Ryan Preece put a new twist on win-and-in for the NASCAR postseason.
Preece took the lead on the final lap and snatched the victory in the regular-season finale when the caution came out at Daytona International Speedway.
The win launched him to 16th in the standings and gave him the final spot in NASCAR’s revamped Chase, which no longer has automatic bids to a driver who wins a race.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Preece told USA Sports during the telecast.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Big Win For Preece
Ryan Preece’s big win puts him in The Chase.
Preece was concerned he would run out of fuel as several laps ticked off on a late caution when Carson Hocevar wrecked and collected Erik Jones.
Running second entering overtime, Preece was able to battle to get to the lead.
The RFK Racing driver was penalized 25 points earlier this year for intentionally wrecking Ty Gibbs (Preece doesn’t believe they had contact). He probably feels vindicated now that he’s made The Chase — especially after it looked like that penalty would keep him out of the postseason. Instead, the 20-point bonus for the win allowed him to go from 31 points behind Shane van Gisbergen entering the race to 17 points ahead of him for the final playoff spot.
Preece’s Daytona history has not been kind. He has had two massive flips there in recent years, including one that left him with bloodshot eyes for more than a week.
The 35-year-old Preece earned his first Cup points race win in his 249th career start. His story is certainly one of perseverance.
“We’re fighters,” Preece said. “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.”
2. Cindric Gets In
Austin Cindric was on the postseason bubble but survived with a sixth-place finish in the regular-season finale.
Austin Cindric was on the bubble as well, entering the race just 13 points ahead of van Gisbergen and 44 points ahead of Preece. The Team Penske driver finished sixth to keep the playoff spot.
“The guys did a great job of giving me information all night, whether it was points or fuel and how to adapt,” Cindric said in a Ford news release. “That’s what it takes to be a contender at a minimum, but definitely look for a strong 10 weeks from us.”
Bubba Wallace, who entered the race needing just two points to clinch a spot, earned those points in the opening stage.
3. SVG Disappointed
SVG’s postseason hopes were dashed at Daytona.
Shane van Gisbergen, who has two wins this year on road courses, pitted prior to overtime, as he was in danger of running out of gas.
He got caught up in the final wreck and ended up 28th.
“Congrats to the 60 [of Preece],” van Gisbergen told USA Sports. “But one night doesn’t sum up our year. I guess we haven’t been good enough.
“It’s been cool to be close. Shame we’re not in it.”
Trackhouse Racing was shut out of The Chase.
4. New Aero Rules Promising
Brad Keselowski said that handling did not feel different with the new aero package.
The new aero package with a shorter spoiler and less horsepower appeared to improve the racing. It was designed to make the cars less likely to be able to run tight in the pack and therefore encourage drivers to make a move without worrying they would automatically get hung out to dry.
While fuel saving still came into play, drivers appeared to have a better ability to improve their position. Of course, the moves were often made near the end of the stages and late in the race as they usually were.
Drivers had mixed reactions:
“We weren’t all on top of each other, so I felt like in a lot of ways it was somewhat more simplified of how the race was going to play out after I was able to watch and observe,” Cindric said.
“I thought our car was good enough to charge back through when needed.”
While Cindric could tell a difference, Brad Keselowski said in a post-race news conference that handling didn’t come into play.
“I could not tell a difference,” Keselowski said. “I couldn’t tell they changed the rules at all. My car drove almost identical to what it did. I was really shocked by that. I thought it would drive poorly, particularly here in the summer.”
4 ½. Chase Opener At Darlington
The Southern 500 opens The Chase next Sunday night at Darlington Raceway. Chase Briscoe has won the last two Southern 500s on the 1.36-mile egg-shaped oval.
Denny Hamlin enters The Chase as the leader, with a 25-point edge on Ryan Blaney after the reset.
Following Blaney are Tyler Reddick (-35), Ty Gibbs (-40), Briscoe (-45), Christopher Bell (-50), Kyle Larson (-55), Chase Elliott (-60), Joey Logano (-65), Chris Buescher (-70), Daniel Suárez (-75), Hocevar (-80), William Byron (-85), Wallace (-90), Cindric (-95) and Preece (-100).
The Chase will run like a mini 10-race season. There won’t be any more eliminations nor will there be the one-race championship event that NASCAR has used to determine its champion in recent years.
