Motorsports Racing News & Blog Articles

So much for the longer course experiment.

After two races using the full track configuration featuring the Carousel, Sonoma Raceway has elected for NASCAR to revert to the pre-2019 track layout that bypasses the sector to form what is called the Chute.

The Carousel, located after turn four, is featured in Sonoma’s usual configuration that many other series such as the NTT IndyCar Series have used; with the Carousel, the track is 2.52 miles (4.056 km) long with twelve corners. Although NASCAR originally used it too when it began racing there in 1989, the track added the Chute which connects turns four and seven in 1998 for NASCAR events, shortening the distance to 1.949 mi (3.137 km). Turn four was tweaked three years later to accommodate the change, adjusting the track length up to 1.990 mi (3.203 km).

To celebrate the track’s fifty-year anniversary in 2019, NASCAR began reusing the Carousel course, resulting in the Chute only being used for track days and club events. While the change made for a longer track length, it received mixed reception from fans who felt it eliminated a passing zone.

“It will be more exciting for the fans just because those are a couple of wild corners with some new hairy passing zones,” commented defending Cup Series champion and Sonoma winner Kyle Larson. Martin Truex Jr. is the other driver to win on the Carousel layout in 2019 (the 2020 race was cancelled due to COVID-19). “Mistakes can be made in those corners when you’re bouncing over curves so the cars will be moving around a lot. It will be exciting. It will be pretty wild because you can go all the way to exit of Turn 4 on the other side of the curve and barely miss the wall.”

Josh Bilicki might not be running the full NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2022 like he did last year, but he will still see plenty of action. On Monday, Spire Motorsports announced Bilicki will enter “most” of the 2022 Cup slate in the #77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. His first start will come at Auto Club Speedway on 27 February.

“Spire Motorsports is thrilled to add a young, talented and resourceful racer like Josh Bilicki to our stable,” team co-owner T.J. Puchyr stated. “Josh is cut from the same cloth as the people who make up our team. He’s a grinder. He finds a way, goes out and gets it done. He’s going to be a great compliment to Corey LaJoie in our #7 car. We’re proud to welcome Josh to the Spire family.”

While 2022 will be his second season with substantial starts in Cup, Bilicki is no stranger to Spire. In 2020, he ran the Kentucky race and season finale at Phoenix in the team’s #77, finishing thirty-second and thirty-fifth. The two starts were just another chapter in his series of part-time Cup entries from 2017 to that year, which he mainly spent with Rick Ware Racing.

For 2021, he ran every race with RWR. While he switched to Xfinity Series points late in the year in order to run that series’ playoff rounds, he scored his first career top ten in any NASCAR division when he finished tenth in the Daytona fall Cup race. Bilicki ran four Xfinity road course races for SS-Green Light Racing, who maintained an alliance with RWR. Much of Bilicki’s NASCAR starts prior to committing to stock cars for good were on road courses as a ringer due to his background in sports cars.

“I couldn’t be more eager to start this new chapter of my career and join Spire Motorsports for the 2022 season,” said Bilicki. “I learned a great amount last year during my first full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, on and off the track and I feel that experience will help me make this transition to a new team. Spire Motorsports has taken big leaps over the last few years, and we feel the platform of the new Next Gen car will improve our performance all around.”

Aric Almirola has been in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2007. Once the 2022 season ends, so will his career.

On Monday, Almirola announced he will retire upon concluding the upcoming slate, citing his wishes to spend more time with family. 2022 will be his fifth season in the #10 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing.

“I truly enjoy driving race cars and I’m excited to race my heart out in 2022 for Smithfield (Foods, sponsor) and Stewart-Haas Racing, but to be the best in this business, you’ve got to be selfish, and for the last 37 years my life has always revolved around me and what I needed to do,” said Almirola. “I want to be present. I want to be the best husband and father, and that to me means more than being a race car driver.

“It’s one more year where I’m all in on racing, where we’ll do whatever it takes to compete at the highest level. When the season is over, I’ll be ready to wave goodbye. I’ve loved every minute of it, but it’s time for the next chapter of my life.

“(Wife) Janice and I have spent many nights talking about it and the questions are the same as anyone else would have when you’re going to stop doing something. Can I afford it? The answer I kept coming up with is that I can’t afford not to. Will I regret it? I think I’ll regret it if I don’t.

From 2012 to 2015, Matt Brabham appeared to be the next big thing in American open-wheel racing as he breezed through the Road to Indy. However, his progress was halted after slightly over one season in Indy Lights due to financial troubles. Seven years after his last start in the series, Brabham has another chance to pursue his IndyCar dreams as he will make his Indy Lights return in 2022 with Andretti Autosport, where he fills the seat vacated by champion Kyle Kirkwood, in the #83. Brabham had tested with the team at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October as part of the Chris Griffis Memorial Open Test.

“I’m extremely grateful to Michael (Andretti, CEO), J.F. (Thormann, President) and everyone who is a part of Andretti Autosport,” Brabham stated. “They have given me many great opportunities over the years, including this one. We have accomplished amazing results together. We have won a total of fourteen races and a championship in the past. I’m absolutely ecstatic to be back racing full time in a proper open-wheel car again with a top team. I feel it’s where I’ve always belonged. I’m willing to give everything I have at this and more to follow my dream of getting back into the IndyCar Series.”

The third-generation racer from the legendary Brabham family quickly took the Road to Indy ladder by storm when he won the 2012 U.S. F2000 National Championship with Cape Motorsports in a four-win season. He advanced to the Pro Mazda Championship (now Indy Pro 2000) a year later for Andretti, where he completely dominated as he won all but three races in the sixteen-race schedule en route to another championship; the thirteen victories are a series record. However, his graduation to Indy Lights in 2014 meant his third different series in as many years, and the inexperience ultimately bit him in his lone full season as he finished fourth in points with just four podiums and a win on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield road course. His struggles were also attributed to his difficulty in adapting to cars that had recently switched from Firestone to Cooper Tires; his USF2000 and Pro Mazda cars, as well as his Lights preseason test car, exclusively used Firestone.

Brabham was to run a second Indy Lights campaign in 2015, but only lasted three races before a lack of funding forced him out. Across his four seasons in the Road to Indy, he won eighteen of forty-seven races (approximately 38.3%), the second highest victory percentage in RTI history behind Kirkwood’s 62.5% (thirty in forty-eight). Despite his ladder ascent being cut short, he made his IndyCar Series début at the 2016 Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Indianapolis 500 for Australian outfit PIRTEK Team Murray. Both races are his only starts at the top level to date as he finished sixteenth and twenty-second.

Although racing options in the open-wheel realm dried up, Brabham remained involved as a driving coach at IndyCar race weekends and pilot of the two-seater IndyCar. In 2015, his presence in the IndyCar paddock became a new opportunity when he began racing in the Stadium Super Trucks, a popular IndyCar support class. Brabham elevated to full-time SST competition in 2016 and established himself as one of, if not the top driver in the series with twenty-three race wins and three straight championships. He dominated the 2021 season with podium finishes in every race and a pair of victories en route to a third title. His wins rank third all time and he is the only driver with three series crowns.

We made it through the season and ended on a real high! I’ll start with the climax at the end of the season and then go back to what we had to overcome to get there.

The scholarship season ended with the last round of the championship in October at Brands Hatch on the GP layout. Thanks again Ginetta for the scholarship to launch my circuit racing career. We then decided to do the Winter Series in November. It was a really tough decision because we would have to fund the Winter Series ourselves as it’s not part of the Scholarship season and so the costs will impact on the funds that we need to build to be on the grid next season.

The Winter Series is a one shot weekend at Brands Hatch on the Indy circuit consisting of qualifying and 2 races on the Saturday and then another qualifying and 2 races on the Sunday. The motivation behind doing the Winter Series is that it would play an important role in my preparation for next season with lots of race seat time. We announced our intention to do the Winter Series and Integrated Air Systems parachuted in and covered the entry fee. Thank you Graham Marginson!

The end of the Ginetta Scholarship also marked the end of the scholarship livery and so the Winter Series was the launch of my new livery and the renewed support of my sponsors who have all enjoyed the journey and have all pledged support for next season with increased input! Thank you Integrated Air Systems, Trustic Motors and Mammoth Insulation Services. We could not do it without you. We are seeking more sponsors to come onboard to replace the scholarship funding, to help with pre-season preparation and running in the 2022 championship. My car will also be running a logo in to show appreciation for donations, both private and public, as these contributions are a crucial part of my pre-season preparation budget. Please get in touch via https://mauricehenry.com/contact.

After racing at all the circuits, I had chosen Brands Indy as my favourite circuit. That proved to be the case as I qualified 3rd on both days! On Saturday, my 2nd best qualifying time was 7th, for the race 2 grid slot and on Sunday my second best qualifying time was 5th, for the race 4 grid slot. To put myself on the second row both days was a huge step forwards in my development. I knew the racing would be tough as it would be my first time racing up the front, which is a different type of racing than in the mid-pack, but I held my own.

With the 2024 Dakar Rally set to introduce an alternative fuel category, GCK Motorsport is already prepared with its challenger. During the 2022 race’s rest day on Saturday, GCK unveiled the physical prototype for the e-Blast H2, an SUV powered by an integrated hydrogen fuel cell.

Aligning with the shift in production cars, many motorsport operations have eyed different fuel sources for their vehicles across many disciplines. In the case of hydrogen, FCEVs (fuel cell electric vehicle) powered by the element are especially appealing as hydrogen fuel can be generated using just water and solar power, both plentiful and renewable resources. Extreme E cars use hydrogen generators, while Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus revealed last month its Hydrogen Fuel Cell Boot that intends to compete in November’s SCORE International Baja 1000.

GCK, the racing arm of French company Green Corp Konnection, first dabbled in alternative rally vehicles with the e-Blast 1. The e-Blast 1, which appeared at the 2021 Dakar Rally, is a hybrid powered by electric and hydrogen energy. As the letter and increased number in its name suggests, the e-Blast H2 is intended to take things a step further as a fully hydrogen-based vehicle. For the 2022 race, the team is fielding a biofuel car, the GCK Thunder driven by owner Guerlain Chicherit.

“We are very proud to be presenting the first ever hydrogen cross-country competition car with an integrated fuel cell,” stated GCK CEO Eric Boudot. “GCK Motorsport’s involvement in some of the most gruelling and varied motorsport events globally provides an ideal platform and innovation lab for Green Corp Konnection to further develop and create industry-leading greener technological solutions.”

The H2 was built with the help of German electric powertrain maker FEV. Throughout 2021, FEV focused on developing and installing the fuel cell system while GCK emphasised testing. A render of the H2 was released in September.

Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team announced during the week, that Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer had left his role and the team itself with immediate effect.

Szafnauer who had been with the team for twelve years, formerly known as Force India and then most recently Racing Point, leaves after a somewhat mixed season. Aston Martin revelled in some extraordinary moments during the 2021 season, such as Sebastian Vettel’s podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The team languished however to a seventh place finish in the Constructors’ Standings, not even close to where they had envisaged.

The Silverstone-based team released the following statement:

“Otmar Szafnauer has left the Company and his role at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team will be managed within the leadership team until a replacement is appointed.  We would like to thank him for the service provided to the team over the past 12 years and wish him well for the future as he will undoubtedly take on new challenges.

“Fortunately, we are led and managed by a strong group of individuals, and we are comfortable to take a little time to explore options before announcing a new team structure. The focus of the team is currently on preparing the most competitive car possible for the start of the 2022 season.”

Stewart-Haas Racing‘s sphere of influence continues to grow in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. On Friday, SS-Green Light Racing announced a switch from Chevrolet to Ford and the formation of a partnership with SHR. Joe Graf Jr. will return for his third season with the team, while SHR’s Cup Series pilots Chase Briscoe and Cole Custer will make sporadic Xfinity starts in the team’s other car.

“We are thrilled to be part of this new relationship with SS-Green Light Racing,” stated SHR executive Joe Custer, father of Cole. “The team is very eager to raise their competitiveness to the next level and with this technical arrangement, they are going to be in a great position to accomplish all of their goals and more next season, as well as position themselves for future growth.”

In 2021, SSGLR allied with Rick Ware Racing to field the #17 for a litany of drivers with ties to RWR’s Cup programme. Custer, who made his Cup début with RWR in 2018, piloted the #17 to a seventh-place finish at Circuit of the Americas in his lone Xfinity start of 2021. Graf ran much of the schedule save for six rounds, and scored his maiden NASCAR top ten when he finished tenth at the fall Talladega event. He finished his sophomore season twenty-eighth in the standings.

“I am so stoked for the new opportunities in 2022,” commented Graf. “Our new relationship with Stewart-Haas Racing and Ford will allow us to continue to grow and improve as a team and hopefully give us the opportunity to showcase our ability in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at our highest level yet.”

Briscoe, the 2020 Xfinity regular season champion and 2021 Cup Rookie of the Year, returned to the second tier for two starts this past season with B.J. McLeod Motorsports, who fielded the #99 with SHR support. After finishing sixth at Charlotte, he placed nineteenth at Daytona.

A pair of drivers entered the free agent market on Friday when Alpha Prime Racing and Mike Harmon Racing respectively announced Andy Lally and Kyle Weatherman will not drive for them in the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Lally, a sports car veteran in IMSA, joined Alpha Prime Racing‘s #44 as a road course ringer for the six such races on the 2022 Xfinity calendar. Owing to his background, all of his NASCAR starts since being named the 2011 Cup Series Rookie of the Year have come at road circuits (he officially recorded seven DNQs on ovals in 2021, though he was merely a placeholder name on Our Motorsports’ #03 while that entry was being locked out of races without qualifying). In eighteen career Xfinity starts, he has nine top tens with a best finish of fifth on four occasions.

“I owe a massive thank you to Alpha Prime Racing, specifically to Caesar Bacarella and Tommy Joe Martins for allowing me to jump on a unique opportunity,” read a statement from Lally. “I can’t say enough about how gracious they were in both understanding my position, as well as encouraging me to take the step that may help my future the most. It was a great show of friendship, sportsmanship, and a great testament to their character.

“I was very much looking forward to the chance to run with the 44 crew and I believe they have a great program filled with a ton of potential in 2022 and beyond. I wish them luck!

“I will be able to share details of my new opportunity shortly. Beyond opportunities to race, I will also be working with the team in capacities beyond the cockpit, and it is an opportunity simply too good to miss. I’m extremely excited for the future.”

Spencer Boyd will rock a new number for the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. On Friday, Young’s Motorsports announced Boyd will move from the #20 to the #12 Chevrolet Silverado.

After a brief mercenary stint and running the full 2018 Xfinity Series calendar, Boyd joined Young’s for much of the 2019 Truck season. That year, he scored his and Young’s first NASCAR victory at Talladega. In 2021, he ran all but the Knoxville race and finished twenty-fourth in points with a single top ten at Talladega. Boyd also has experience in the Cup Series.

“I’m excited every year to get back to the track and this year is no exception,” commented Boyd. “My schedule last season was jammed packed with seat time so I could get some different perspectives on my driving style. Pickle (crew chief Ryan London) and I are going to take what was learned in those laps and build on them with this #12 team. They work their butts off each week and I’m going to make them proud.”

The #12 was previously piloted by Tate Fogleman, who has signed with On Point Motorsports for 2022. Coincidentally, Fogleman’s maiden NASCAR triumph also came at Talladega in October.

“Spencer has earned the #12 ride, plain and simple,” team head Tyler Young said. “He works harder than any driver out there and I said last year that he is part of our growth strategy, so it’s great to be able to make that step with him.”

Danilo Petrucci might not be racing in MotoGP in 2022 and have his eyes on a switch to MotoAmerica, but he can probably add rally raiding to his list of series to consider for the future. A penalty levied on Toby Price enabled Petrucci to win the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally, making him the first MotoGP alumnus to win a stage in the legendary event.

Riding the #90 for Tech3 KTM Factory Racing, Petrucci recorded a time of three hours, twenty-three minutes, and forty-six seconds in Stage #5, which was cut short as active medical aircraft were in the area. Fellow KTM rider Price completed the stage ahead of him by four minutes and fourteen seconds, but the two-time Rally winner was slapped with a six-minute time penalty after speeding in disallowed areas. This consequently relegated Price to fourth at 3:25:32.

Petrucci is contesting his maiden Dakar Rally. It has been a tumultuous effort for the Italian, who broke his ankle a month before the race and nearly tested positive for COVID-19 the night before the opening stage until it turned out to be a false positive. After finishing with the thirteenth-fastest time in the first stage and running in the top five for much of the second, an electrical issue ended his Stage #2 after 114 km; unable to contact his team after losing his cell phone and passport, he had to use a flare to signal for an airlift out. He was able to continue after using the “joker”, a waiver that allows retired competitors to rejoin the race, though it effectively eliminated him from overall contention as it came with an eleven-hour penalty.

In spite of the setback, Petrucci rebounded to complete the third and fourth stages in twenty-second and fifteenth, respectively.

“I started crying and I cannot believe it,” said an emotional Petrucci. “My father used to give me a present, video tapes from MotoGP and from Dakar, and every day, when I was coming back from school, I was looking always at these video tapes rolling, rolling, rolling. When I grew up, maybe too much for MotoGP, then I started to believe that maybe Dakar. I wanted to race in MotoGP, then when my body (was) not possible anymore to be competitve, I said, ‘Okay, we’ll try the Dakar.’

NASCAR has entrusted Brad Moran with being the Cup Series‘ new managing director, the sanctioning body announced Thursday. Moran was previously in the same position for the Camping World Truck Series, and that slot will be filled by Xfinity Series assistant director Seth Kramlich.

“Brad and Seth both share a racer’s mentality, and will bring knowledge, passion and strong relationships to these important roles,” said NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller. Moran and Kramlich will both report to Miller. “We look forward to their leadership as they continue to help bring the best racing to our fans at both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series levels.”

Moran joined NASCAR in 2008 after previously running what is now the NASCAR Pinty’s Series in Canada in the same capacity and owning Barrie Speedway. He took over as the Truck Series managing director in 2016.

“The entire competition team is incredibly strong at the NASCAR Cup Series level, and I look forward to helping them grow the series at this exciting time in our sport,” Moran said. “As we introduce the Next Gen car and continue to promote the outstanding talent and personalities at NASCAR’s top level, I’m honoured to help shepherd the series alongside this experienced group of teammates.”

He succeeds Jay Fabian as the head honcho for NASCAR’s top series. Fabian, who had worked in the position since 2019 and for NASCAR since 2016, stepped away from his post in August when he was facing two felony and a misdemeanour count for animal cruelty. His trial is scheduled for 7 February.

It has been a long and even controversial free agency period for Matt DiBenedetto, but he has found a new home in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. On Thursday, Rackley WAR announced DiBenedetto will drive the #25 Chevrolet Silverado for the full 2022 season.

“We are honored to have Matt DiBenedetto join Rackley WAR full-time for the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season driving the #25 Chevrolet,” said team co-owner Curtis Sutton. “We feel that by teaming Matt up with experienced crew chief Chad Kendrick, we will be competing for multiple wins and be competitive at all race tracks. I truly believe that the NASCAR Truck Series is the most exciting, and I am looking forward to getting the season started.”

DiBenedetto spent the last seven years racing full-time in the Cup Series, including the last two with Wood Brothers Racing. After making the playoffs in 2020, he placed eighteenth in points with nine top tens, three top fives, and a best finish of fourth at Kansas in the spring. Prior to the 2021 season, WBR announced then-reigning Xfinity Series champion Austin Cindric would replace DiBenedetto in the #21 (Harrison Burton would ultimately fill the seat as Cindric moves to ally Team Penske). Nevertheless, the announcement left DiBenedetto out of a ride.

The 30-year-old was a fan favourite during his early career as he hung around in start-and-park and underpowered Cup and Xfinity Series rides before breaking through with a sixth-place finish in the 2016 spring Bristol race for perennial backmarker BK Racing. His ascension from such teams before finally reaching the legendary WBR #21 saw moments such as driving a Reddit-sponsored car in the 2017 All-Star Race and frequenting the website, nearly winning the 2019 Bristol Night Race days after his employer Leavine Family Racing announced his departure at season’s end, and winning the 2021 All-Star fan vote.

However, DiBenedetto’s final year with WBR was also marred by controversy, which some fans suggested may have impacted or been a byproduct of his impending free agency. In October, he commented that he hoped to join a team that would allow him to freely comment on religion and politics, prompting many to point out his views are far from controversial in the industry. A month later, he drew backlash when he tweeted about Kyle Busch’s usage of an ableist slur that resulted in Busch attending sensitivity training, which DiBenedetto defended as a joke before briefly deactivating his account and accusing Twitter users of oversensitivity via Instagram video. His final race for WBR at Phoenix saw him interact with Benny Johnson of conservative organisation Turning Point USA, which culminated in him uttering the right-wing phrase “Let’s Go Brandon”, a euphemism to criticise United States President Joe Biden that spawned from the Talladega Xfinity race (race winner Brandon Brown, the ‘Brandon’ in question, has since been in rocky waters due to matters relating to the phrase) and was condemned by NASCAR president Steve Phelps. DiBenedetto eventually apologised for the gesture.

For 2022, Alpha Prime Racing will be a two-car operation. On Wednesday, with 45 days before the NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona, the team announced the introduction of a #45 car to complement the #44 running the full schedule. The following day, APR revealed Sage Karam as one of the second car’s drivers and that it will indeed run the full schedule.

Known as Martins Motorsports until the end of the 2021 season, Alpha Prime is primarily owned by Tommy Joe Martins and his family. The current incarnation began in 2020 with Martins racing full-time in the #44, and he finished the next two seasons twenty-second in points with a best finish of tenth at Texas the first year. For 2021, the team was reformed into APR with the addition of Caesar Bacarella to the ownership group, while the #44 will be shared by multiple drivers including the two owners, Rajah Carruth, Ryan Ellis, and Andy Lally.

The news indicates the return of the #45 to the Xfinity Series for the first time since 2018 when Josh Bilicki ran the full schedule for JP Motorsports. Prior to that year, it was last used by Petty Enterprises for Kyle Petty and his late son Adam, and such was also the case at the Cup Series until 23XI Racing revived the number with Petty’s blessing for Kurt Busch this upcoming season. Niece Motorsports fields the #45 for Lawless Alan in the Camping World Truck Series, meaning the #45 will be used in all three national series for the first time since 2000 when Petty held it in Cup and Xfinity while SS-Green Light Racing did so in Trucks.

Karam, a veteran of the NTT IndyCar Series and Nitro Rallycross NEXT competitor, began dabbling in NASCAR last year when he ran four Xfinity races and a Truck Series event for Jordan Anderson Racing. He scored his first career NASCAR top twenty when he finished sixteenth at Bristol in the Xfinity Series.

“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities that 2021 provided and am equally as excited to join Alpha Prime Racing for 2022,” said Karam. “I can’t thank Tommy Joe Martins enough for his trust and confidence heading into this season. I welcome the opportunity to learn from him and his team and look forward to competing against some of the toughest competition in motorsports.”

Ryan Preece might not be racing full-time in a NASCAR national series in 2022, but he will still be a very busy driver. On Thursday, Stewart-Haas Racing announced Preece has joined the organisation as its reserve and simulator driver, which will also include making occasional starts in the Cup, Xfinity, and Camping World Truck Series for the team and its allies.

He will drive two races in Cup, three in Xfinity, and seven in Trucks. SHR did not reveal which team will field him in the first two series, though the Cup starts will not come with said team as it is at the four-car limit; SHR’s Cup partners include Rick Ware Racing and Live Fast Motorsports. Although SHR has an Xfinity programme that fields the #98 for Riley Herbst, its Cup drivers Chase Briscoe and Kevin Harvick ran Xfinity races in 2021 for B.J. McLeod Motorsports, whose namesake co-owns Live Fast, which places that team in the list of potential suitors for Preece’s starts there. RSS Racing also has a technical alliance with SHR. In the Trucks, David Gilliland Racing will field a truck for him.

“This is a unique setup, but I feel like it provides me with the best opportunity to win races and contribute to a championship-caliber team while expanding my racing experience,” said Preece. “I’m a racer, and Stewart-Haas Racing is a team built by racers. They measure success by wins. Whether I’m in the simulator, in one of their cars, or in a Ford Mustang or Ford F-150 for another team, I’m here to help SHR and Ford win.”

Preece spent the last three seasons in the Cup Series with JTG Daugherty Racing, scoring nine top tens and two top fives. His 2021 campaign saw four top tens, a best race finish of fourth at the Daytona fall race, and a twenty-seventh-place points finish. However, questions surrounded his #37 car as the team had sold its charter and he did not have sufficient sponsorship to run all thirty-six races. Although the #37 ultimately ran every race, the writing on the wall of his departure grew more apparent before the team formally announced it would only retain team-mate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the flagship #47 for 2022.

Despite the news, Preece seemed almost destined to move to the Ford camp. In June, he won in his Truck début for David Gilliland Racing at Nashville Superspeedway, the first Truck race there in a decade.