The Martinsville Speedway is known for its tight turns and short track, making it a challenging venue for drivers. Ryan Preece started the race from the 22nd position, which meant he had some ground to cover.
Throughout the race, Tony Stewart’s Ryan Preece made gradual gains. By the end of Stage 1, he had already moved up to 19th place. In Stage 2, he continued his ascent, finishing in 14th place.
Just when it seemed like the race would conclude without further drama, a caution flag flew with only two laps to go.Restarting in 13th place, Preece seized the opportunity but with the limited passing opportunities, he pushed hard, relying on his short-run speed. His determination paid off as he secured a ninth-place finish—his best result of the season.
P22 ➡️ P9@RyanPreece_ and the No. 41 toughed it out at Martinsville to finish in the top-10. pic.twitter.com/2CiHYNMthF
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) April 8, 2024
After the race Ryan Preece talked about his position in the race earlier and praised his car how it helped throughout tp climb the positions. Preece expected to produce better results but he expressed hi pride by starting 22nd and and finished 9th. He further praised good strategy of SHR and the tires he needed in the end to conclude. Overall he seemed happy and satisfied for the results and why not, Tony Stewart’s driver certainly performed well yesterday. In fact, Preece was inside the top 10 last year at Talladega and now he broke his non-top 10 streak at Martinsville.
Tony Stewart’s driver was penalized at Martinsville last year
Ryan Preece had a remarkable performance at Martinsville Speedway during the 2023 race. However, his day took an unfortunate turn due to a speeding penalty. After pitting under the second caution of the day on lap 134, Preece was called out for the infraction. As a result, he lost valuable track position and ultimately finished in 15th place. Despite his efforts to fight back through the field, the penalty prevented him from achieving the correlating finish to his strong run.
Preece’s day started with promise as he led the first 80 laps of the stage, securing his first stage win. Impressively, he maintained the lead for the first 135 laps of the NOCO 400, setting a career-high for a single NASCAR Cup Series race. Unfortunately, the speeding penalty disrupted his dominance and forced him to battle back from the rear of the field. Although he fought hard, he couldn’t regain the lost ground and finished where he had fallen to after the penalty.
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