MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Ryan Preece stood next to the pit road wall after Sunday's race at Martinsville. He had posted three consecutive top-10 finishes for the first time in his career, but he wasn't radiating joy. He had fire in his eyes.
The reason was that he just wanted so much more than a seventh-place finish.
"I'm competitive, and I hate losing, and I've done a lot of losing over the past five years," Preece told AltDriver after Sunday's Cup Series race.
"When you start getting a taste of running consistent and being where you need to be, it lights a fire in you."
Preece isn't upset with his results this season, especially considering that this team came together in January. In fact, he said that he's happy with how the team is running consistently after some early-season issues at Daytona, Atlanta, and Circuit of the Americas.
It's just that he sees the potential for so much more success for the No. 60 team.
He has an organization behind him in RFK Racing, one that sought him out to help it expand. He continues to build his relationship with veteran crew chief Derrick Finley and the entire 60 group, which is generating results on the track.
At this point in his career, Preece is ready to battle for wins instead of simply riding around in the pack.
"I don't do this to just be out here, I do this to try and win," Preece added. "I hate losing more than I love winning, and for those that know me racing Modifieds at short tracks, I'll do whatever the f--- it takes to win."
Certainly, Sunday's Cup Series race at Martinsville was not an ideal outing for RFK Racing. Chris Buescher had numerous setbacks, including an airborne incident when his No. 17 landed on the side of Noah Gragson's No. 10 and cut a tire. He finished 24th.
Keselowski scored points in the opening stage after taking advantage of pit strategy. He stayed out on the track while numerous other drivers headed down pit road after a caution for Carson Hocevar spinning Buescher.
The 2012 Cup champion's day went awry after stage 1. He was caught on the wrong side of cautions multiple times as the race progressed. One trapped him a lap down right as he was about to pass the leader to unlap himself. He ended the race 26th.
Preece also dealt with issues, albeit to a lesser degree. The handling on the No. 60 was not what he needed in the first two stages, which led to him missing out on stage points.
However, the team made adjustments as the end of the race approached.
Preece was able to steadily move through the field when it mattered. He cracked the top 15 with fewer than 100 laps remaining, and then he worked his way into the top 10.
He remained there through the rest of the race and crossed the line seventh. This was his second-best finish of the season, which only gave him more motivation to go out and break through at NASCAR's top level.
"The amount of effort, the time, money, and everything that goes into it with RFK -- we're going to work hard," Preece said. "We want to win, so we're not satisfied with top 10s. I'm happy that we're consistent, but we want to win."