Ryan Preece willed his way into The Chase by scoring his first NASCAR Cup Series win Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. His victory showed what a determined team can achieve, and it made all the difference, moving him ahead of Shane van Gisbergen in points for the 16th and final spot in the championship field. One small slip would have left Preece on the outside looking in, but even at their lowest moment of the night, the team pulled together and kept moving forward. The No. 60 overcame a crash at the end of the first stage, scored points in both segments, led just five laps, and survived an overtime finish that showered the field in chaos. The victory was his first top-five finish of the season and his third top-10 in the last five races, a powerful way to earn his first opportunity to compete for a championship.
With the 16-driver championship field now set, the final 10-race run to the season's conclusion will begin at Darlington Raceway. Tyler Reddick won there in the spring during his dominant start to the season, but the landscape looks much different now, with Denny Hamlin entering as the top championship seed and in fine form. Recent noise from the Ford camp threatens to end Toyota's season-long domination, though. The remaining questions will begin to be answered over the final 10 races, and one driver finding a hot streak could completely reshape the championship picture during the most important stretch of the
Ryan Preece willed his way into The Chase by scoring his first NASCAR Cup Series win Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. His victory showed what a determined team can achieve, and it made all the difference, moving him ahead of Shane van Gisbergen in points for the 16th and final spot in the championship field. One small slip would have left Preece on the outside looking in, but even at their lowest moment of the night, the team pulled together and kept moving forward. The No. 60 overcame a crash at the end of the first stage, scored points in both segments, led just five laps, and survived an overtime finish that showered the field in chaos. The victory was his first top-five finish of the season and his third top-10 in the last five races, a powerful way to earn his first opportunity to compete for a championship.
With the 16-driver championship field now set, the final 10-race run to the season's conclusion will begin at Darlington Raceway. Tyler Reddick won there in the spring during his dominant start to the season, but the landscape looks much different now, with Denny Hamlin entering as the top championship seed and in fine form. Recent noise from the Ford camp threatens to end Toyota's season-long domination, though. The remaining questions will begin to be answered over the final 10 races, and one driver finding a hot streak could completely reshape the championship picture during the most important stretch of the season.
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NASCAR Power Rankings After Daytona
1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11
Last Week: 1
Saturday night's race at Daytona was not the vintage Hamlin superspeedway performance of old, but it was enough to maintain his steady progress toward an even bigger prize. Hamlin only qualified 30th but, as has become custom this season, he and the team found a way to be productive. His 11th-place finish was his eighth result of 12th or better from the final eight regular-season races. Hamlin already had the top seed wrapped up, but by maintaining this streak of confident finishes, he and the team enter The Chase exactly the way they want. If they can continue to maintain this form, with the 100-point advantage of being the top seed in The Chase, Hamlin might be hoisting his first series championship trophy in 10 races time.
2. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12
Last Week: 2
Blaney's superior superspeedway abilities were on full display again Saturday night. The Team Penske driver took a conservative approach to the first stage but made his way to the front in the second. He went on to win that segment and was in position to fight for the race win until contact on the backstretch on the final lap sent him spinning out of contention. Blaney led five laps, and his 33rd-place finish was not representative of what was nearly within his grasp. Still, Blaney did enough to wrap up the second seed among The Chase competitors and might have wrested some important momentum from Toyota entering these final 10 races. At Darlington, Blaney has two top-five finishes from 19 series starts. Both of those were from the last three races.
3. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54
Last Week: 4
Even though Gibbs was involved in a late crash and finished Saturday night's race in 34th position, there are still a number of positives he and the team will carry into the championship stretch. Throughout Saturday's race, Gibbs was among the top runners. He led a lap and finished second in the first stage. Even with the late crash, Gibbs is still one of the most consistent drivers heading into the final 10 races of the season. His Daytona finish was his worst since Texas, but superspeedways can be unpredictable and the team's top-15 finishing streak stretches all the way back to Michigan. After winning the first series races of his career, Gibbs is now poised to legitimately contend for his first series championship as well.
4. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45
Last Week: 5
Reddick and the No. 45 team still are not reaching the heights they started this season at, but their painful cold streak may be behind them. Saturday night's race at Daytona was another step in the right direction for the team with Reddick leading five laps and finishing third. The more important view is that Saturday's top-five was the team's fourth finish of 11th or better from the last five races, which may signal the end of a stretch of poor and inconsistent finishes that started in June. This uptick in form comes in just the nick of time with the championship races set to kick off next week at Darlington, too. Reddick has been great at that track, winning from pole earlier this season, and a repeat of that next week could set him up with a perfect start to the championship fight.
5. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20
Last Week: 3
After a stretch of impressive races leading up to the conclusion of the regular-season schedule, Bell appears to be cooling off just as the championship battle is set to commence. Bell qualified 35th for Saturday's race at Daytona and was never a factor throughout the distance. His 17th-place finish ended a run of four consecutive top-10 finishes and was his lowest finish since North Wilkesboro. While it is important not to read too much into a superspeedway race, Bell again appears to be lacking the fine details that make the difference between dominant races and also-ran finishes. The coming race at Darlington could be pivotal for the team's championship hopes. Bell could quickly become a championship favorite by getting his first win at that track and the breakthrough he has been working for all season.
6. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22
Last Week: 7
Despite not getting the finish Logano would have liked at Daytona, his ability to race to the front of the field showed that the recent momentum from the Team Penske cars has not diminished. Logano qualified ninth for Saturday's race and appeared capable of getting into the top 10 at will throughout the night. While jockeying for position at the front late in the race, Logano lost momentum after being shuffled to the middle line, slipping backward through the field and losing his chance at fighting for the win. However, this team still seems to have an advantage in hand heading into The Chase. Logano will start his championship effort ninth among the 16 contenders with two top-fives from the last five races. He won from pole at Darlington in 2022, but struggled with his car early this season and only finished 33rd there in March.
7. Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19
Last Week: 6
Briscoe is set to kick off this season's championship fight from fifth in the standings. Despite the enviable starting spot, the No. 19 heads to Darlington on a small downturn in form. Saturday's 13th-place finish was largely quiet for Briscoe, though it did come with stage points from both segments. However, he now begins The Chase with back-to-back finishes outside of the top 10, which ended a run of six race finishes of sixth or better from the prior seven races. Like all the other championship protagonists, Darlington could be a key factor in what Briscoe may accomplish in the final 10 races. The track has been a good one for him, though. He won the last two fall races there and achieving the three-peat next week would be his ideal scenario.
8. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9
Last Week: 9
Fans got a glimpse of the old Chase Elliott early in Saturday night's race. The former champion confidently navigated the front of the field at Daytona despite starting 23rd. His brief time at the front was a glimpse of what he and the team could be capable of if the equipment could get on par with the other top contenders. Even with the seeming deficit to the competition, Elliott has two victories this season and starts his championship effort from eighth in the standings. The bad news is that he has just one top-10 finish from the last 12 races, though. Like his Hendrick teammates, success in this championship fight will require a big step forward in competitive results. However, Elliott has shown the ability to sneak wins in this season even without having the best equipment.
9. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5
Last Week: 8
Though some recent superspeedway finishes have helped improve Larson's average results at the tracks, his poor luck in the format returned again Saturday night at Daytona. In large part, Larson delivered a respectable performance through most of Saturday's race, but multiple incidents negated his potential and delivered a disappointing 31st-place finish. Though the Hendrick Chevrolets were able to lead Saturday night, they still don't appear to have the competitiveness of the Toyotas and Fords, which makes Larson's job in The Chase significantly more difficult. Larson will start this season's championship fight seventh in the standings, winless for more than a year, and with three finishes worse than 30th from the last five races.
10. Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23
Last Week: 10
Wallace had an up-and-down night at Daytona but did enough to set himself up well for the final 10-race stretch of the season. Entering The Chase in 14th among the 16 contenders gives him an opportunity to deliver the best season of his career if he can find and maintain the form he has shown throughout the year. While the No. 23 never reached the heights of teammate Reddick, Wallace has still displayed plenty of competitive speed and earned 11 top-10 finishes during the regular season. He has finished 12th or better in every other race since Nashville, a stretch spanning 12 races. A few small improvements could turn that pattern into consistent top-10 finishes and help him climb the championship standings.
Knocking on the Door
Ryan Preece, RFK Racing No. 60
Last Week: N/A
Many things had to go perfectly at Daytona for Ryan Preece to overcome the points gap to Shane van Gisbergen and earn one of the 16 spots that would compete for the championship, and he made it happen. After an impressive qualifying effort, Preece was poised to pull off the impossible. He raced among the leaders through the first stage before disaster almost struck as he was part of a crash. Damage was minimal, though, and Preece set about climbing back up the order. He was second again by the end of the second stage. The impressive recovery continued as he held station among the leaders until the finish, surviving the overtime restart chaos to be the leader when the race was called, winning his first series race and earning a championship spot along with it. The team has life in the championship and now need to show what they can do with it.
Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports No. 77
Last Week: N/A
If Hocevar senses a chance, he is going to take it. That approach can be a double-edged sword, though. Saturday at Daytona, he felt the sting of that approach, turning down the track's steep banking to make a move for the lead only to find himself losing control and slamming into the outside wall. While Hocevar's outright speed is not in question, one wonders what he might be capable of with some moderation. His aggressive approach has him in The Chase, but he enters the final 10 races with four consecutive finishes outside of the top 15 and three finishes from the last four outside of the top 30. Hocevar's willingness to leave everything on the playing field makes him a fan-favorite, but winning championships often requires a more measured plan of attack.
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing No. 97
Last Week: N/A
Despite their best efforts, Shane van Gisbergen and the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing team could not hold their spot among The Chase competitors. Saturday night began ideally for the two-time season winner with his first stage victory at Daytona. Van Gisbergen fought mightily to stay in the points during the second stage but came up just short in the pack. Late in the race, fuel mileage became a concern, forcing the team to surrender track position for fuel. With Preece winning, SVG simply did not finish well enough to retain that championship position. It was a gut punch for him and the team, but their progress has been clear this season, and the No. 97 may still spring a few surprises before it ends.
