Ryan Preece walked away with a Daytona win in Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 and secured his spot in the Chase. The feat marks his first-ever points-paying win in the Cup Series.
Preece had a second-row start and was battling for a Stage 1 triumph when he wrecked with teammate Chris Buescher. To make matters worse, his rival in the Chase bubble, Shane van Gisbergen, won the stage and dealt another blow to Preece.
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Nonetheless, the No. 60 driver clawed his way back to the front and took advantage of a final-lap wreck among frontrunners Zane Smith and Tyler Reddick. Preece crossed the stripe in overtime and bagged a Chase spot to boot.
“DAYTONA!!!!!!! Built us a rocket ship and went to the moon!! 🚀🌕 These 60 boys were prepared to go down swinging. Ended up with a walk off. I’m speechless. We’re in The Chase! Law of averages,” Preece wrote on his X post.
Ryan Preece began the season with a Clash win at the Bowman Gray Stadium. He then faded to middling results for most of the regular season, interspersed with a few top-10 finishes that kept his chase hopes alive.
Sunday’s win marks his maiden top-5 finish this season. It’s also his first time qualifying for the postseason in his seven years at the top division.
Ryan Preece thanks Brad Keselowski after Daytona win
Aug 29, 2026; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; Roush Fenway Keselowski driver Ryan Preece (60) takes the checkered flag to win the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Team owner Brad Keselowski picked up Ryan Preece’s option and extended his contract through 2027. The decision has been rewarded with a chase berth, while Keselowski himself remains outside the cutoff.
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During a post-race interview, Preece made sure to thank Keselowski.
“I’m just speechless right now. But those guys, that 60 group, we’re fighters. When you put our back against the wall, we swing hard. So thank you to RFK, Jack Roush, the Fenway Group. Brad Keselowski,” Preece said via NBC Sports.
“It’s a testament of how prepared these race cars are, man. 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. This is redemption,” he added.
Spire Motorsports finished behind Ryan Preece by a narrow margin of 0.024 seconds. Preece had a tough battle leading up to his race win. Carson Hocevar got loose while battling him for second and hit the outside walls, collecting Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones.
Until that point, Preece had led four laps across two stints and logged 76 laps in the top five. He ultimately won the race with limited fuel in his tank.
Notably, Preece is the only Ford driver outside Team Penske to claim a race win this year. The RFK Racing driver now heads to Darlington Raceway for the first round of the Chase.
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