Featured Latest News NASCAR NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Ryan Preece Wins In NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Debut At Nashville

by Hunter Thomas June 19, 2021 0 comments

LEBANON, Tenn. – In his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut, Ryan Preece won the Rackley Roofing 200, Nashville Superspeedway’s first series event since 2011.

Preece, a native of Connecticut, has found success in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and he currently pilots JTG Daugherty Racing’s No. 37 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series, but until this weekend, he had never turned laps in a truck. Preece ran inside of the top-10 for the majority of the night, and with just seven laps to go, pulled off the race-winning pass on Grant Enfinger in Turn 3. The 30-year-old driver of the David Gilliland Racing No. 17 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford became only the fifth driver to win during their series debut.

“It was a lot of fun,” Preece said in Victory Lane. “Pizza and donuts all week, that’s all it was. The Chad (Johnston, crew chief) man, he did an awesome job calling the race. Great adjustments. Awesome car with DGR. This Ford F-150 was pretty stout. Thank you, Kevin Harvick, KHI Management, Hunt Brothers Pizza and Morton Buildings for stepping up and allowing me to come out here and do this. This is why I love to race. I love winning.

“Really, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know really anything; I was just taking the guidance from Chad and my teammates. I told them that I’d be better during the race than I was in qualifying and practice, and I lived up to that.”

Preece’s teammate, Todd Gilliland finished runner-up in the No. 38 Crosley Brands Ford. In the closing laps, Gilliland quickly made his way through the top-five, but he just didn’t have enough to catch Preece.

Enfinger slipped back in the closing laps and finished third.

“I feel like we had the track position, he (Preece) was just able to get me on the restart and I was able to get him back a little bit,” Enfinger said. “It was fun racing there with Ryan (Preece). You know, I like racing with racers, so that one was special. I wish we could have come home with the win. We had the advantage with the track position, just used up the tires a little too much.

Zane Smith and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top-five. Matt Crafton finished sixth, followed by Ben Rhodes, Ty Majeski, Austin Hill and John Hunter Nemechek.

The biggest heartbreak of the night came when 19-year-old Derek Kraus pounded the wall on Lap 112. Kraus was having a career night, winning Stage 1 and leading 48 laps after capturing his first series pole. Contact with Josh Berry cut down Kraus’ right-front tire. The caution was for the only multi-truck accident of the night.

There were eight lead changes among six drivers. Chandler Smith and Kraus led the most (48) laps.

Up next on the schedule for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is the CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway on Saturday, June 26. Live coverage will broadcast on FS1 at 12 p.m. ET.

Photo Credit: Sarah Stier/Getty Image