NASCAR Race Results 2026: Ryan Preece Wins Daytona

NASCAR Race Results for 2026 have a new headline after Ryan Preece won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 29. Preece survived an early incident, stretched his fuel during the final stage and escaped a last-lap crash to earn his first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series victory.

The victory changed the championship field. Preece entered Daytona 31 points behind Shane van Gisbergen for the final Chase position but left 17 points ahead, giving the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford the 16th and final seed. Van Gisbergen won Stage 1 but finished 28th after the race-ending accident and missed The Chase.

Preece also rewarded bettors at approximately +2200 on the final Saturday outright board. Daniel Suárez finished second, Tyler Reddick third, Michael McDowell fourth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. fifth. This updated results hub covers the complete finishing order, stage winners, betting results, championship reset and the next Cup Series race at Darlington.

Quick NASCAR Race Results

• Latest Cup Series winner: Ryan Preece.
• Race: Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona.
• Date: August 29, 2026.
• Runner-up: Daniel Suárez.
• Third place: Tyler Reddick.
• Stage 1 winner: Shane van Gisbergen.
• Stage 2 winner: Ryan Blaney.
• Winner’s starting position: Fourth.
• Laps led by Preece: Five.
• Pre-race winner odds: Approximately +2200.
• Championship impact: Preece secured the 16th and final Chase position.
• Next race: Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington on September 6.

Latest NASCAR Race Results

Preece led only five laps, including the most important one. He moved ahead during the final overtime sequence before a multi-car crash behind the leaders brought out the caution and froze the running order with the No. 60 Ford in front.

Suárez avoided the final chaos and finished second after starting 23rd. Reddick placed third after leading five laps, while McDowell advanced from 18th to fourth and Stenhouse climbed from 32nd to fifth.

The complete official finishing order and race data are available through the NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 results.

Race Category	Daytona Result	Key Detail
Race Winner	Ryan Preece	First points-paying Cup victory
Runner-Up	Daniel Suárez	Started 23rd
Third Place	Tyler Reddick	Led five laps
Pole Position	Ross Chastain	Finished 24th
Stage 1 Winner	Shane van Gisbergen	Finished 28th
Stage 2 Winner	Ryan Blaney	Finished 33rd
Race Distance	166 Laps	Six overtime laps
Lead Changes	41	22 different leaders
Cautions	4	23 caution laps

2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400 Race Summary

The 2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400 was the 26th and final race of the Cup Series regular season. Daytona’s draft created constant movement throughout the field, with 41 lead changes among 22 drivers and no single car controlling the event for an extended period.

Stage 1 immediately affected the championship battle. Van Gisbergen won the stage and appeared to strengthen his hold on the final Chase position, while Preece was involved in a crash with RFK teammate Chris Buescher and Kyle Larson near the stage finish.

Preece’s damaged Ford was repaired, however, and remained competitive. He finished second in Stage 2 behind Blaney and kept himself close enough in points for the final stage to matter.

Fuel strategy then transformed the race. Preece avoided a final-stage stop and attempted to stretch his fuel to the finish. A Lap 155 crash involving Carson Hocevar and Erik Jones produced the caution that sent the race into overtime and reduced the remaining fuel requirement.

Zane Smith controlled much of the final run and led entering the last scheduled lap. The decisive sequence arrived when contact involving Smith and Reddick triggered a multi-car accident. Preece had worked his way ahead of Suárez before the caution appeared, giving him the victory.

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Finishing Order

The Daytona finishing order reflected the volatility of superspeedway racing. Suárez climbed 21 positions to second, Stenhouse gained 27 positions to fifth and Preece converted a fourth-place starting position into the most important victory of his career.

Finish	Driver	Start
1	Ryan Preece	4
2	Daniel Suárez	23
3	Tyler Reddick	17
4	Michael McDowell	18
5	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	32
6	Austin Cindric	8
7	Austin Dillon	29
8	Alex Bowman	20
9	Josh Berry	24
10	Cole Custer	16
11	Denny Hamlin	30
12	Harrison Burton	5
13	Chase Briscoe	12
14	Brad Keselowski	21
15	John Hunter Nemechek	27
16	Corey Heim	11
17	Christopher Bell	35
18	Joey Logano	9
19	Todd Gilliland	33
20	Bubba Wallace	26
21	Ty Dillon	31
22	William Byron	13
23	Chase Elliott	22
24	Ross Chastain	1
25	Connor Zilisch	7
26	Noah Gragson	37
27	Austin Hill	3
28	Shane van Gisbergen	6
29	Daniel Dye	39
30	AJ Allmendinger	36
31	Kyle Larson	10
32	Zane Smith	34
33	Ryan Blaney	19
34	Ty Gibbs	14
35	Cody Ware	25
36	Joey Gase	40
37	Casey Mears	38
38	Carson Hocevar	28
39	Erik Jones	15
40	Chris Buescher	2

NASCAR Stage Results at Daytona

Van Gisbergen and Blaney won the two stages, but neither finished inside the top 25. That contrast summarizes the volatility of the Daytona finale better than any single statistic.

Race Segment	Driver	Key Result
Pole Position	Ross Chastain	Finished 24th
Stage 1	Shane van Gisbergen	Strengthened Chase position temporarily
Stage 2	Ryan Blaney	Passed Chase Elliott late
Race Winner	Ryan Preece	Secured final Chase position
Top Chevrolet	Daniel Suárez	Finished second
Top Toyota	Tyler Reddick	Finished third

Van Gisbergen moved into the Stage 1 lead after Buescher crashed approaching the tri-oval following contact from Larson. Preece was also collected and slid through the infield grass, making his eventual victory even less likely at that point.

Blaney captured Stage 2 with a last-lap pass on Elliott. Preece finished the stage second, an important collection of points because the 2026 Chase field is determined by regular-season points rather than an automatic win-and-in rule.

How Ryan Preece Won at Daytona

Preece Survived Early Damage

Preece’s race nearly changed completely at the end of Stage 1. Buescher, Larson and Preece were involved in an incident near the tri-oval, and the No. 60 Ford slid through the grass with visible left-front damage.

RFK Racing repaired the car well enough for Preece to remain in the lead draft. That mattered because Daytona rewards survival as much as raw speed. Falling a lap down or losing the primary pack would likely have ended his Chase opportunity.

Stage 2 Kept the Chase Alive

Preece finished second to Blaney in Stage 2, collecting valuable points while Van Gisbergen slipped lower in the running order. The cutline battle that looked increasingly difficult after Stage 1 began moving back toward Preece.

The stage result was a reminder that the championship race could not be handicapped only through the eventual winner. Every position and every stage point mattered because Preece needed to overcome a 31-point deficit rather than simply reach Victory Lane.

Fuel Strategy Put Preece in Position

Preece and the No. 60 team committed to stretching their fuel over the final stage. Other contenders eventually stopped, but Preece remained on track and moved closer to the front as the strategy developed.

The plan carried obvious risk. Running out of fuel before the finish could have eliminated any chance of making The Chase. The Lap 155 caution changed the calculation by reducing the amount of green-flag running required.

The Lap 155 Crash Created Overtime

Hocevar lost control entering Turn 3 while battling around the front of the field. His Chevrolet hit the outside wall, and Jones then crashed heavily into the incident.

The caution sent the race beyond its scheduled 160 laps and gave Preece another opportunity to attack rather than simply conserve enough fuel to reach the checkered flag.

Preece Was Ahead When the Final Caution Appeared

Zane Smith remained at the front entering the decisive overtime sequence, with Reddick and Preece positioned nearby. Contact between Smith and Reddick eventually triggered a multi-car accident on the final lap.

Preece avoided the largest part of the crash and had moved ahead of Suárez when NASCAR displayed the caution. The field was frozen with Preece first, giving RFK Racing its first points-paying victory of 2026.

The result was not built on domination. Preece led only five laps. His victory came from surviving the early damage, collecting stage points, making an aggressive fuel decision and being positioned correctly when the race changed for the final time.

Top NASCAR Performers at Daytona

Ryan Preece

He entered 31 points below Van Gisbergen and left 17 ahead. Preece will begin The Chase as the No. 16 seed with 2,000 points, 100 behind top seed Hamlin.

The result also adds to a breakthrough season. Preece had already won the Cook Out Clash exhibition event at Bowman Gray before finally collecting a points-paying victory at Daytona.

Daniel Suárez

The result gave Suárez additional momentum entering The Chase as the No. 11 seed. It also demonstrated why his regular season was strong enough to qualify comfortably despite the chaotic final race.

Tyler Reddick

The result was enough to secure the No. 3 Chase seed behind Hamlin and Blaney. Reddick begins the championship run with 2,065 points.

Michael McDowell

McDowell did not qualify for The Chase, but his Daytona result reinforces his relevance in future drafting-track placement and matchup markets.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Josh Berry

Biggest NASCAR Disappointments at Daytona

Shane van Gisbergen

Van Gisbergen experienced the largest swing of the night. He arrived 31 points ahead of Preece and strengthened that position by winning Stage 1.

The strategy changed late when his team brought him to pit road for fuel and four tires. Van Gisbergen restarted deep in traffic and was unable to avoid the final-lap crash, finishing 28th.

He ultimately missed The Chase by 17 points. The result shows how quickly one Daytona race can erase a substantial points cushion even when the driver initially executes exactly what the championship situation requires.

Ryan Blaney

Blaney won Stage 2 and appeared capable of becoming the first driver since 2024 to win consecutive Cup races after his New Hampshire victory. Instead, the final-lap crash left him 33rd.

The poor finish had limited championship damage because Blaney had already secured one of the top regular-season positions. He still enters The Chase as the No. 2 seed with 2,075 points.

Chris Buescher

Buescher started second and led six laps but finished 40th after completing 151 laps. His involvement in the Stage 1 incident eliminated any opportunity to convert one of the strongest starting positions into a competitive finish.

Buescher remains in The Chase as the No. 10 seed, but Daytona provided no momentum before the championship opener at Darlington.

Carson Hocevar and Erik Jones

Hocevar and Jones were involved in the Lap 155 accident that created overtime. Hocevar finished 38th and Jones 39th after both completed only 154 laps.

The consequences were different. Hocevar had already accumulated enough regular-season points to make The Chase as the No. 12 seed, while Jones had already fallen out of serious qualification position.

Brad Keselowski

Keselowski finished 14th and led 10 laps, but the points situation required substantially more. His Chase hopes officially ended during the race as other drivers secured enough points above the cutline.

He remains an important race-by-race betting candidate despite missing the championship field. That distinction becomes especially relevant at Darlington, where Keselowski finished second and led 142 laps earlier this season.

Coke Zero Sugar 400 Betting Results

Daytona delivered another reminder that the shortest NASCAR outright price does not necessarily identify the best wager. Preece was approximately +2200 on the final FanDuel board, while none of the four shortest-priced drivers finished inside the top five.

Driver	Pre-Race Odds	Final Result
Joey Logano	+900	18th
Ryan Blaney	+1000	33rd
William Byron	+1100	22nd
Austin Cindric	+1300	6th
Tyler Reddick	+1600	3rd
Ryan Preece	+2200	1st

Ryan Preece Cashed at Approximately +2200

A +2200 price carries an implied break-even probability of approximately 4.35 percent before sportsbook margin. A $100 winning wager at that number would return $2,200 in profit.

Preece had been available at longer prices earlier in race week, which makes line shopping particularly important at superspeedways. Drivers can move substantially after qualifying, practice information and changes in public betting interest.

The Favorites Failed to Convert

Logano entered as the +900 favorite but finished 18th. Blaney won Stage 2 and still finished 33rd, while Byron placed 22nd.

Those results do not mean bettors should automatically oppose every Daytona favorite. The important point is that a superspeedway favorite still faces considerable accident and drafting variance, making a 9-1 or 10-1 price less dominant than the same ranking might appear in another sport.

Placement Markets Rewarded Several Longer Prices

Reddick failed to cash a +1600 outright ticket but finished third. McDowell, Stenhouse, Dillon, Bowman and Berry also produced strong placement results after starting outside the top 15.

That is why top-five, top-10 and driver matchup markets can provide better ways to express a Daytona opinion. A bettor does not always need to correctly identify the single driver who survives the final-lap crash.

2026 NASCAR Chase Standings

The Daytona result finalized the 16-driver Chase field. Hamlin enters the postseason as the No. 1 seed with 2,100 points and a 25-point advantage over Blaney. Preece starts 16th with 2,000 points.

The 2026 format contains 10 championship races without elimination rounds. All 16 qualifiers remain in the Chase throughout the postseason unless they become mathematically unable to win the championship.

Seed	Driver	Starting Chase Points
1	Denny Hamlin	2,100
2	Ryan Blaney	2,075
3	Tyler Reddick	2,065
4	Ty Gibbs	2,060
5	Chase Briscoe	2,055
6	Christopher Bell	2,050
7	Kyle Larson	2,045
8	Chase Elliott	2,040
9	Joey Logano	2,035
10	Chris Buescher	2,030
11	Daniel Suárez	2,025
12	Carson Hocevar	2,020
13	William Byron	2,015
14	Bubba Wallace	2,010
15	Austin Cindric	2,005
16	Ryan Preece	2,000

The reset makes Daytona’s finishing order less important for several already-qualified drivers, but Preece’s victory was decisive. His 67-point race moved him into the field, while Van Gisbergen and Keselowski were among the notable drivers left outside the championship battle.

Wins also become more valuable during The Chase. Cup Series victories are worth 55 points under the 2026 format, creating an incentive for championship contenders to continue pursuing the checkered flag rather than relying entirely on conservative points racing.

Recent NASCAR Cup Series Winners

Preece became the fourth different winner in the final five regular-season races. The only repeat winner during that stretch was Logano, who won at North Wilkesboro and Richmond.

Recent Cup Series Race	Winner	Date
Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona	Ryan Preece	August 29
New Hampshire Cup Race	Ryan Blaney	August 23
Cook Out 400 at Richmond	Joey Logano	August 15
Iowa Corn 350	Ty Gibbs	August 9
Brickyard 400	Corey Heim	July 26
North Wilkesboro Cup Race	Joey Logano	July 19
Quaker State 400 at EchoPark	Ryan Blaney	July 12
Chicagoland Cup Race	Chase Briscoe	July 5

The variety matters for bettors because the Cup Series now transitions from Daytona’s drafting environment to Darlington’s abrasive intermediate oval. Preece’s superspeedway victory should not automatically make him a stronger Southern 500 outright selection.

Next NASCAR Race: Southern 500 at Darlington

The next NASCAR Cup Series race is the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 6. The green flag is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET, and the 367-lap race begins the 10-event Chase for the 2026 Cup Series championship.

Darlington creates an almost complete reversal from Daytona. Drafting becomes far less important, while tire management, long-run speed, pit execution and avoiding contact with the outside wall become central to the handicap.

Next Race Detail	2026 Southern 500 Information
Race	Cook Out Southern 500
Date	Sunday, September 6, 2026
Start Time	5:00 PM ET
Track	Darlington Raceway
Track Length	1.366 Miles
Distance	367 Laps / 501.32 Miles
Entries	38 Cars
Television	USA Network
Streaming	HBO Max
Defending Winner	Chase Briscoe

Thirty-eight cars are entered, including the 16 Chase drivers. Hamlin arrives as the championship leader, while Briscoe attempts to win the Southern 500 for a third consecutive season.

Saturday practice and qualifying will provide important information before the race. Bettors can follow the current outright prices, placement bets and price thresholds in the updated NASCAR picks this week analysis rather than forcing the results hub to duplicate the complete Southern 500 betting preview.

NASCAR Race Results Betting Takeaways

Superspeedway Favorites Require a Different Price Standard

Logano was the shortest-priced Daytona driver around +900, yet that still represented only a 10 percent implied break-even probability before sportsbook margin. NASCAR favorites at drafting tracks remain much less likely to win than favorites in many traditional head-to-head sports.

The reason is structural. A fast car can be eliminated by another driver’s mistake, shuffled from the preferred drafting lane or trapped behind a late crash. The favorite may deserve the shortest number without necessarily offering attractive value.

Survival Can Matter More Than Leading Laps

Preece led only five laps, while Hill led 27, Elliott 19 and Smith 15. None of those three higher lap leaders finished inside the top 20.

At Daytona, Talladega and other drafting-style races, the ability to remain in contention until the final restart can matter more than dominating the first 90 percent of the event.

Fuel Strategy Can Completely Reprice a Race

Preece’s late fuel gamble placed him near the front when the Lap 155 caution changed the race. Van Gisbergen made the opposite decision, stopped for fuel and tires and restarted deep enough that the final accident became much harder to avoid.

Neither strategy was automatically correct before the caution. NASCAR bettors need to distinguish between a sound decision and a fortunate outcome created by the timing of the next yellow flag.

Finishing Position Does Not Always Measure Speed

Blaney won Stage 2 and finished 33rd. Buescher started second, led laps and finished last. Hocevar ran near the front before crashing and finishing 38th.

Those results should not be treated as evidence that all three cars lacked speed. Future NASCAR handicapping should separate mechanical performance from finishes created primarily by accidents and race circumstances.

The Chase Changes the Incentive Structure

Daytona ended the regular-season cutline battle. The next 10 races will be governed by a different objective as Hamlin, Blaney, Reddick and the other qualifiers compete for cumulative championship points.

There are no elimination rounds, and victories are worth 55 points. That gives Chase drivers a reason to pursue wins aggressively while still avoiding the major point losses created by DNFs.

Track type, outright odds, placement markets and race strategy are explained further in the ScoresAndStats NASCAR betting guide. Current weekly selections are also available through the NASCAR picks page.

NASCAR Race Results FAQs