Ryan Preece’s #60 RFK Racing Ford was stripped of a pit stall after a failed pre‑race inspection at Iowa Speedway.
Preece Must Chase the Leader
With only four races remaining, the 38‑point deficit puts Preece 13 points behind the owners’ cut and forces him to bridge a gap of 16 points to Austin Cindric, who led practice yesterday. A top‑five finish remains his lone goal for the season.
Inspection Penalties Shake Up the Field
The RFK car failed inspection twice, ejecting car chief Jerry Cook for the remainder of the weekend and costing the team a pit stall. Front Row Motorsports suffered the same two‑failure penalty, removing chief Joe Marra and the order in the pit selection. After a third successful check, no further fines were imposed; a fourth loss would have issued a drive‑through penalty at the Cup start. Both teams passed on the final attempt, avoiding further setbacks.
Front Row Upsets Iowa’s Standings
Despite Preece’s own struggles—slow practice laps and a 35th‑place qualifying spot—Todd Gilliland’s Front Row crew found better luck. Qualifying 17th, Gilliland also earned the $1 million prize for clinching the In‑Season Challenge at Indianapolis, a rare double triumph for the squad.
As the season heads toward its final showdown, Preece’s struggle for a top‑five finish at Iowa stands as the most pressing obstacle in his pursuit of championship relevance.
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