TRENDING First CFP rankings NFL execs talk trades What MLB's labor proposal means Week 9 Waiver Wire NFL Power Rankings Story by Story by Ryan Preece changing to No. 6 with RFK Racing for 2027 NASCAR season Mitchell Northam, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports Thu, November 5, 2026 at 1:06 AM UTC · 5 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ryan Preece's ride will have a new look next year.
Preece, who won the first Cup Series race of his career this season at Daytona in the Coke Zero Sugar 400, will remain with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, but is switching numbers. His Ford Mustang Dark Horse will have a No. 6 on the side of it instead of No. 60.
Derrick Finley will remain as crew chief for Preece as well, RFK announced on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Preece will become the sixth full-time driver to pilot the No. 6 for RFK, a number that has a lot of deep history tied to the team.
"To be trusted with the 6 means more to me than I can put into words," Preece said in a statement. "When you think about what this number means to RFK Racing, you think about Jack Roush, Mark Martin and everything they built together. To know this team believes I'm the right person to carry that number into the future is incredibly humbling."
The No. 6 has been driven by Brad Keselowski since 2022, but Keselowski will not return to the team next season and is beginning the process of selling his 20% equity in ownership .
Part of the reason for Preece switching to the No. 6 is because it is one of RFK's chartered entries in the Cup Series, along with the No. 17 driven by Chris Buescher. The No. 60 raced with a leased charter this season from Rick Ware Racing, but that has been sold to Legacy Motor Club for next season. Charters guarantee spots in every Cup Series race regardless of qualifying, creating a reliable and stable stream of revenue. Charters are estimated to be worth about $100 million each.
Oct. 11: Chase Briscoe celebrates in victory lane after winning the Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images) Oct. 4: Chase Briscoe celebrates in victory lane after winning the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Sean Gardner, Getty Images) Sept. 27: Kyle Larson celebrates winning the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. (Sean Gardner, Getty Images) Sept. 19: Joey Logano celebrates after winning the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Randy Sartin, Imagn Images) Sept. 13: Kyle Larson celebrates in victory lane after winning the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. (Amy Kontras, Getty Images) Sept. 6: Christopher Bell celebrates in victory lane after winning the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. (Meg Oliphant, Getty Images) Aug. 29: Ryan Preece (60) lifts the winner's trophy after winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. (Mike Watters, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) Aug. 23: Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney celebrates winning the Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Eric Canha, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) Aug. 15: Joey Logano celebrates after winning the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. (Greg Atkins, Imagn Images) Aug. 9: Ty Gibbs celebrates in victory lane after winning the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. (Sean Gardner, Getty Images) July 26: Corey Heim celebrates after winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Grace Hollars, IndyStar, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co) July 19: Joey Logano celebrates in victory lane after winning the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (Meg Oliphant, Getty Images) July 12: Ryan Blaney celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. (Sean Gardner, Getty Images) July 5: Chase Briscoe reacts in victory lane after winning the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. (Mike Dinovo, Imagn Images) June 28: Shane van Gisbergen celebrates after winning the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on the road course at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. (Stan Szeto, Imagn Images) June 21: Corey Heim celebrates after winning the inaugural Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado near San Diego, California. (Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images) June 14: Denny Hamlin celebrates in victory lane after winning the Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (David Jensen, Getty Images) June 7: Denny Hamlin celebrates in victory lane after winning the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Sean Gardner, Getty Images) May 31:Denny Hamlin celebrates winning the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Andrew Nelles, The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network) May 24: Daniel Suarez celebrates in victory lane after winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Concord, North Carolina. (Krista Jasso, Getty Images) May 10: Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates with the trophy after winning the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. (Matthew O'Haren, Imagn Images) May 3: Chase Elliott (9) celebrates in victory lane after winning the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. (Jerome Miron, Imagn Images) April 26: Carson Hocevar celebrates in victory lane after winning the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. (David Jensen, Getty Images) April 19: Tyler Reddick celebrates with his wife, Alexa De Leon, and sons, Beau Reddick and Rookie George Reddick, after winning the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. (David Jensen, Getty Images) April 12: Ty Gibbs celebrates in victory lane after winning the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. (Matt Kelley, Getty Images) March 29: Chase Elliott celebrates with Martinsville Speedway's traditional grandfather clock prize after winning the Cook Out 400 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Jim Dedmon, Imagn Images) March 22: Tyler Reddick celebrates with his family after winning the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina for his fourth victory of the 2026 season. (Scott Kinser, Imagn Images) March 15: Denny Hamlin celebrates winning the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images) March 8: Ryan Blaney celebrates winning the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. (Meg Oliphant, Getty Images) March 1: Tyler Reddick celebrates winning the DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. (Logan Riely, Getty Images) Feb. 22: Tyler Reddick celebrates winning the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. (Mady Mertens, Imagn Images) Feb. 15: Tyler Reddick celebrates with his family and crew after winning the 68th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. (Mike Watters, Imagn Images) 1 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Oct. 11: Chase Briscoe celebrates in victory lane after winning the Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images) 1 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Oct. 11: Chase Briscoe celebrates in victory lane after winning the Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images) 2 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Oct. 4: Chase Briscoe celebrates in victory lane after winning the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Sean Gardner, Getty Images) 3 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Sept. 27: Kyle Larson celebrates winning the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. (Sean Gardner, Getty Images) 4 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Sept. 19: Joey Logano celebrates after winning the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Randy Sartin, Imagn Images) 5 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Sept. 13: Kyle Larson celebrates in victory lane after winning the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. (Amy Kontras, Getty Images) 6 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Sept. 6: Christopher Bell celebrates in victory lane after winning the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. (Meg Oliphant, Getty Images) 7 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Aug. 29: Ryan Preece (60) lifts the winner's trophy after winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. (Mike Watters, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 8 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Aug. 23: Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney celebrates winning the Dollar Tree 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Eric Canha, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 9 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Aug. 15: Joey Logano celebrates after winning the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway. (Greg Atkins, Imagn Images) 10 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Aug. 9: Ty Gibbs celebrates in victory lane after winning the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. (Sean Gardner, Getty Images) 11 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners July 26: Corey Heim celebrates after winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Grace Hollars, IndyStar, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co) 12 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners July 19: Joey Logano celebrates in victory lane after winning the Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. (Meg Oliphant, Getty Images) 13 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners July 12: Ryan Blaney celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. (Sean Gardner, Getty Images) 14 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners July 5: Chase Briscoe reacts in victory lane after winning the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. (Mike Dinovo, Imagn Images) 15 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners June 28: Shane van Gisbergen celebrates after winning the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on the road course at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. (Stan Szeto, Imagn Images) 16 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners June 21: Corey Heim celebrates after winning the inaugural Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado near San Diego, California. (Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images) 17 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners June 14: Denny Hamlin celebrates in victory lane after winning the Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (David Jensen, Getty Images) 18 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners June 7: Denny Hamlin celebrates in victory lane after winning the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Sean Gardner, Getty Images) 19 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners May 31:Denny Hamlin celebrates winning the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Andrew Nelles, The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network) 20 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners May 24: Daniel Suarez celebrates in victory lane after winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Concord, North Carolina. (Krista Jasso, Getty Images) 21 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners May 10: Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates with the trophy after winning the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. (Matthew O'Haren, Imagn Images) 22 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners May 3: Chase Elliott (9) celebrates in victory lane after winning the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. (Jerome Miron, Imagn Images) 23 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners April 26: Carson Hocevar celebrates in victory lane after winning the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. (David Jensen, Getty Images) 24 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners April 19: Tyler Reddick celebrates with his wife, Alexa De Leon, and sons, Beau Reddick and Rookie George Reddick, after winning the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. (David Jensen, Getty Images) 25 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners April 12: Ty Gibbs celebrates in victory lane after winning the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. (Matt Kelley, Getty Images) 26 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners March 29: Chase Elliott celebrates with Martinsville Speedway's traditional grandfather clock prize after winning the Cook Out 400 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Jim Dedmon, Imagn Images) 27 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners March 22: Tyler Reddick celebrates with his family after winning the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina for his fourth victory of the 2026 season. (Scott Kinser, Imagn Images) 28 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners March 15: Denny Hamlin celebrates winning the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images) 29 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners March 8: Ryan Blaney celebrates winning the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. (Meg Oliphant, Getty Images) 30 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners March 1: Tyler Reddick celebrates winning the DuraMax Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. (Logan Riely, Getty Images) 31 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Feb. 22: Tyler Reddick celebrates winning the Autotrader 400 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. (Mady Mertens, Imagn Images) 32 / 32 See victory lane celebrations with 2026 NASCAR race winners Feb. 15: Tyler Reddick celebrates with his family and crew after winning the 68th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. (Mike Watters, Imagn Images) History of No. 6 in NASCAR When Roush Racing began competing in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1988, it did so with Hall of Famer Mark Martin behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford. He would stay behind the wheel of that machine through 2006, earning 35 Cup Series victories in the car while finishing top five in points 12 times. Martin was the runner-up for the championship four times, finishing second to Dale Earnhardt in 1990 and 1994, Jeff Gordon in 1998 and Tony Stewart in 2002.
The No. 6 was later driven by David Ragan, Trevor Bayne, Ryan Newman and Keselowski on a full-time basis, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Matt Kenseth and Ross Chastain all made spot starts in the car. Aside from Martin, Ragan and Keselowski are the only other drivers to take the No. 6 to victory lane.
"I like Ryan Preece because he's a racer, plain and simple," Martin said in a statement. "He came up the hard way, and he's had to fight for everything he's gotten. That's something I respect. When he gets in a race car, he gives you everything he's got, and he's not going to be satisfied just riding around. That number means a lot to me, and I think Ryan is a great fit to carry it forward."
Long before Roush Racing began, Hall of Famer David Pearson drove the No. 6 Dodge for Owens Racing, winning the championship in 1966.
2. David Pearson, 105 career wins. (DAYTONA RACING ARCHIVES) 3. Jeff Gordon, 93 career wins. (MATTHEW O'HAREN, USA TODAY SPORTS) 6. (tie) Jimmie Johnson, 83 career wins (USA TODAY Sports) 8. Dale Earnhardt, 76 career wins. (GETTY IMAGES) 9. (tie) Kyle Busch, 63 career wins
9. (tie) Denny Hamlin, 63 career wins (through June 7, 2026).
1 / 8 Drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series wins all time 2. David Pearson, 105 career wins. (DAYTONA RACING ARCHIVES) 1 / 8 Drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series wins all time 2. David Pearson, 105 career wins. (DAYTONA RACING ARCHIVES) 2 / 8 Drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series wins all time 3. Jeff Gordon, 93 career wins. (MATTHEW O'HAREN, USA TODAY SPORTS) 3 / 8 Drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series wins all time 6. (tie) Jimmie Johnson, 83 career wins (USA TODAY Sports) 4 / 8 Drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series wins all time 8. Dale Earnhardt, 76 career wins. (GETTY IMAGES) 5 / 8 Drivers with the most NASCAR Cup Series wins all time 9. (tie) Kyle Busch, 63 career wins
9. (tie) Denny Hamlin, 63 career wins (through June 7, 2026).
A native of Berlin, Connecticut, Preece got his start in racing modified stock cars around the northeast. In 2013, he won the Whelan Modified Tour championship, the only open-wheeled division that NASCAR sanctions. He won 26 races in the Whelan Modified Tour, plus three more in the southern division of the series.
Preece often raced the No. 6 in the Whelan Modified Tour for Ed Partridge.
"When I say the No. 6 feels like home, it's because it represents more than racing," Preece said. "It represents the people who believed in me, the relationships I've built, and the memories that got me here. To have the opportunity to carry that number into the next chapter of my career means more than I can put into words."
Preece made his debut in the second-tier O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2016, running a full season in the No. 01 Chevrolet for JD Motorsports, but failed to register a top-10 finish. The next season, Preece borrowed money to pay Joe Gibbs Racing to run a few select races in the series. In top-tier equipment, Preece placed in the top-five in each of his four races with JGR in 2017, which included a crucial win at Iowa. The next season, Preece ran 15 O'Reilly races for JGR, placing inside the top-10 in 10 of them, including a second series win at Bristol.
The next year, Preece was in the Cup Series full-time with the team that is now Hyak Motorsports. He would remain with the team for three years, earning nine top-10 finishes, but never finishing higher than 27th in points. In 2022, he ran a mixed schedule across NASCAR's three national touring circuits. Preece performed best in the Truck Series that year with David Gilliland Racing, never finishing worse than 11th, winning at Nashville, and earning eight other top-10 finishes.
He was back in the Cup Series in 2023 with Stewart-Haas Racing, driving the No. 41 Ford for two seasons. When the team closed up shop, he joined RFK ahead of the 2025 season.
The 36-year-old Preece is coming off his best season in the Cup Series and was one of the 16 drivers to make the postseason Chase after taking the checkered flag in the final race of the regular season at Daytona in an overtime finish. Preece also has nine other top-10 finishes on the year. He also won the preseason Clash this year at Bowman Gray Stadium.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ryan Preece changing to No. 6 with RFK Racing for 2027 NASCAR season
Source: Sports
