Ryan Preece eying breakthrough season amidst RFK’s expansion
CONCORD, NC (Feb. 11, 2025) — Full throttle, triple threat — Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK) heads to Daytona this week, for the first time since 2016, with three full-time teams. Wheeling the No. 60 Build Submarines.com Ford is Ryan Preece, who joins Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher in the RFK stable.
RFK Racing announced this fall it was expanding in 2025, intensifying its competitive drive. In just a matter of months, with the season’s most prestigious race looming, a new team was formed. Roster additions include Preece and six new crew members. Derrick Finley, who joined RFK as Director of Operations in 2022, leads the team into the season as Crew Chief. In a short period of time this group has built strong chemistry, as well as a full fleet of cars; eagerly anticipating Daytona.
Preece made his RFK debut in the Clash at Bowman Gray on Feb. 2, where he showcased his short track talents; qualifying for NASCAR’s pre-season all-star exhibition and posting an 11th- place finish. Preece lays claim to a decorated resume that includes 82 Modified Tour wins, along with victories in both the Craftsman Truck and Xfinity series. Now the Berlin, CT driver is determined to build on that resume as he relentlessly pursues Cup Series success.
“The goal is to win,” said Preece. “I didn’t move down here (to Charlotte), make these sacrifices, and put my family through what we’ve done, to come down here and just be part of the show. That’s not who I am as a racer.”
Finley, a seasoned leader brings over 20 years of experience, holding roles including Technical Director, Competition Director and Crew Chief. Recently, he led the No. 60 team in a part time effort – three races – in 2024 with David Ragan (Daytona), Cam Waters (Sonoma), and Joey Hand (Chicago). Finley, who holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of New Mexico, is undaunted by the challenge of leading this new team into the season.
“We have the infrastructure behind us. We have two teams that we can draw from,” said Finley, pointing to the success of RFK. The organization has posted six wins and three playoff appearances since 2022; the season Brad Keselowski became a team co-owner partnering with Hall of Fame owner Jack Roush and the Fenway Sports Group.
Keselowski vows his complete support to the 60-team and noting the addition is the natural next step for the organization.
“The goal is to become more competitive as an organization and this does that,” Keselowski said. “It gives us a chance to win more races and fiercely compete for the championship.”
Keselowski explains that adding a third team creates more financial efficiency, allows the organization to capture more data and elevates the team’s overall level of experience.
“Ryan and Derrick both bring a wealth of knowledge to the organization,” added Keselowski. “Ryan and Derrick have already brought fresh ideas to the organization and from that I’m confident we’ll make performance gains.”
Preece and Finley have gelled quickly, displaying immediate chemistry at Bowman Gray. Now the attention turns towards Daytona and the upcoming season.
“We have an RFK standard and that’s what we strive to achieve,” said Finley. “If we can do that will be fine.”
Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse and Trevor Bayne made up the most recent full-time RFK driver trio, when the organization fielded three cars in 2016. The team has fielded as many as five-full time Cup entries; at one point placing all-five in a 10-team NASCAR playoff.
About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 38th season in 2025, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.
