The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Preece answers questions, readies for Darlington return
After 70 days of no racing, except for the virtual variety, Ryan Preece is ready to strap into his No. 37 Jtg-daugherty Racing Chevrolet and go for a spin at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. NASCAR This Week talked to the 29-year-old driver about resuming the Cup Series at one of the sport’s most prestigious race tracks.
How excited are you to go back to real racing? “I’m very excited. It definitely makes you appreciate to go to the race track and have all those things instead of being stuck in your home. It opened my eyes to using iracing more just for the benefit of (more practice). I’ll probably use that a lot more to help me prepare for more races in the future.”
Were you surprised at the success of the NASCAR iracing Pro Invitational Series? “It kind of went the way I figured. As far as the competition, it was really a matter of how much time you were willing to put into it. You could tell there were some guys who had put a lot of time into it and it showed.”
What about the ramifications from the virtual racing series, such as Bubba Wallace losing a sponsor? “I think Joey Logano said it best. He said ‘You got to be on all the time.’ And really, that’s all it is.”
No fans in the stands at Darlington. Are you mentally preparing for that experience? “This is what everyone needs right now. This is kind of a jump-start I think people need to get back into that process of knowing life as it was. I know NASCAR is taking all the precautions necessary to make sure we are doing this in a healthy environment. I’m very thankful this is happening. This is a huge opportunity to go racing on Sunday. I’m really looking forward to getting back to the race track. This is something we all need.”
What do you think about racing at Darlington? “I have always loved that course, but I’ve only made two starts there during my NASCAR career. The first time I went out there at speed I was thinking ‘Man, there’s something wrong with this race car.’ There was nothing wrong with the race car. The track is its own entity. It’s such a wore-out course that the initial speed of your car matters very little. You aren’t racing other cars at Darlington. You’re racing the race track because it’s so different from all the other places we go.”
No practice, no qualifying on Sunday. Do you see that as maybe an opportunity? “It’s definitely an opportunity. I feel like the team and the No. 37 bunch are getting really close. I have felt really good at a lot of places. I’m a fan of minimizing. I think no practice will make these races sort of interesting. I think it’s going to be fun.”
What did you do during the shutdown? “We isolated for the most part. We did a lot of house projects. We didn’t go anywhere. I’m at that point where I have crossed off a lot of my to-do list and I don’t want to do any more. I think I hit my limit. Yeah, I’m ready to go racing.”