{"id":11655,"date":"2017-07-29T23:20:11","date_gmt":"2017-07-30T04:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=11655"},"modified":"2017-07-30T16:46:15","modified_gmt":"2017-07-30T21:46:15","slug":"ryan-preece-finds-victory-lane-at-iowa-in-pressure-packed-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2017\/07\/29\/ryan-preece-finds-victory-lane-at-iowa-in-pressure-packed-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryan Preece finds Victory Lane at Iowa in pressure-packed performance"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rob Gray, NASCAR Wire Service<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

NEWTON, Iowa \u2014 Ryan Preece\u2019s<\/strong> short-lived, but ambitious 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series<\/a> schedule began three weeks ago at his de facto home track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Ryan Preece, driver of the #20 MoHawk Northeast Inc. Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series US Cellular 250 Presented by American Ethanol at Iowa Speedway on July 29, 2017 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Daniel Shirey\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

It ended Saturday in the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway \u2014 as confetti swirled and soared to highlight his first career series triumph in Victory Lane.<\/span><\/p>\n

Preece, held off a hard-charging Kyle Benjamin in a green-white checkered finish that came after the third restart in the race\u2019s final 17 pulse-quickening laps.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I thought this race would never end, that\u2019s for sure,” an emotional Preece told the NBCSN after finally slowing his fast Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 car to a stop. “But man, nothing\u2019s going to beat today.”<\/span><\/p>\n

No one could beat Preece, who ran full-time in 2016, but chose to funnel his 2017 XFINITY Series resources into this two-race stint with JGR.<\/span><\/p>\n

That high-stakes gamble clearly paid off \u2014 as Preece beamed and raised his arms, his season over, but his future visibly brighter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Ryan Preece, driver of the #20 MoHawk Northeast Inc. Toyota, affixes the winner’s decal to his car in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series US Cellular 250 Presented by American Ethanol at Iowa Speedway on July 29, 2017 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Daniel Shirey\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

“I don\u2019t even know what to say,” said Preece, who owns 17 career NASCAR Whelan Modified Tour wins, including two this season. “I\u2019ve got to thank everybody.”<\/span><\/p>\n

So he did.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benjamin settled for second, which also is his best career finish. Veteran Brian Scott took third in his first start of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I was very nervous,” said Benjamin, who also runs part-time for JGR. “I wanted to make it happen right there.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Preece did just that, from start to finish, with a slight hiccup in between.<\/span><\/p>\n

He earned his first career Coors Light Pole Award earlier Saturday, powering to a lap of 24.072 seconds at a top speed of 130.857 mph. That dominance carried over into the first stage, which Preece led in its entirety.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Ryan Preece, driver of the #20 MoHawk Northeast Inc. Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR XFINITY Series US Cellular 250 Presented by American Ethanol at Iowa Speedway on July 29, 2017 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Daniel Shirey\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

He dropped to sixth off pit road, however, which allowed Justin Allgaier to surge to the front. Allgaier would narrowly hold off Preece to win the second stage and gain a coveted playoff point, but a later gamble would reap misfortune instead of reward.<\/span><\/p>\n

Drivers faced a dilemma when Spencer Gallagher hit the wall, drawing the caution flag with 80 laps to go. Every top contender eventually dove onto pit road. Everyone except Allgaier, that is, whose team hoped another caution would help the decision pay off.<\/span><\/p>\n

That didn\u2019t happen, as Allgaier swiftly dropped from first to seventh, then to 15th \u2014 and finally,  to a green flag pit stop that came with 25 laps to go. That longed-for caution finally flew shortly after Allgaier returned to the track when Sam Hornish Jr.\u2019s No. 22 Ford hit the wall.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Ryan Preece, driver of the #20 MoHawk Northeast Inc. Toyota, leads the field past the green flag to start the NASCAR XFINITY Series US Cellular 250 Presented by American Ethanol at Iowa Speedway on July 29, 2017 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Daniel Shirey\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Allgaier\u2019s second bad break in as many weeks preceded that nerve-fraying \u2014 and caution-filled \u2014 finish.<\/span><\/p>\n

Points leader Elliott Sadler raced near the front most of the day, but ended up 12th. He maintains a 54-point lead over William Byron, who finished ninth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Preece clearly wasn\u2019t racing for points. Only a win.<\/span><\/p>\n

And he edged Benjamin by a mere .054 seconds \u2014 a fitting margin to conclude a sprint-sized season that ended in happy incredulity.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I\u2019m so at a loss of words right now,” Preece said. “I don\u2019t know what to say. This is what emotion is, I can tell you that.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Media Center Interviews:<\/h3>\n

Ryan Preece – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Iowa_NXS_RPreece_072917.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kyle  Benjamin and  Brian Scott – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Iowa_NXS_KBenjamin-BScott_072917.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – US Cellular 250 Presented by American Ethanol<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Iowa Speedway<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Newton, Iowa<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Saturday, July 29, 2017<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

               1. (1) Ryan Preece, Toyota, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               2. (2) Kyle Benjamin, Toyota, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               3. (11) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               4. (8) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               5. (5) Cole Custer #, Ford, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               6. (28) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               7. (3) Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               8. (7) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               9. (17) William Byron #, Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               10. (19) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               11. (21) Brett Moffitt(i), Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               12. (6) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               13. (16) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               14. (25) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               15. (26) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               16. (9) Ty Majeski, Ford, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               17. (20) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               18. (22) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 254.<\/span><\/p>\n

               19. (10) Matt Tifft #, Toyota, 253.<\/span><\/p>\n

               20. (14) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 252.<\/span><\/p>\n

               21. (18) Ryan Reed, Ford, 252.<\/span><\/p>\n

               22. (31) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 252.<\/span><\/p>\n

               23. (13) Ben Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 251.<\/span><\/p>\n

               24. (30) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 249.<\/span><\/p>\n

               25. (32) Dylan Lupton, Toyota, 249.<\/span><\/p>\n

               26. (36) David Starr, Chevrolet, 249.<\/span><\/p>\n

               27. (35) Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, 249.<\/span><\/p>\n

               28. (27) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 249.<\/span><\/p>\n

               29. (38) Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 248.<\/span><\/p>\n

               30. (37) Ray Black II, Chevrolet, 247.<\/span><\/p>\n

               31. (40) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 243.<\/span><\/p>\n

               32. (39) Stan Mullis, Chevrolet, 241.<\/span><\/p>\n

               33. (23) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 233.<\/span><\/p>\n

               34. (4) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, Accident, 229.<\/span><\/p>\n

               35. (34) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, Accident, 218.<\/span><\/p>\n

               36. (15) Tyler Reddick, Chevrolet, 218.<\/span><\/p>\n

               37. (12) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, Accident, 170.<\/span><\/p>\n

               38. (33) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 46.<\/span><\/p>\n

               39. (29) Reed Sorenson(i), Chevrolet, Transmission, 9.<\/span><\/p>\n

               40. (24) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Vibration, 3.<\/span><\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  96.9 mph.<\/span><\/p>\n

Time of Race:  02 Hrs, 17 Mins, 37 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.054 Seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  7 for 40 laps.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  4 among 4 drivers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   R. Preece 1-63; K. Benjamin 64-68; E. Sadler 69-70; J. Allgaier 71-176; R. Preece 177-254.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  R. Preece 2 times for 141 laps; J. Allgaier 1 time for 106 laps; K. Benjamin 1 time for 5 laps; E. Sadler 1 time for 2 laps.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,1,18,48,22,7,00,19,2,11<\/span><\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 7,20,1,2,18,48,22,00,60,19<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Rob Gray, NASCAR Wire Service NEWTON, Iowa \u2014 Ryan Preece\u2019s short-lived, but ambitious 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule began three weeks ago at his de facto home track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It ended Saturday in the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway \u2014 as confetti swirled and soared to highlight his first career […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[456,16,181],"class_list":["post-11655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-iowa-speedway","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-xfinity-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/NXS_Iowa2_PreeceVL_072917.jpg?fit=3356%2C2237&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-31Z","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11655"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11665,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11655\/revisions\/11665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}