Ryan Preece Scores Victory in Eventful Cook Out Clash

For the first time in his career, Ryan Preece is a winner in the NASCAR Cup Series.

It may have come in a preseason exhibition, in the form of the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. The night may have provided plenty of challenges, including a mid-race move to wet weather tires as a cold rain swept over the historic quarter-mile at the race's halfway break.

Unofficial Results: 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray

None of that mattered. For Preece, the former NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion who has been fighting for his first win in NASCAR's premier series since his debut in 2015 and his first full-time season in 2019, Wednesday's victory was worth the wait.

“I don’t even know what to say,” said Preece on FOX Sports following the race. “To be honest with you, it’s been a (expletive) long road. It’s the Clash. But man, it’s just been years and years of grinding."

At one point, Preece wasn't even sure if he'd be able to remain part of the NASCAR Cup Series. The move to RFK Racing ahead of the 2025 season has put him back into contention.

“I’m just super thankful for Brad Keselowski, Kroger, Coca-Cola, all our partners, Bam, break open the pappy. Jack Roush, the Fenway Group. Two years ago, I didn’t think I was going to have a job. I thought I was going back to Connecticut (tearing up). I’m just super, super emotional.”

Preece qualified 18th in the 23-car field, with an adjusted format as the event had been postponed by several days due to historic snowfall. However, he stormed through the pack, taking the lead briefly on lap 143 and for good on lap 156.

“We had a really good car. I felt like we were fighting adversity all day, trying to come from the back. We got a lot of good spots. When we were putting rain tires on, man, this is as much of a mental game as it is everything anything. I felt pretty beat up.

“We had a couple restarts go our way. Before you know it, you’re in the front two rows, then the claws just come out.”

William Byron finished second, followed by Ryan Blaney. Daniel Suarez and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.

The Cook Out Clash was slowed 17 times by caution, including a delay of 30 minutes as rain fell at the halfway break. The rain and sleet send teams to wet weather tires to proceed during the race.

Next up for the NASCAR Cup Series is the 68th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 15. That race will be televised on FOX with coverage set to kick off at 2:30 PM ET. The Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide the radio broadcast of the event.

-Photo credit: Matt Thacker, NKP for Ford Racing