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Ryan Preece shows off aftermath of Bristol tire test day two with increased horsepower

JHby: Jonathan Howard11/13/25Jondean25
Ryan Preece Bristol test
Mandatory Credit: Greg Atkins-Imagn Images

Representing Ford and RFK Racing at the Goodyear tire test this week at Bristol, Ryan Preece is getting a sneak peek at the new package. After today’s test, Preece showed some of the aftermath of the run. But don’t panic when you see it.

Balancing tire wear with structural integrity is a tough thing to do. We saw it at Phoenix. Teams are always going to go as far below the recommended pressures as possible. That’s just a general rule of oval racing, particularly the shorter ovals.

So, Goodyear can deliver a solid tire that balances everything well, but teams can go too far and blow left and right rears willy nilly. That’s part of NASCAR racing. Always has been.

We have seen the tire fall off be very extreme at Bristol. Ryan Preece showed a massive wad of tire rubber. I’m not sure if this was collected off the track or out of his fender. We have seen the Fords have issues with rubber collecting and catching fire in the Next Gen era.

Now, let’s keep in mind that the tire wear seems to be more severe in cooler weather. Today was definitely a cool weather day on the race track. So, this could be less of a Goodyear and tire pressure issue and more of a weather issue.

As the Next Gen era has gone on, the tire situation has vastly improved. Teams and drivers are praising the work that the Goodyear team has done. With a little extra horsepower, could we see more fall off and more lap time variance?

Whatever math between horsepower and tires gets us to faster cars moving to the front, that’s what fans want to see. If there is increased passing, particularly among leaders, even better for fans next year.

Ryan Preece testing at Bristol could be foreshadowing

If I’m a NASCAR Cup Series driver, I might take note that Ryan Preece is testing at Bristol today. Getting any extra information early on a new package is major for teams and drivers. NASCAR doles out test days evenly, for the most part, but there are advantages to strategically picking your test dates.

Preece is a short-track racer by background. His time in the modifieds defined him as a racer early in his career. It is how he built his brand in NASCAR, and he has since taken that to RFK Racing. In 2024, Preece finished P7 at Bristol with Stewart-Haas Racing. Does this test at Bristol make him a dark horse favorite to win in the Spring?

This season was clearly Preece’s best in the Cup Series to date. He showed that he belongs not just at RFK Racing but in Cup, period. It would be a shame if he weren’t among the 36 drivers showing up to the track each week. He came so close to winning in a season that was defined by being so close.

In 2025, Ryan Preece showed a ton of improvement across the board. Perhaps no greater leap than with his road course racing. He was very impressive on the road courses and showed real speed in qualifying on those tracks. Is 2026 going to be the year that Preece wins a race?