Shane van Gisbergen has a stressful wait ahead of Daytona International Speedway. Following the NASCAR Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, van Gisbergen sits on the Chase bubble with a 31-point advantage over Ryan Preece, who had a strong day with a ninth-place finish.
While a 31-point gap seems pretty decent, this isn't an ordinary regular-season finale. NASCAR is introducing a new superspeedway package with zero practice at Daytona. No one will know how the new package races until the green flag for the 2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400 is waving in the air.
Therefore, it could be a chaotic race, which van Gisbergen doesn't want. Preece can earn a maximum of 76 points, but he would have to sweep both stages, earn the fastest lap, and win
the race. Nothing is guaranteed, and van Gisbergen will have to stay out of trouble to increase his chances of making the Chase on Saturday night.
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Shane van Gisbergen sits on Chase bubble going to Daytona in 2026
