Ryan Preece completed the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series Chase field by winning the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway and displacing Shane van Gisbergen at the cutline.

Austin Cindric secured the other undecided position with a sixth-place finish, while Bubba Wallace confirmed his advancement by collecting four points in Stage 1.

Preece arrived at Daytona 31 points behind SVG and needed an exceptional performance to keep his championship hopes alive. Despite being caught in an accident at the end of the opening stage, the RFK Racing driver recovered to finish second in Stage 2 before taking the lead during a chaotic final lap in overtime.

Zane Smith and Tyler Reddick made contact while battling ahead of him, allowing the No. 60 Ford to move underneath the incident moments before NASCAR froze the running order under caution.

The win was Preece’s first points-paying Cup success in 249 starts and gave him 67 points for the night, compared with 19 for his closest rival. That 48-point swing put him through by 17.

Ryan Preece Just Flipped His NASCAR Season Upside Down With Daytona Victory

SVG had strengthened his position by winning the first stage, but his team brought him to pit road for fuel and four tires following the late caution. He restarted 27th, got involved in the last-lap wreck and finished 28th.

“One night doesn’t sum up our year,” van Gisbergen said. “It’s been cool to be close. Shame we’re not in it.”

Hamlin Leads the Championship Field

Denny Hamlin enters The Chase with a 25-point advantage after bagging the regular-season title at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Hamlin’s dominant summer run included consecutive victories at Nashville Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway and Pocono Raceway.

Ryan Blaney follows after winning at Phoenix, EchoPark Speedway and New Hampshire. The Team Penske driver also bagged Stage 2 at Daytona before being collected in the race-ending accident and finishing 33rd.

Tyler Reddick earned the third position after leading the Cup Series with five regular-season victories. Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe complete the top five, placing three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers among the first six when Christopher Bell is included.

Kyle Larson starts immediately ahead of Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott after NASCAR reviewed the finishing order from Daytona. Joey Logano and Chris Buescher occupy the remaining places inside the top 10.

Daniel Suarez gained two positions through his runner-up result in the Coke Zero Sugar 400. His regular season included a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 victory, while Carson Hocevar qualified behind him following his breakthrough win at Talladega.

William Byron reached the championship portion without winning a race. Wallace and Cindric also advanced in their season-long points totals, primarily due to the effect of NASCAR’s replacement of the former “win and in” system.

The Chase will run for 10 races without elimination rounds, with the championship going to the eligible driver holding the most points at the end of the finale. It begins with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 6 at 5 p.m. ET on USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Complete 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Field

Seed Driver Team Car No. Points After Reset 1 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 11 2,100 2 Ryan Blaney Team Penske 12 2,075 3 Tyler Reddick 23XI Racing 45 2,065 4 Ty Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing 54 2,060 5 Chase Briscoe Joe Gibbs Racing 19 2,055 6 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing 20 2,050 7 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports 5 2,045 8 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 9 2,040 9 Joey Logano Team Penske 22 2,035 10 Chris Buescher RFK Racing 17 2,030 11 Daniel Suarez Spire Motorsports 7 2,025 12 Carson Hocevar Spire Motorsports 77 2,020 13 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports 24 2,015 14 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing 23 2,010 15 Austin Cindric Team Penske 2 2,005 16 Ryan Preece RFK Racing 60 2,000