Ryan Preece 2020 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
2019 Stats: Points Finish 26th, 0 Wins, 1 Top Five, 3 Top Tens, 23.1 Average Finish, 23.7 Average Running Position, 1 Lap Led, 54.63 Driver Rating
Strengths:
In 2020, I would look for Ryan Preece to be at his best at superspeedways and short tracks. At superspeedways he’s capable of sneaking in a top ten (2 of his 3 top tens last year were on that track type), and at short tracks he’s capable of finishing south of 20th, which is good for him.
In 2019, 6 of his 11 top twenties for the season came from superspeedways and short tracks.
Weaknesses:
Ryan Preece and the #47 team lack competitiveness on a week to week basis and there’s really no track on the schedule where you can pencil him in for a good result. He’s essentially a driver who you pick at a “Wild Card” venue where attrition is high and hope for the best.
Intermediate Track Fantasy Value – C
Ryan Preece underperformed at intermediate tracks in 2019, and if he duplicates his lack of performance in 2020, he may be out of his ride. Last season at intermediate tracks over the 17 combined races he had a 23.4 average finish and a 23.5 average running position.
Preece only really had two bright spots last season at these venues. He finished 7th at Michigan #2 and at Kansas #2 driving a backup Buescher car he finished 12th. Outside of those two races things weren’t good.
In 2020 on these venues, I don’t really see him having an uptick in performance. Realistically, I think his level of performance will remain about the same and he should be viewed as a low to mid-twenties driver on a regular basis.
Flat Track Fantasy Value – C+
I don’t see a lot of upside with Ryan Preece at flat tracks. He didn’t run well at either the bigger or the shorter-flat tracks in 2019. Last season over the eight combined races he had a 25.9 average finish.
At shorter-flat tracks, Ryan Preece was about a 20th place driver at best last season. I was surprised he didn’t run better because I thought those would be bright spots for him because of his extensive modified racing experience. His best result at each of these venues last year was 20th (Richmond), 21st (New Hampshire) and 26th (Phoenix). In 2020 at these venues I would look for him to be a low-twenties driver who might be able to finish marginally better.
At the bigger flat tracks in 2020, I would look for Preece to likely be about a low-twenties driver. Last year at those venues he had results of 16th (Indy), 23rd (Pocono) and 37th (Pocono #2, crashed).
Short Track Fantasy Value – B-
Short track racing was a strong suite for Ryan Preece in 2019, but keep in mind the bar is really low. Last season on this track type he had a 21.3 average finish and had a result in the top twenty in 4 of the 6 races.
Martinsville was his best short track last season and he finished in the teens twice. He finished 16th in the spring and 19th in the fall.
At Thunder Valley, things weren’t quite as good and his results for the season were 18th and 25th.
Richmond was his least successful short track in 2019. Last season, he finished 20th in the spring but floundered in the fall and finished 30th.
Plate Track Fantasy Value – B-
Ryan Preece might be able to sneak in a good result at a plate track in 2020. Last season, Preece had two top tens on this track type. I’ll note his two top tens came in the first trip to each of the two tracks, in the second trip to them he didn’t fare as well.
Last season, Preece finished 8th in the Daytona 500, but in the summer he crashed and finished 32nd.
At Talladega in 2019, Preece finished 3rd in the spring, but in the fall he finished 18th.
Road Course Fantasy Value – C
Ryan Preece didn’t do anything to inspire confidence at road courses in 2019, and in 2020 I think he’s likely poised to finish in the 20’s at all three venues.
Last season at road courses he finished 21st at the Charlotte Roval, 29th at Sonoma, and at Watkins Glen he had a DNF because of “Rear Gear” issues.