Daytona is all set to host the final regular-season race of 2026 next weekend. Three drivers are still fighting to secure their Chase spots. Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, and Shane van Gisbergen occupy the last three spots in the top 16. But lurking just outside the cutline is RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece, who has turned a difficult season into a genuine last-gasp opportunity. With everything to gain and little to lose, Preece is prepared to change his usual approach.

“I don’t like tearing up race cars and doing things that are overly aggressive to the point that it ruins your day. But I’ve also seen that it’s rewarded in this car or what we’re doing, so by no means am I going to tear up a race car. But you know if I have to throw a big block, I’m gonna have to throw a big block, and it’s gonna be what it’s going to be,” Preece said to journalist Steven Taranto, who shared the video on X.

Preece has one final opportunity to secure the first post-season berth of his career. His ninth-place finish at the Dollar Tree 301 in New Hampshire last Sunday gave him hope that he just might.

Ryan Preece is now 31 points below the Chase cutline. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen sits 16th in the standings with 586 points. That leaves Preece with a clear, albeit difficult path to the postseason. A strong Daytona result combined with a bad afternoon for his Trackhouse Racing rival could completely change the picture.

Preece already made his aggressive mindset clear before heading into New Hampshire. He understands that his position is different from the drivers sitting above the cutline.

“So if we’re within ten points going into Daytona of Shane or five, I’d feel pretty comfortable about that. Because for me, what do I have to lose? I’m not points racing, right? I’m not trying to stay above the cut line. I’m gonna go for every stage point there is. I’m gonna try and win the race. I’m gonna be aggressive. Those guys are going to have to be on defense,” Preece told NASCAR journalist Steven Taranto.

That mentality could make him one of the most unpredictable drivers in the Daytona field. This is also the second consecutive year that Preece has arrived at Daytona with his post-season hopes hanging in the balance. However, this year’s challenge comes with another layer of uncertainty

NASCAR has introduced changes to the superspeedway package, leaving drivers with limited knowledge of how the cars will behave. There will be no practice session either, which means Preece and the rest of the field will have to learn on the fly.

For a driver already prepared to take risks, Daytona could become the ultimate test of how far he is willing to go. Preece insists he does not want to wreck a NASCAR race car simply for the sake of aggression, but if his Chase dream comes down to one final block, he likely won’t hesitate to do what’s necessary.

Ryan Preece’s 2025 Daytona heartbreak

Daytona brings back some painful memories for Preece. The RFK Racing driver spent most of the 2025 regular season fighting for a spot in the Chase, but by the time the Coke Zero Sugar 400 came around, he needed a win to make it in.

With five laps to go, Preece took the lead. But things quickly fell apart. Three laps later, he moved to the front of the middle lane, with Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott behind him.

Their teammate Alex Bowman had already crashed, and a Preece win would have likely knocked Bowman out of the playoffs. So Larson and Elliott chose not to push Preece. He was left alone in the middle lane and quickly fell through the field, eventually dropping to 14th.

Preece ultimately finished 66 points below the final Chase position. It was a frustrating end to a season in which he had stayed in the playoff fight for months. The disappointment was even worse because RFK Racing missed the postseason altogether.

But Preece didn’t let that setback derail the rest of his season. Instead, he put together one of his strongest stretches of the year, recording seven top-15 finishes in the final 10 races, including four top-10s in the last five. That late-season run showed that Preece had the speed to run near the front when things came together.

Now, Daytona gives him another chance. The situation is different, but the stakes are familiar. Preece is once again outside the cutline heading into the NASCAR regular-season finale. This time, though, he has a much more aggressive mindset and plans to leave nothing on the table.