NASCAR: Preece claims first Cup victory at Daytona

Credit: James Gilbert via Getty Images

Ryan Preece avoided last-lap carnage to capture his first points race win in the Cup Series at the World Center of Racing.

As it unfolded

Ross Chastain started on pole position for the first time this season, with Chris Buescher to his inside in row one. Chastain led the first lap, with Buescher behind and a three-wide pack behind them. Kyle Larson and Shane Van Gisbergen challenged for the top spot, but only Buescher would ultimately slip ahead, with RFK Racing teammate Ryan Preece moving into second.

Austin Hill led his first career Cup Series laps at Daytona as the field neared 20 laps remaining in Stage 1. Drivers settled in, with Larson, Buescher, Preece and Van Gisbergen holding strong in the top five.

Just before the final lap of the stage, Chris Buescher passed Hill for the lead. Hill fell back as cars scrambled for position. Buescher and Larson made contact coming off turn four, triggering a crash that also collected Ryan Preece. Shane Van Gisbergen powered by across the line to claim the stage win.

Stage 1 Results:

1. No. 97 - Shane Van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing)

2. No. 54 - Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing)

3. No. 22 - Joey Logano (Team Penske)

4. No. 43 - Erik Jones (Legacy Motor Club)

5. No. 19 - Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing)

6. No. 5 - Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)

7. No. 23 - Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing)

8. No. 60 - Ryan Preece (RFK Racing)

9. No. 42 - John Hunter Nemechek (Legacy Motor Club)

10. No. 2 - Austin Cindric (Team Penske)

Credit: Chris Graythen via Getty Images

Joey Logano and Shane Van Gisbergen led the field back to green. Early into the stage, Todd Gilliland, Austin Hill, Chase Briscoe, Zane Smith and Ross Chastain took turns in the top spot. Chase Elliott had a stint in the front spanning several dozen laps as positions shuffled constantly between the multiple lines of cars behind him.

Team Penske drivers began mounting a charge to the front, with Ryan Blaney pulling even with Elliott inside the last 15 laps of Stage 2. Blaney's teammate Austin Cindric moved into first with ten laps remaining.

With momentum on his side, Blaney charged past Elliott on the final lap of the stage, bringing a slew of other cars along with him. Blaney captured the stage victory, with Elliott dropping to ninth.

Stage 2 Results:

1. No. 12 - Ryan Blaney (Team Penske)

2. No. 60 - Ryan Preece (RFK Racing)

3. No. 38 - Zane Smith (Front Row Motorsports)

4. No. 24 - William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)

5. No. 38 - Todd Gilliland (Front Row Motorsports)

6. No. 5 - Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)

7. No. 19 - Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing)

8. No. 7 - Daniel Suárez (Spire Motorsports)

9. No. 9 - Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports)

10. No. 33 - Austin Hill (Richard Childress Racing)

Credit: Chris Graythen via Getty Images

Todd Gilliland restarted first with Briscoe to his inside. Briscoe, Brad Keselowski and Cody Ware paced the field up front with 50 laps remaining in the race.

Green flag pit stops began on Lap 121. Hill, Chastain, Austin Dillon and a few others came for service.

Meanwhile, William Byron maintained the lead inside the last 30 laps, at the front of a single-file pack of 10 cars. A chase group pursued closely, while the third group of cars, which had pitted earlier, continued to make hold steady on the opposite side of the track.

More cars pitted with 17 laps left, including several of the leaders in Byron, Elliott and Briscoe. Tyler Reddick assumed the lead, with Carson Hocevar in second. Ryan Preece and Zane Smith pulled ahead with just over 10 laps left.

With six laps remaining, Hocevar and Erik Jones suffered a heavy crash in turn four, prompting a caution. The leaders stayed out, while a few teams opted to pit, including Shane Van Gisbergen and Ty Gibbs.

An overtime restart saw Smith and Preece in the front row. Smith held the lead to the white flag as the field ferociously charged three-wide behind him. Contact from Reddick in turn one led Smith to lose control, crashing and taking several other cars with him. Ryan Blaney spun after a collision further down the backstretch. A caution was issued, ending the race. Ryan Preece had taken the lead when Smith hit the wall, and as a result, earned his first NASCAR Cup Series win. The victory also gave him enough points to secure a spot in The Chase, which begins next weekend in Darlington.

Denny Hamlin is the regular season points champion and will hold a slight advantage in the postseason points. Shane Van Gisbergen has been knocked out of the top 16, meaning he will not be eligible for the championship in the final 10 races.

Provisional Results:

1. No. 60 - Ryan Preece (RFK Racing)

2. No. 7 - Daniel Suárez (Spire Motorsports)

3. No. 45 - Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing)

4. No. 71 - Michael McDowell (Spire Motorsports)

5. No. 47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Hyak Motorsports)

6. No. 2 - Austin Cindric (Team Penske)

7. No. 3 - Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing)

8. No. 48 - Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports)

9. No. 21 - Josh Berry (Wood Brothers Racing)

10. No. 41 - Cole Custer (Haas Factory Team)

11. No. 11 - Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)

12. No. 35 - Harrison Burton (23XI Racing)

13. No. 19 - Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing)

14. No. 6 - Brad Keselowski (RFK Racing)

15. No. 42 - John Hunter Nemechek (Legacy Motor Club)

16. No. 67 - Corey Heim (23XI Racing)

17. No. 20 - Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)

18. No. 22 - Joey Logano (Team Penske)

19. No. 34 - Todd Gilliland (Front Row Motorsports)

20. No. 23 - Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing)

21. No. 10 - Ty Dillon (Kaulig Racing)

22. No. 24 - William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)

23. No. 9 - Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports)

24. No. 1 - Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing)

25. No. 88 - Connor Zilisch (Trackhouse Racing)

26. No. 4 - Noah Gragson (Front Row Motorsports)

27. No. 33 - Austin Hill (Richard Childress Racing)

28. No. 97 - Shane Van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing)

29. No. 78 - Daniel Dye (Live Fast Motorsports)

30. No. 16 - A.J. Allmendinger (Kaulig Racing)

31. No. 5 - Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)

32. No. 12 - Ryan Blaney (Team Penske) [DNF]

33. No. 54 - Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing) [DNF]

34. No. 38 - Zane Smith (Front Row Motorsports) [DNF]

35. No. 51 - Cody Ware (Rick Ware Racing) [DNF]

36. No. 44 - Joey Gase (NY Racing Team) [+1 Lap]

37. No. 62 - Casey Mears (Beard Motorsports) [+1 Lap]

38. No. 77 - Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports) [+DNF]

39. No. 43 - Erik Jones (Legacy Motor Club) [+DNF]

40. No. 17 - Chris Buescher (RFK Racing) [+15 Laps]