Ryan Preece secured the final NASCAR Cup Series playoff spot in dramatic fashion on August 29, 2026, winning a chaotic Daytona summer regular-season finale after a multi-car wreck on the second overtime lap at Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR Cup Series regular season reached a chaotic conclusion under the lights at Daytona International Speedway, where Ryan Preece navigated a multi-car wreck on the final overtime restart to capture the victory and snatch the sixteenth and final spot in the postseason Chase field. Daytona Night Race Closes Regular Season With Overtime Drama
Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway
The Cup Series regular season will wrap up on Saturday with the 2026 Daytona Night Race. The 2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400 will be contested under the lights at Daytona International Speedway as the green flag drops at 7:30 p.m. ET. Fighting to be a part of the 16-driver field for the NASCAR Chase will be the focus of those on the fringe, while Tyler Reddick will look to recapture past NASCAR Daytona glory. He won The Great American Race to start the year, as part of a season-high of five wins this season, but Reddick sits fourth in the Cup Series standings entering the Coke Zero Sugar 400 2026. The NASCAR Cup Series regular season ends in 400 miles’ time. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona is the regular-season finale, with the 16-driver Chase field locked in after the race. Shane van Gisbergen (+44 points ahead of 17th) and Austin Cindric (+31) only need solid results to ensure their Chase spots, while Ryan Preece (17th in points) needs a big points day plus some help to jump into the top 16. Ross Chastain is on the pole, with Chris Buescher on the outside of the front row. NASCAR is bringing a new rules package to this week’s race in order to promote less fuel-saving and more passing, including less horsepower and a shorter rear spoiler. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is scheduled for Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR’s drivers and teams return to Daytona Beach this weekend for a stock-car race at the World Center of Racing. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is scheduled for a green flag shortly after 7:30 Aug. 29 at Daytona International Speedway. Coke Zero Sugar 400 is the last race of the regular season before ‘Chase’
This year’s race includes tweaks. The 400-miler remains the final race of the Cup Series regular season. Playoff Bubble Battle Shifts Through Overtime
Carson Hocevar and Tyler Reddick in Late Laps
Ryan Preece wins Daytona race, makes playoff field. Chaos in the form of multiple wrecks erupts on the second overtime lap. The caution flew with Ryan Preece in front, giving him the win and allowing him to snatch the final spot in the Chase. Shane van Gisbergen is the odd man out. Big wreck involving Carson Hocevar shuffles 400 in late laps. The Big One erupted with five laps remaining, shuffling the running order as it appears we’re headed toward a two-lap, green-white-checkers finish. The multi-car crash ignited when Carson Hocevar, running second, lost control entering the east banking. The running order shows Zane Smith, Ryan Preece and Tyler Reddick up front. Tyler Reddick leads with 15 to go. Tyler Reddick leads the Coke Zero Sugar 400 after a group of frontrunners elected to pit with less than 20 to go. Reddick, the winner of the Daytona 500 in February, has a chance to double up on Daytona victories in the waning laps of this race. He’s followed by Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suarez, but a group of early pitters led by Ross Chastain is making a com
FanDuel Sportsbook Odds and Mike McClure Model
The Cup Series wraps up its regular season at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday with the 2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400. The green flag drops at 7:30 p.m. ET for the Daytona Night Race 2026, with Ryan Blaney the defending winner and coming off a victory last week. Tyler Reddick began the year with a NASCAR Daytona triumph at The Great American Race, while Denny Hamlin sits atop the Cup Series standings entering the Coke Zero Sugar 400 2026. Joey Logano is the +900 favorite in the 2026 NASCAR at Daytona odds via FanDuel Sportsbook, followed by Blaney (+1000) and William Byron (+1100). Surprise pole winner Ross Chastain is a longer shot at +2500. Before locking in any NASCAR at Daytona predictions or NASCAR DFS lineups, you need to see the projected leaderboard from Mike McClure’s proven model. McClure is a professional DFS player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every lap of NASCAR action 10,000 times. All told, the model has nailed a whopping 30 winners since 2021 and nailed Denny Hamlin’s back-to-back wins at Michigan and
NBC Broadcasts Daytona and Talladega
NASCAR will set the field for the 2026 Chase for the Cup Series championship Saturday night with a 400-mile race at Daytona International Speedway on NBC. Daytona will mark the first of four NASCAR Cup Series races this season, which are all airing on NBC. In addition to Saturday’s race at Daytona, NBC will broadcast the final three races of the 2026 season at Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 25), Martinsville Speedway (Nov. 1), and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 8). NASCAR opened the season at Daytona International Speedway in February. Tyler Reddick won the Daytona 500 for 23XI Racing with a last-lap pass on the 2.5-mile oval. Ryan Blaney, who is coming off a victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, was the winner at Daytona last August. Cup Series drivers will be facing many unknowns with new aerodynamics and horsepower regulations. With the 16-driver field now finalized, attention shifts immediately to the opening round of the postseason.
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