RFK Racing announced on Monday that Ryan Preece will pilot the No.6 Ford Mustang in 2027 in the NASCAR Cup Series. Preece will succeed Brad Keselowski in driving one of the organization’s most iconic numbers. Coincidentally, he becomes the sixth different driver in the six.
“To be trusted with the six means more to me than I can put into words,” Preece said in a press release. “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 means I’m the right person to carry that number into the future is incredibly humbling.”
The 36-year-old from Berlin, Connecticut is in his second full-time season with RFK. 2026 has been Preece’s breakout year driving the No. 60, highlighted by his victories in the 2026 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium and his first points-paying victory at Daytona International Speedway in August.
For Preece, the No. 6 is not unfamiliar territory. He once used the number driving modifieds in the Northeast for team-owner Ed Partridge, who believed the short-track ace would make it far in the world of stock car racing.
“He [Partridge] was one of my best friends and someone who believed in me and helped fund me an opportunity that changed my life,” Preece said. “So, when I say the number six feels like home, it’s because it represents more than racing. It represents the people who believed in me, the relationships I’ve built, and the memories that got me here.”
Partridge isn’t alone in his belief in Ryan Preece. Another to endorse the move is Hall of Fame inductee Martin, a 35-time winner and former occupant of the No. 6 himself.
“I like Ryan [Preece] because he’s a racer, plain and simple,” Martin said. “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 the car, he gives you everything he’s got, and he’s not going to be satisfied just riding around.”
Crew chief Derek Finley and the rest of Preece’s current team will also make the move over to RFK’s chartered No. 6 entry. Additional details regarding RFK Racing’s No. 60 entry, which is currently unchartered for 2027, will be announced at a later date.
