Ryan Preece Wins First Cup Race at Daytona as Late-Stage Crash Sparks Playoff Implications

Ryan Preece earned his first NASCAR Cup Series win Saturday night at Daytona, clinching the victory on an overtime restart after the field behind him tangled in a large crash on the final lap. The win moved Preece into the playoff cutoff, a goal he had needed after entering the race far below the points threshold.

Preece recalled a past incident at the track, saying, "Daytona almost took my life," referring to a severe spin that occurred several years earlier and prompted safety changes at the speedway.

The race’s concluding chaos began when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made contact that sent Ryan Blaney into the wall, triggering a chain reaction that involved several drivers, including a collision that sent Kyle Larson into the path of Daniel Dye. Officials delayed the caution flag briefly before deploying it as the wreck spread, allowing the leaders to finish under green-flag conditions.

Separately, former actor Randy Quaid used the event’s social-media buzz to criticize the casting of Anne Hathaway in the announced Days of Thunder sequel, labeling her a "leftist, woke, horrible" choice for the film’s audience. He also suggested Nicole Kidman should replace Hathaway, adding that Hathaway’s pregnancy made her "not sexy" for the role.

The incident adds a cultural footnote to the weekend’s racing action, which now shifts to Darlington as the NASCAR playoffs commence.