Ryan Preece reached the 2026 NASCAR Chase in the most dramatic way possible. The RFK Racing driver won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 29, taking his first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series victory and the final Chase spot. The result came after a season that included a costly NASCAR penalty, an unsuccessful appeal, harsh criticism, and another difficult fight around the playoff cutline.
Preece entered Daytona 31 points behind Shane van Gisbergen for the final Chase spot. He left the track 17 points ahead of the three-time Australian Supercars champion. The victory also carried extra weight because Daytona had already been the scene of two major crashes for Preece. Now, after everything that happened, Ryan Preece begins his first NASCAR Chase as the 16th seed.
Ryan Preece’s NASCAR Penalty Created a Major Problem
The Ryan Preece NASCAR penalty came after the May 3 race at Texas Motor Speedway. Preece had become frustrated with Ty Gibbs and told his team he was “done with” the No. 54 car before making contact that sent Gibbs into the wall.
NASCAR reviewed the race video, team radio and driver data before issuing a $50,000 fine and taking away 25 driver points. NASCAR Vice President of Race Communications Mike Forde said the radio message played an important role in the decision.
“We do look at all available resources, whether that’s the video, in-car audio, SMT data,” Forde said. “And really what this came down to is … (Preece) said what he said, and then he did what he said.”
NASCAR reached a different conclusion on a separate Kyle Busch incident involving John Hunter Nemechek. Officials said the data did not clearly show that Busch intentionally wrecked Nemechek.
RFK Racing appealed Preece’s penalty, but the National Motorsports Appeals Panel upheld it. The panel said the data had competing interpretations but pointed to Preece’s comments as evidence that he “chose to not cut his competitor any breaks.”
When Preece was later asked about the decision, he gave a short answer that became one of the defining lines of his season.
“It doesn’t matter what I think.”
The 25-point deduction made his NASCAR Chase fight harder. Preece later admitted that he would not use his radio in the same way again, saying after a conversation with Jack Roush, “I can promise you, I wouldn’t hit that button.”
Ryan Preece Finally Silences the Critics at Daytona
The criticism of Ryan Preece did not start with the Texas penalty. NASCAR’s own Sept. 3 release revisited comments made online two years earlier when Preece was linked to a possible RFK Racing opportunity.
One commenter wrote, “Preece will never exceed expectations. Never has, never will.”
Another asked, “Seriously, PREECE?? This has to be a joke.”
Preece eventually answered those comments at Daytona.
“Last year there were a lot of keyboard warriors saying I was nothing. Well, we just kicked their butts tonight,” he said after winning.
The Daytona victory was also significant because of Preece’s history at the track. In the 2023 summer race, his car went airborne and rolled several times. He spent the night in a hospital before returning to race at Darlington the following week.
Preece also flipped during the 2025 Daytona 500.
“When the car took off like that and it got real quiet, all I thought about was my daughter,” he said after that crash. “I’m lucky to walk away.”
His 2026 Daytona win came after another difficult race. Preece was involved in a three-car crash at the end of Stage 1 but continued after repairs. He then stretched his fuel through the final stage and moved into position for the victory.
Ryan Preece Starts the NASCAR Chase From the Bottom
The Daytona victory moved Ryan Preece into his first NASCAR Chase. He finished the regular season as the 16th and final seed, 17 points ahead of van Gisbergen.
The NASCAR Cup Series playoff battle shifts to Darlington Raceway on Sunday, Sept. 6, with the Cook Out Southern 500 opening the 2026 Chase. The race starts at 5 p.m. ET and airs on USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The 2026 format does not use elimination rounds. All 16 drivers compete across 10 races, with the field reseeded before the Chase. Denny Hamlin starts first with 2,100 points, while Preece begins at 2,000.
That leaves Ryan Preece with a 100-point starting gap to the regular-season leader. He now has 10 NASCAR Chase races to make up ground.
Preece knows some drivers do not view the 16th seed as a serious championship position. But his Daytona victory already changed the conversation. After a penalty, an appeal, criticism and years of questions, he has finally reached the NASCAR Chase.
The next 10 races will determine what that Daytona win was really worth.
NASCAR Cup Series Driver Has Had Enough After Penalties, Critics and a Bitter Fight for Respect