Ryan Preece survived overtime drama in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona to claim his first points-paying victory and snatch the final berth in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase.
The Roush Fenway Keselowski driver entered the regular-season finale 31 points behind Shane van Gisbergen for the 16th and final Chase spot, but survived early damage, managed fuel in the closing stage and emerged ahead when a final-lap crash froze the field.
Preece powered his No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang across the finish line just 0.024 seconds ahead of Daniel Suárez, marking his first Cup victory in 249 starts and RFK’s seventh Cup win under its current banner.
“I’m just speechless right now,” said Preece. “But those guys, that 60 group, we’re fighters. When you put our back against the wall, we swing hard. Last year there were a lot of keyboard warriors saying I was nothing. Well, we just kicked their butts tonight.”
The 2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona was scheduled for 160 laps around the 2.5-mile high-banked superspeedway, but the chaotic finish extended the race to 166 laps.
It featured 41 lead changes among 22 drivers, four cautions for 21 laps and a constantly changing drafting order that made track position precarious from the opening green through the final overtime restart.
Stage 1 and 2: Shane van Gisbergen and Ryan Blaney dominate
Ross Chastain led the field from pole followed by Chris Buescher, but Kyle Larson quickly used help from Chase Briscoe in the outside lane to move ahead on lap two.
Chastain reclaimed the lead shortly afterwards as Buescher, Larson and Shane van Gisbergen each positioned themselves in different lanes, creating the three-wide action that defined the early portion of the race.
Austin Hill took control by lap 11 and led much of the early running before the first major turning point on the final lap of Stage 1.
Buescher had worked past Hill for the lead and was trying to defend it entering the tri-oval, but Larson’s push unsettled the No. 17 Ford which turned into the outside wall, collecting Larson and Preece.
Preece’s No. 60 RFK Racing Ford sustained left-front damage, as Van Gisbergen escaped the incident and surged through to win the stage ahead of Ty Gibbs, Joey Logano, Erik Jones and Chase Briscoe fifth.
The second stage opened with another flurry of lead changes as van Gisbergen used the inside lane to surge forward, before Briscoe took control on lap 50.
Chase Elliott cycled into the lead on lap 64 thanks to an assist from Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. Zane Smith and Austin Cindric took the lead briefly, only for Elliott to reclaim the top spot.
Ryan Blaney then executed a crossover move under Elliott on the final lap to win Stage 2, followed by Preece, Smith, Byron, Gilliland, Larson, Briscoe, Suárez, Elliott and Hill.
Stage 3: Ryan Preece seals first NASCAR Cup win
The final stage saw a flurry of pit strategies as teams gambled on fuel mileage, track position and fresh tires, with Preece opting to stay out on older rubber while others cycled through pit road.
As the race approached its scheduled 160-lap conclusion, the lead changed hands repeatedly among a rotating cast of contenders, including Zane Smith, Tyler Reddick, Carson Hocevar and Erik Jones.
The first of two late cautions came on lap 155 when Hocevar lost control as he changed lanes near the end of the backstretch. His No. 77 Chevrolet snapped left, crossed the apron and then shot back up into the outside wall in Turns 3 and 4 collecting Jones, while Ty Gibbs spun trying to avoid the crash.
On the green-white-checkered restart, Zane Smith initially held the lead but lost control while attempting to block Reddick, sparking a chain-reaction wreck that collected several cars, yet NASCAR kept green in hopes of completing the overtime laps without further interruption.
That hope was short-lived as Ryan Blaney spun hard into the outside wall moments later, forcing the final caution which froze the field with Preece in the lead, ahead of Suárez and Reddick, to secure the victory under yellow.
Updated 2026 NASCAR Cup Daytona Coke Zero Sugar 400 Race Results
2026 NASCAR Cup points standings after Daytona regular season finale
