2026 NASCAR Cup Daytona II
LIVE: NASCAR Cup at Daytona lap-by-lap updates and commentary
Follow along live with Motorsport.com as we take you through every lap of the NASCAR Cup regular season finale, where the 2026 Chase field will be set.
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THE FINISH
It took 249 career starts, but Ryan Preece is finally a NASCAR Cup winner.
Just wow. Ryan Preece is in the Chase, knocking out Shane van gisbergen
RYAN PREECE WINS UNDER CAUTION
CRASHING EVERYWHERE
Green flag for a two-lap dash! Preece and Smith leading, and neither have ever won a Cup race. Also a Chase spot on the line for Preece...
Going green this time by
Hocevar on what happened: "I was always super tight behind people. I just changed from top to bottom and that was the first time I got a ton of air on the nose into Turn 3...and I just lost it. I kept the wheel straight and it just kept going."
This cleanup is taking a while...
The Carson Hocevar crash:
SVG pits with a small handful of others. This is going to be very on fuel
We are going to overtime!
Hocevar and Jones with big damage, and Ty Gibbs went spinning as well
Caution is out, obviously.
Hocevar just lost control and wrecked himself!
Preece fights back with Smith pushing
Hocevar to the lead!
At this moment, SVG and Preece are tied. OH. MY.
10 laps remain
Preece with a huge move for the lead!
Well, the leaders are battling like they don't plan to pit! Zane Smith to the lead
Chastain's group is only 10 seconds behind the back of the mega pack that hasn't pitted...unreal.
Chastain now running 25th after those pit stops, easily undercutting the Hendrick-led group.
Hendrick cars pitting with 17 to go, and a few coming with them
Lots of separation now as cars continue to fuel-save behind the leading Hendrick trio
The entire leading pack is now single-file on the bottom, led by three Hendrick cars
20 laps to go. Byron leads the way, while Chastain is 32nd but within 20s of the race lead despite pitting.
Chastain's group includes ADillon, Custer, Stenhouse, and Zilisch.
Chastain's little group is running a couple of tenths faster than the mega pack.
This is such a cat and mouse game at the moment
There's diverging strategies here, as some drivers in the main pack are pushing while others still want to save.
Byron moves into the race lead
Lead group is starting to really pick up the pace now
Cody Ware leads the race, but who else is pitting and when?
That small group of Chevrolets, led by Chastain, are 1-2 seconds faster per lap than the massive pack.
SVG was not part of that group, now off-sequence from his teammates
Green-flag pit stops on Lap 122! It's Trackhouse, RCR and some other Chevys
By: Nick DeGroot
