With only one race left in the regular season at Daytona, the battle for access to the NASCAR Chase for the Championship intensifies. Currently, Austin Cindric is in the lead with a +44 point advantage over the next, Shane Van Gisbergen, who has +31 points.
The situation is complicated for Brad Keselowski, who needs all the drivers above him to drop out of the race early and also has to win at Daytona to secure the last spot. The odds of this happening are low.
Meanwhile, his teammate, Ryan Preece, has managed to keep hopes alive after a ninth-place finish, accumulating 10 stage points, while Van Gisbergen finished in 20th place with only two stage points. Preece and his crew chief, Derrick Finley, find themselves in a good position to strive for a top five in the middle stages of the race.
Preece, who was previously penalized 25 points for an incident with Ty Gibbs, has stated that they have done a good job, but acknowledges that winning would have been vital to narrow the gap with Van Gisbergen. ‘I don’t know what to do next week except drive to the max,’ Preece commented.
The race at Daytona promises to be unpredictable, with a new superspeedway package that hasn’t been tested before the race. This final stage of the regular season will not only determine the drivers who will access the Chase for the Championship but also the slots for the teams, which are vital for their funding.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
