Ryan Preece advances to playoffs on first career Cup win
First-time winner Ryan Preece defeated Zane Smith in NASCAR overtime, securing a spot in the postseason with a victory at the Cup Series' regular-season finale, the Coke Zero Sugar 400, on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The two drivers started in Row 1 for the two-lap shootout, with Smith's No. 38 Ford leading at the white flag. However, Preece's No. 60 took the lead when Smith attempted to block Tyler Reddick and spun out.
Preece, 35, led five laps and claimed his first Cup race victory in his 249th career start, marking Ford's fourth consecutive win at the 400 since 2023 at Daytona.
Daniel Suarez, Michael McDowell, Reddick, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. completed the top five. Smith ended up in 32nd place overall as the race extended six laps beyond its scheduled 160 laps.
With a full field of 40 cars, polesitter Ross Chastain led the start for the regular-season finale in a 35-lap Stage 1, which was the first time the drivers competed against each other using the new aerodynamic package.
Chastain's No. 1 Chevrolet led for three laps, but Austin Hill's No. 33 Chevy, the same model Kyle Busch used to secure the pole position in February's Daytona 500, took the lead until Chris Buescher overtook him as they approached the white flag.
Nonetheless, Buescher's No. 17 crashed while approaching the finish line in an incident that also involved Kyle Larson and Buescher's RFK Racing teammate Preece, who started the race in 17th place, 31 points behind Shane van Gisbergen.
New Zealand's van Gisbergen claimed victory in the Stage 1 segment, with Ty Gibbs, Joey Logano, Erik Jones, and Chase Briscoe following.
During the 60 laps of Stage 2, the competition intensified as the cars completed more laps on the tires compared to the initial 35 laps at the World Center of Racing. Chase Elliott took the lead around the halfway mark, skillfully maneuvering his No. 9 Chevrolet from the bottom to the top of the high-banked turns.
With 10 laps remaining, Team Penske's Fords advanced to the front, with Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney exchanging the lead, and Joey Logano following closely. Elliott seized the lead with five laps left.
However, Blaney overtook the 2020 champion and maintained his position to defeat Preece. Smith came in third, William Byron in fourth, and Todd Gilliland in fifth.
With just 20 laps left in the 160-lap race, Hendrick drivers Byron, Elliott, and Larson were running in the top three positions, but they pitted with 18 laps remaining, sacrificing important track position.
The third caution occurred with five laps remaining when Carson Hocevar made a sharp left turn for a low pass, spun out on his own, and collided with Jones at the east end of the renowned track.
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