and 2011 before that. As a Stewart-Haas Racing Cup Series driver, Preece had not planned any deviations this year. But he could not pass up the opportunity to drive another modified Ford in the season finale, 10 years after his championship.

Especially since he was fortunate enough to have the backing of his experienced Cup racing team. Preece would ride alongside other NASCAR luminaries, such as Bobby Labonte and Ryan Newman, on the oval this Thursday. The #41 driver was relieved to avoid a clash with his Cup race on Sunday and knew that any kind of on-track time was too precious to miss. Preece unveiled his racecar for the event on SHR’s social media account and explained in a voiceover, 

“So today, I have my 41 Cup team here helping me, get my modified ready for Martinsville next week. Racing modifieds, it’s what I’ve done all my life. This year I pretty much said that I wasn’t going to race anything other than the Cup car but, Martinsville is a place I really like and I felt like the schedule, you know there was no conflicts. Because practice, qualifying, and race is all Thursday and we (Cup) don’t start anything until Saturday. It’s never a bad thing to be in a racecar.”

Watch this story: Stewart-Haas Racing: A Season of Uncertainty

Inevitably, the NASCAR fandom welcomed this news with unbridled enthusiasm.

NASCAR Fans Are Eager to Watch the Martinsville Race

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If there is anything NASCAR racers could learn from Kyle Larson’s season dominance, it would be his passion for racing on varied formats. The Championship 4 contender has made no secret of his dirt and sprint racing adventures, contributing to his sublime Cup Series form this year. Ryan Preece’s return to the modified car racing days of his early career could only enhance the driver’s stock car expertise in the coming years.

Championing Preece’s decision, fans poured in support in the comment section. 

“Racers gonna race 🙌”

“So bad a$$”

One of his fans wanted to know where they could catch all the live-action.

“How can I watch it?”

Read More: “Just Trying to Make Me Cry”- Kevin Harvick Turns Emotional as SHR Unlocks “Coolest” Memory

Others were looking forward to the collaboration between the #41 SHR crew and Ford’s modified vehicle.

“Yates Ford power in the modified. I love it.”

“@ryanpreece_ Gotta use them for your pit crew have the fastest crew there”

Looks like the #41 team would be well-versed in the playing field before the Martinsville Cup race this weekend.