Ryan Preece altered the course of his season with his first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series win at Daytona International Speedway, erasing a 31-point deficit to Shane van Gisbergen and taking the 16th and final position in The Chase.
NASCAR’s new format removed the automatic “win and in” path, but the RFK Racing driver produced the points swing he needed on the final night of the regular season.
“I’m just speechless right now,” Preece said. “But those guys, that 60 group, we’re fighters. When you put our back against the wall, we swing hard.”
The high banks belong to him!@RyanPreece_‘s first career win comes at @DAYTONA! pic.twitter.com/Id4rgeuuaf
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 30, 2026
Preece entered the Coke Zero Sugar 400 knowing that a strong finish alone was unlikely to save him. His situation became even worse at the end of Stage 1 when contact involving RFK teammate Chris Buescher and Kyle Larson sent all three cars through the infield grass.
The incident damaged the left-front fender of the No. 60 Ford, while SVG avoided the trouble and collected 10 points by winning the stage.
After his team completed repairs, Preece recovered to finish second behind Ryan Blaney in Stage 2. He then stretched his fuel through the final 65-lap segment, keeping himself near the front while several contenders adopted different pit strategies.
Carson Hocevar’s crash while fighting for second on Lap 155 sent the race into overtime with Zane Smith leading. Tyler Reddick pushed the No. 38 Ford to the white flag before moving outside on the final lap, but the two made contact and triggered a multicar accident on the backstretch.
Preece drove underneath the developing chaos and moved ahead moments before NASCAR displayed the caution. With the running order frozen, the 35-year-old completed the defining win of his career in his 249th start.
“It’s a testament of how prepared these race cars are,” Preece said. “I’m a racer. I know what it takes to build speed. So, to every man and woman at RFK, thank you for giving me a rocket ship so I could go to the moon tonight.”
Daniel Suarez escaped the final wreck to finish second, followed by Reddick, Michael McDowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Preece led three times for five laps in a race extended six circuits beyond its scheduled distance.
Daytona victory brings redemption for Ryan Preece
Preece’s breakthrough came at the same track responsible for two of the most frightening moments of his career. During the August 2023 race, his car became airborne and flipped repeatedly through the backstretch grass.
Another violent accident sent him into the air during the 2025 Daytona 500, after which he acknowledged how fortunate he was to walk away.
“This is redemption,” Preece said. “I’m just glad that Daytona decided to love me the way I loved it.”
Although he won the Clash exhibition at Bowman Gray Stadium in February, Saturday marked his first win in a race that awarded championship points. It also earned him his maiden appearance in NASCAR’s 10-race title fight.
RFK co-owner Brad Keselowski credited Preece for delivering under the greatest possible pressure.
“It’s such a clutch moment for Ryan,” Keselowski said. “To drive a great race and go get a win with everything on the line, those are nights you remember.”
Shane van Gisbergen’s advantage disappears
SVG appeared to have strengthened his position by taking the opening stage, but a long green-flag run made fuel mileage a major concern. When the late caution appeared, the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing team brought him to pit road for fuel and four tires.
The decision left the New Zealander 27th for the overtime restart. He could not make meaningful progress from deep in the field and was collected in the race-ending accident, leaving him 28th.
Preece earned 67 points during the event compared with SVG’s 19, advancing by a 17-point margin.
“One night doesn’t sum up the year for this team,” SVG said. “We just weren’t good enough tonight, but it’s been cool to be this close.”
The disappointment capped a difficult decline for the Trackhouse Racing driver, who held a 57-point advantage four races earlier. Despite winning twice and improving considerably on ovals, van Gisbergen accepted that the opportunity had been lost across the season and not just one evening at Daytona.
“I haven’t done a good enough job throughout the year,” he said. “We’ve lost points at various places. We didn’t just lose it tonight.”
Austin Cindric protected his position with a sixth-place finish and secured the 15th seed, while Bubba Wallace confirmed his place by scoring four points in the opening stage.
Denny Hamlin will begin The Chase as the top seed, followed by Blaney, Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Larson, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Buescher, Suárez, Hocevar, William Byron, Wallace, Cindric and Preece.
The championship battle begins with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 6.