In anticipation of New England’s only NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) Aug. 21-23, NCS driver of the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Ryan Preece, a Berlin, Conn. native, spent Thursday enjoying a special visit to his home state with stops in Hartford, Wallingford and New Haven.
Preece began the day at the Kids Connect TV Studio inside the Family Resource Center at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center – Hartford, where he designed various racetracks and played Mario Kart with studio host Bailey Dutton. Patients watched and some joined the game from their room, racing against Preece and Dutton as they sent in questions for Preece to answer live during the show. Preece then chatted with a young patient who came to the studio to watch the fun and signed a hero card for her.
Next stop was On Track Karting’s Go Time in Wallingford, where race fans lined up outside to meet their local racing hero and have a chance to race go-karts with him. Preece first made a surprise visit to Go Time’s Kids Camp attendees, who were inside the facility. Preece, who is a former Go Time employee, signed autographs, took selfies and then challenged the kids, ranging from eight to 16 years old, to a go-kart race. They gave the 2026 NASCAR Clash winner a run for his money, and even though Preece won, the kids all walked away with huge smiles and an unforgettable experience to share with their friends and family. Following the race with the kids, Preece raced against local media members and then hosted a meet-and-greet with the many fans in attendance. Everyone walked away with a picture and at least one autograph before the majority of them strapped in to race against Preece.
After racking up some serious laps, Preece ended his visit at Sally’s Apizza – pronounced “ah-beetz” – in New Haven, where Executive Chef Bret Lunsford shared a bit about the restaurant’s 88-year history, showed Preece around pointing out the vintage memorabilia and photos on the walls and showcased the tiny kitchen and custom-designed brick oven where they hand-craft authentic New Haven pizza using original recipes. Preece indulged in a mozzarella and tomato sauce pie, Caesar salad and, of course, a slice each of cannoli pie and tiramisu.
Before heading home to rejoin his family in Berlin, Preece reflected on the day:
“For me, coming back to New England, I love Connecticut. I love everything about it, and being able to go to the Children's Hospital in Hartford, hopefully some of those kids got a few smiles and laughed at my terrible Mario Kart skills, as well as going to race with some kids at On Track Karting in Wallingford, Connecticut, where, you know, we keep joking about it, but I hung the heater pipes there and worked there for a while. So that was a lot of fun, and then getting, I mean, New Haven's best pizza is Sally's Apizza. So we were able to sit here, kinda learn about how this brand came about and how it's growing and why their pizza's so good, so it was a lot of fun.”
Preece will return to New England in just a few weeks for the region’s only NCS weekend, Aug. 21-23 at NHMS, during which he’ll compete in Doubleheader Saturday’s Mohegan Sun 100 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) race and Sunday’s Dollar Tree 301 NCS race. On-track action kicks off Friday with practice and qualifying for the NWMT and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) plus SIG SAUER Academy Dirt Duels at The Flat Track. The action continues on Doubleheader Saturday with the Team EJP 175 NCTS race and the Mohegan Sun 100 NWMT race following NCS practice and qualifying. The on-track action culminates Sunday with the Dollar Tree 301 NCS race. Don’t miss all of the exciting off-track entertainment including the “The Magic Mile” Happy Hour Show, Trackside Live, The Groove fan hangout, concerts from Everybody Wants Some and Tim Dugger, Family Movie Night featuring “Zootopia 2,” driver appearances, fireworks and much more.
For a full NASCAR weekend schedule, visit NHMS.com/Events/NASCAR-Cup-Series/Schedule/.
Tickets:
For tickets and camping for New England’s only NCS weekend, featuring the Dollar Tree 301 NCS race, Team EJP 175 NCTS race, Mohegan Sun 100 NWMT race and SIG SAUER Academy Dirt Duels, fans should visit NHMS.com or call 833-4LOUDON. Tickets for kids 12 and under are just $10 on Sunday, free on Doubleheader Saturday and start at $10 on Friday.
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