RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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As often happens at Daytona, a healthy helping of luck always helps.
Ryan Preece definitely got some of that, which is fitting since Daytona seems to owe him a bit of grace.
But when in doubt, you want to mix in a timely victory , and they come no more timely than Preece’s Saturday night win in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 . The additional points he got for winning — 55, compared to 35 for the runner-up, before stage-point bonuses — pushed Preece into the 16th and final spot in the postseason Chase.
And we thought the “win and you’re in” provision disappeared this year and sapped some potential drama from Daytona’s regular-season finale.
They don’t get much more dramatic than what we saw Saturday, which was a typical Daytona thriller even without the Chase-points drama included.
There was plenty of post-race talk about Preece “calling his shot” prior to the 400, and therefore plenty of hat-tips for him following through on the self-hype. But at Daytona, with the style of racing it has produced for nearly 40 years now, there’s no such thing as going out there and taking one of these things by the neck.
Nope, Preece first needed a massive break, and he got it by avoiding major car issues after catching part of a wreck at the end of Stage 1.
A DRAMATIC FINISH IN DAYTONA!!! 🏁🏆🌴 Ryan Preece secures the win!! pic.twitter.com/K5oAgScLAY
— NASCAR on USA (@NASCARonUSA) August 30, 2026 And in the end, while he gets plenty of attaboys for hanging tough, battling back and putting himself in position, it took risky aggression from Tyler Reddick, which loosened and wrecked leader Zane Smith.
Preece, again, much to his credit, kept his right foot deep in his Ford’s floorboard and accepted the lead, which became the win when yet another crash ignited in his mirror and forced NASCAR’s hand. Officials might’ve been willing to let the race continue green to the checkers after one Turn 2 crash, but not after another deep into the backstretch, especially when some big hits were involved.
Ryan Preece rides Daytona momentum into the Chase at Darlington
And so off to Darlington they go, with 16 drivers in the starting field, beginning a 10-race mini-marathon to the finale at Homestead, where a champ will be celebrated.
Not to rain on Preece’s parade, or sweep up his confetti so quickly, but it won’t likely be him. He’ll start the Chase with a 100-point deficit to first-place Denny Hamlin. Plus, there’s a reason he was battling for 16th Saturday and not something near the front of the standings.
No, the championship will likely be decided among a handful of Toyota drivers and one, maybe two, of the Penske Fords.
The high banks belong to him! @RyanPreece_ 's first career win comes at @DAYTONA ! pic.twitter.com/Id4rgeuuaf
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 30, 2026 A win at the Cup level is big for any racer, because these things are so hard to win. And a win at Daytona carries additional heft, even in August. But we’ve come to learn it’s not exactly a sign of bigger things to come.
Wait a while before reminding Ryan Preece of this, however. He’s left Daytona battered and bruised a few times, so let him enjoy the glow.
Drama at race's end, some theatrics (Hollywood-style) before
In a testament to the strength of the entertainment side of the sports-entertainment industry, perhaps the biggest headline coming out of the weekend involved Hollywood.
Well, not just Hollywood, but Tom Cruise, who might actually be bigger than Hollywood. You want to add some life to the drudgery of a pre-race drivers meeting? Invite Tom Cruise.
Then invite him to speak. And, by the way, speak about a reboot of his long-ago NASCAR-themed movie, “Days of Thunder.”
The targeted movie release seems a long way off — June of 2028. These things take a while. So expect to hear about plenty of speedway visits by film crews and, occasionally, cast members. Maybe as soon as next February when NASCAR next turns laps at his home track at the Daytona 500.
Tom Cruise speaks to the NASCAR drivers about Days of Thunder 2 prior to their race at Daytona. pic.twitter.com/Qc0gk09hu4
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) August 29, 2026 In 1990, during production for the original Thunder movie, we saw a complete blurring of the lines — an erasure of them, actually — when NASCAR allowed a pair of “film cars” to turn laps during the actual Daytona 500 in order to get realistic footage for the upcoming movie.
Let’s assume that’s not necessary with today’s technology, but let’s also assume there’ll be some sort of Hollywood presence here during the next Speedweek. That would come just three years after Brad Pitt generated plenty of headlines during the Rolex 24, in preparation of the hit, “F1: The Movie.”
It’s the type of attention hard to generate with competition alone. But over the next 10 weeks, they’ll try.
Email Ken Willis at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ryan Preece was owed one by Daytona, and he got it in Coke Zero Sugar 400
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