DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ryan Preece won the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway in overtime Saturday night to take the final playoff spot.
Preece, who violently flipped twice in recent years at Daytona, moved to the front during a green-white-checkered finish. Leader Zane Smith got bumped from behind, started spinning and slamming into other cars on the last lap. Preece took the checkered flag under caution
and edged Shane van Gisbergen for the 16th and final berth in the postseason finale.
“Thank you for giving me a rocket ship so I could go to the moon tonight,” Preece said.
Bubba Wallace and Austin Cindric locked up the other two available spots. Wallace, Cindric, van Gisbergen, Preece and Brad Keselowski started the night vying for the final three spots in the 10-race Chase for the championship.
Wallace, who was nearly a lock to make the 16-driver field when the green flag dropped, claimed his spot with a seventh-place finish in the opening stage. Cindric avoided trouble all night, finished sixth and advanced without much fanfare.
Daniel Suarez finished second in the race, followed by Michael McDowell, Tyler Reddick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Van Gisbergen won Stage 1 and created more of a cushion on Preece, who was caught up in a three-car crash as he neared the finish line. Preece raced his way back to the front in Stage 2 and picked up much-needed points with a second-place finish behind Ryan Blaney.
But it came down to the final lap. Preece needed to win to get in — and he pulled it off in dramatic fashion.
It was set up when Carson Hocevar caused the OT finish by spinning while making a move toward the lead and slamming into the outside retaining wall with six laps to go. Hocevar got a big run, turned low, lost control and slid back across traffic. Erik Jones rear-ended him so hard that their cars were briefly stuck together.
Tom Cruise is getting back behind the wheel for a follow-up to “Days of Thunder.” The 64-year-old Cruise announced Saturday at Daytona he will reprise his role as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle.
He said he wants to show audiences “the speed, the excitement and all that danger and stuff.”
Anne Hathaway will co-star as a team owner and engineer in the film scheduled to be released by Paramount Pictures on June 2, 2028.
Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will drive a familiar-looking No. 48 in his final Cup Series start. Johnson unveiled his paint scheme for his Toyota in the 2027 Daytona 500 by driving a ceremonial lap around the track before Saturday’s race. The gray-and-blue scheme melds the three main sponsors during Johnson’s record-setting racing career: Lowe’s, Ally and Carvana.
Johnson’s final start will come in the 69th running of the Daytona 500, scheduled for Feb. 21, 2027. Hendrick Motorsports loaned Johnson the No. 48 for his last ride.
“Seeing this car for the first time brings back a lifetime of memories,” Johnson said.
Riley Herbst was scratched from the race because of “lingering effects” from a crash last weekend. Harrison Burton replaced Herbst in the No. 35 Toyota and finished xxx.
Herbst was involved in a crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last Sunday, with his car backing into the outside barrier before being struck again.
The 10-race Chase for the championship begins at Darlington Raceway next Sunday.
___
See AP’s full auto racing coverage here
