Ryan Preece will race for the NASCAR Cup Series championship as he clinched his first ever win at Daytona International Speedway. The RFK Racing driver was against all odds, trying to overcome the 31-point gap, and he did it the hard way. 

It all boiled down to an overtime finish, and this time, Ryan Preece avoided the chaos and made the right moves. “I’m just speechless right now. But those guys, that 60 group, we’re fighters. And when you put our backs against the wall, we swing hard. Two years ago keyboard warriors saying I was nothing, but we just kicked their b**** tonight,” Preece said in a post-race interview. 

When the field stacked up for the final restart, the Team Penske Fords lined up behind Zane Smith, and he had the lead while coming up to Turns 1 and 2. But coming on the backstretch, Preece made his move. He squeezed the No. 38 Ford into the high lane. Smith was trying his best to cover up both the bottom and the top lane, but he lost control, and chaos ensued. 

Smith made contact with the No. 45 of Tyler Reddick, and he crashed onto the wall, which sparked the big one. This time around, NASCAR threw the caution flag, and Preece was able to keep his nose up front to bag his first ever Cup Series win, along with a spot in the post-season Chase. 

For once, the RFK Racing driver brought back the memories of the old format: win and you’re in. Preece needed nothing but a win to secure his qualification for the Chase, and he delivered on that front. “I’m a racer, I know what it takes to build speed. So every man and woman at RFK, thank you for giving me a rocket ship so I can go to the moon tonight,” Preece added.

Shane van Gisbergen got knocked out of the Chase standings as he finished 28th. He had to pit late in the race for fuel and had to give up on the track position. Interestingly, SVG won Stage 1, when Preece was sliding on the grass on the front stretch. But at the drop of the checkered flag, Ryan Preece found himself in the victory lane and into the Chase. 

“One night doesn’t sum up our year. I guess we haven’t been good enough. It’s been cool to be close, but yeah, shame we’re not in it. … I’m proud that I’ve been able to match my teammates on the ovals. I think I’ve stepped up this year, but you want to be in that Chase. Didn’t make it,” SVG said after the race. 

The 16 driver field for the 2026 NASCAR Chase is: Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez, Carson Hocevar, William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric and Ryan Preece.