PENSACOLA, FL – For the third time in five years, Ryan Preece is back at the Snowball Derby. Everyone who knows Preece’s story knows he’s a Modified racer to the core, a hardnose racer who has carved his own path to the NASCAR Cup Series with RFK Racing. So what does that have to do with the Snowball Derby? Why does a Modified driver turned Cup Series star from Berlin, Ct care about a Super Late Model race 20 hours away from his home town, all the way down in Pensacola, FL? Surely he could be investing his time towards something like the Turkey Derby at Wall Stadium, or simply spending his offseason away from racing like many drivers do after a grueling Cup Series schedule.
The answer is simple. Ryan Preece is the racer’s racer, and the Snowball Derby is the racer’s race. As tough, gritty, hardnosed as they come. Really, it’s a match made in heaven. That’s why he’s here, that’s why he’s competing, not because he has to be because he can, and this race tests even the best of the short track racing world.
“It’s that itch you have as a racecar driver,” Preece told Short Track Scene. “I came here in 2008, didn’t really know how big the Derby was, came back here in 2021 basically because I had worked with Chris [Gabehart] in the past. I kind of started to get that itch, came here and we finished fourth which I thought was pretty respectable for everything that we had going on. Then it has just kind of lit that fire, there’s not a lot of racing going on right now in New England.
“I love racing. Like if I don’t have something in my garage that I’m building, I tried playing golf man, I’m not good at it. I like building race cars, I enjoy the thought process and that mental exercise of what can I do to make it go faster, not just being a racecar driver and doing the things you need to do out on the track but also from the setup side.”
In years past, Preece has run the Derby with the help of longtime friend Chris Gabehart, most notably recognized for his time as the crew chief for fellow Cup Series competitor Denny Hamlin. This time around, Preece is without Gabehart for the Derby, meaning the No. 60 machine brought by Preece to Five Flags is his own. Sure, a number of different people have had their hands on the piece, but this is Preece’s car.
“I mean it’s at my house,” Preece said. “I’m out there, I’ve had some help from the guys on my No. 60 car team and various people that have come into my shop here and there whenever I need a hand. You know I like working on racecars, it comes out of my shop and there’s a small group of us. That’s how I like to race, I like to bring my friends and people that love racing and that’s how we do it.”
With Gabehart in the fold previously, the pressure was on Preece to simply drive the racecar, the part he’s most comfortable doing. In 2025, that’s far from the case. Rather than just be a driver, Preece is also asked to act as the setup guy, and ensure the car passes tech, something Five Flags is known for thanks to their notoriously tough tech process. Preece is embracing the challanges, and has still had a bit of help from Gabehart along the way.
“When I came here with Chris in 2021, he could crew chief, he could go through tech, he could do all of that,” Preece said. “I just built the car and brought it here, let him deal with all that. This year is definitely different because the whole tech process is basically on myself, as well as my engineers from the No. 60 car. This is a real team effort, but it’s all gone really smooth, … It’s definitely a learning curve and a learning process because it’s not a modified.
“It’s definitely different but I like challenges, I enjoy the process, I enjoy racing. We’re here to have a good time.”
Of course, he and 44 other drivers in the Five Flags pit area go throughout the entire week with one goal in mind: Add their name to the Tom Dawson Trophy. It’s a tall mountain to climb, even for a guy who now races on Sunday’s throughout the year. The Derby brings out the best in everyone, drivers, teams and crews alike, so a win this coming Sunday would be a special one for Preece.
“Well I can tell you right now, that would be pretty wild,” Preece said. “Just because everything you do to get here. Like most fans that come in and see the cars, you’re racing on Sunday and all those things. But really it’s the process that it takes, each and every person to get here to get to this point. I think it would be pretty wild, especially being a Connecticut guy. Has anybody from the Northeast even won this race? I don’t know the history. I can tell you I’m putting in a massive effort to get to this and as proud as I am of the truck and trailer that we brought, I’m proud of the work that was put into this racecar, … it’s cool.”
Preece finished a career best fourth in the Derby back in 2021, so he’s no stranger to the front of the field. The last driver from New England to win the Derby was Pete Hamilton, all the way back in 1974. Preece will have the opportunity to be the first New Englander to do so 51 years.
