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In 2017 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver Ryan Preece used a limited chance to prove to executives at Joe Gibbs Racing that he has the skills to be successful against the best of the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

And that success has paid off for the Berlin driver.

Joe Gibbs Racing announced Wednesday that Preece will be a regular part of the rotating lineup in the team’s third NASCAR XFINITY Series entry in 2018.

Preece will share the ride with Monster Energy Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez.

Preece will make at least 10 starts with the team in 2018. Preece has started three events for the organization’s XFINITY Series team in 2017. He recorded his first career XFINITY Series win for the team on July 29 at Iowa Speedway. He will make his final start of the season for the team in Satuday’s XFINITY Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“Obviously I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunities that I have already had with JGR this season and now to be able to increase the number of races next season is a great step in my career,” Preece said. “I’m looking forward to going out there and make the most out of the opportunity.”

Preece, the 2013 Whelen Modified Tour champion, made his first career start in a Joe Gibbs Racing ride on July 15 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where he finished second Busch.

He followed that by winning the US Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway on July 29. He made his third start for the team at Kentucky Speedway on Sept. 23 in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300, where he led 22 laps and finished fourth.

Preece tied for the series-high with five Whelen Modified Tour victories in 2017 and finished sixth in the series standings despite only starting 14 of 16 events. He led team owner Ed Partridge to the division’s owner’s championship.

Preece will be making his 40th career Xfinity Series start Saturday at Homestead-Miami. He ran full-time in the XFINITY Series in 2016 year for the underfunded JD Motorsports team. He opted not to run a second season with the team and instead focused on finding selected rides with an upper level organization.