Ryan Preece has reached a point where there’s little value in playing it safe. There are two races remaining in the regular season, with Daytona set to determine the final Chase field. And with Preece entering this closing stretch outside the top 16 with a sizeable deficit to Shane van Gisbergen, his solution is to attack.

The RFK Racing driver plans to turn the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in two weeks into an all-out offensive if the points gap remains within reach following this weekend’s race in New Hampshire.

“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 said to NASCAR journalist Steven Taranto.

Preece is currently 17th in the standings with 517 points, 50 behind SVG, who holds the final Chase spot. That gap grew after what happened at Richmond last Saturday.

Preece started sixth and looked capable of finishing ahead of van Gisbergen before a strategy miscue and worsening tire wear dropped him back to 17th. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen finished 14th. That missed opportunity has made the points deficit even more painful with the regular season nearing its conclusion.

Preece cannot simply wait for an opening, but he needs to create one. The 2026 points system gives him a route to do exactly that.

A race winner can collect 55 points, while stage points provide another opportunity to build a substantial total before the checkered flag. A driver who wins both stages and the race can score as many as 75 points in one event.

That means the current 50-point gap is significant, but it is not impossible to overcome. Preece could erase the deficit with one huge performance. If he combines a race win with strong stage results while van Gisbergen suffers a disastrous finish, the cutline could shift dramatically. Practically speaking though, it’s a herculean task.

Ryan Preece is chasing the final spot. On the other hand, Shane van Gisbergen is protecting it. The Trackhouse driver therefore has far more reason to avoid unnecessary risks. Preece, meanwhile, can afford to gamble because a conservative approach does little for him.

If Preece is within 10 or 5 points, as he said, the scenario would give him a realistic opportunity to attack the final race without worrying about preserving anything. But his previous results at the two remaining venues provide mixed signals.

New Hampshire could offer Preece a chance to make up ground. The track is effectively his home race. He has averaged a 17.7 finish there since 2023. It is not dominant form. But it does give him a reasonable foundation heading into the penultimate race.

Daytona, however, is a different story. Since 2023, Preece has averaged a 28.6 finish at the superspeedway. That record does not exactly inspire confidence, especially with his Chase hopes potentially coming down to a single race there.

Still, Preece has shown this season that he can produce the kind of points haul he needs. His best points haul came at San Diego, where he scored 45 points. He has also scored more than 30 points in six of the 24 races this season. That shows a big points haul is possible when a race goes his way.

That makes the final two races less about simply winning and more about putting pressure on the drivers ahead of him. And Preece is ready to do exactly that.