“I don’t wish that on Chris Buescher”: Ryan Preece on his mindset after Bubba Wallace’s Indianapolis victory eliminates him off the playoff cutline

Despite a top-5 finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ryan Preece saw his playoff hopes fade after Bubba Wallace's win dropped him below the cutline. The #60 Ford driver admitted that unless he can secure a win, it would take some 'really bad luck' for his RFK Racing teammate Chris Buescher to lead him into the postseason.

Preece had one of his better outings in the Brickyard 400. After starting at 23rd, he went on to lead 12 laps before settling for a fourth-place finish. He used to trail Bubba Wallace in the playoff bubble, but with the latter's win, Preece now stands 42 points below the cutline.

Coincidentally, Chris Buescher is ahead with the same amount of points at 16th in the playoff standings. With four races left in the regular season, it's between Preece and Buescher to make the playoffs.

Reflecting upon the same, Preece spoke to Frontstretch on his playoff hopes.

"I mean with how fast the 17 and the 48 are. I would say they're gonna have to have some really bad luck and I don't wish that on Chris, so we're going have to win. Iowa is a track I feel I'd like to make a great memory at," he said. [0:42 onwards]

Ryan Preece currently ranks four spots below Chris Buescher in the driver's standings. At 14th, he has a points haul of 517 against Buescher's 559.

Up next, Preece heads to Iowa Speedway, a track where he previously won in the Xfinity Series but placed among the backmarkers last year. The race is scheduled for Sunday, August 3, at 3:30 PM ET.

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"I'm gonna trust the process": Ryan Preece reveals his mindset for playoff bid

With four races left in the regular season, Ryan Preece has the odds stacked against him for a playoff push. Nonetheless, he recently opened up about his open-minded approach heading into the postseason.

"I went in with an open mind of 'I'm gonna work on me, I'm gonna trust the process and I'm gonna continue to push myself.' And that comes with doing more listening than I do talking, having a different perspective going into the weekends, and really just having a big, open mind when it comes to a lot of things. I'm trying to definitely get back to the Ryan Preece that just drove race cars instead of just ones that I set up," he said via CBS Sports.

Despite his shortcomings, the Connecticut native is having one of his best seasons yet. With nine top-10s and two top-5s, Preece records an average finish of 16, improving on his average start of 18. His best result comes from a third-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua