Ryan Preece has significant work to do at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night. Following the NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Preece sits 17th in the standings with a 31-point deficit to the Chase bubble. Shane van Gisbergen sits on the cut line.
The RFK Racing driver is also 44 points behind Austin Cindric, who sits 15th in the standings. Heading to Daytona International Speedway, anything is possible, especially with a new superspeedway package. NASCAR isn't giving drivers and teams any practice, meaning this will be an unknown when the green flag is waved.
While 31 points seems like a major deficit, Daytona can have drastic points swings due to the chaos and unpredictability. Plus, if Preece wins, that is
an extra 20 points, meaning he would only have to make up 11 points over stages and finishing positions. It isn't impossible, and Preece knows he has to be aggressive at Daytona.
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Ryan Preece enters Daytona needing points to make the Chase in 2026
