Ryan Preece heads to Watkins Glen International sitting only 23 points out of a playoff spot. He remains fully aware that this fact surprises some people, and he's perfectly fine with that.
In fact, he's enjoying the experience as he sets out to check off one of the many goals he set when he first joined RFK Racing.
"That's what we kind of said -- we want to make the playoffs going into the year and, to be honest with you, I could tell there weren't a lot of people that have us on their Bingo card, and I like that," Preece told media members on Wednesday.
"I thrive off that, so, for me, now from a racer's standpoint I want to win, and I don't want to just win once. I want to win a lot."
Preece has already turned in a career-best season while driving the No. 60 Ford Mustang. He has doubled his career-best mark for top-10 finishes with 10, and he has improved his average finish from 20.8 to 16.0.
Sure, the team has dealt with some setbacks in the form of penalties, crashes, and pit road miscues, but it has continued to hover around the playoff cutline since a third-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the spring.
"I knew all along that given the right opportunity and everything coming together, that I could go do this," Preece said. "So, for me, it's satisfying because this has been a grind. I'll use Michael McDowell as another example of years and years of grinding and grinding to put together opportunities to where you can succeed.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity that's been put together with everybody at RFK. To be able to go show this and have a road map to succeed and work hard, and if you put in all of that time that you'll see the success."
Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
Of course, simply contending for a playoff spot is only one step in the right direction for Preece and the No. 60 team. Now, they want to go lock up their spot in one of the three remaining regular-season races. This schedule includes Watkins Glen International this weekend, Richmond Raceway next weekend, and Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 23.
What is the best opportunity for Preece? Honestly, he sees all three tracks as options. The late chaos at road courses could set him up for a win, especially if it collects Shane van Gisbergen or teammate Chris Buescher.
He also has confidence at both Richmond and Daytona based on how he has performed at short tracks and superspeedways. This track record includes a fifth-place finish at Iowa Speedway.
Where the win occurs remains less important to Preece. What matters to him is that he achieves this goal this season.
"I'm sure I'm not on everybody's Bingo card to win, but I'd love to be the guy that upsets everybody," Preece said.