Ryan Preece 2026 Report Card: A Daytona Win and a B+
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing 2026 Season Report Cards, where every full-time Cup Series driver gets a grade computed from all 36 races, not opinion. Next up: the number 60, and a driver who won his way in on the last night of the regular season.
The Short Version
Ryan Preece's 2026 season turned on one night. On Aug. 29 at Daytona, in the last race of the regular season, he won for the first time in a Cup points race and took the final spot in the Chase. That win was his only top 5 of the year. But his computed season grade is a B+, 11th of 35 full-time drivers, ahead of four drivers who finished above him in points. The reason is how much ground the number 60 made up every week.
Why the Ryan Preece 2026 Grade Is a B+
Every HHR report card grade comes from the same math. After every race, each driver gets a score out of 100 based on where they finished in the field, how many spots they gained or lost from the start, how many laps they led, and a penalty for not finishing. The season grade is the average of all 36 race scores, curved against the 35 drivers who ran the full year.
Preece's season score ranked 11th of 35, which lands at B+. He started 18.5th on average and gained 1.8 positions per race from there. That ranked 5th in the Cup Series. He also finished on the lead lap 26 times, tied for 5th most.
What kept it from an A is the top of the results. One top 5 ranked 25th of 35, and his 16.7 average finish ranked 16th. A NASCAR penalty in May also cost him 25 points, though points do not factor into the grade.
Ryan Preece by the Numbers
Here is where Preece ranked among the 35 full-time drivers in 14 stats. The bar and the circle show his rank (1 is best). The number on the right is the actual stat.
The two best numbers on the card are the two that measure grinding. Preece ranked 5th in positions gained (+1.8) and 5th in lead lap finishes (26). He was 10th in wins and 10th in DNFs with three, and 11th in finish spread.
The rest of the card sits in the middle. He ranked 15th in top 10s (10) and average driver rating (73.3), 16th in average finish (16.7), average running position (17.3) and percentage of laps in the top 15 (50%), and 17th in laps led (119). The low point is top 5s, 25th of 35. The number 60 was a top-10 car a lot more often than it was a top-5 car.
A Good Start, Then a Penalty and a Bad Month
Preece opened 2026 by winning the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray in February, an exhibition race. Over the first 11 points races he averaged a 13.8 finish, with 9th at Atlanta, 8th at Bristol and 21 laps led at Talladega.
Then came Texas on May 3. NASCAR ruled that Preece wrecked Ty Gibbs on purpose, citing his radio comments, and fined him $50,000 and 25 points. The penalty was upheld on appeal on May 27. Three straight DNFs followed:
- Charlotte, May 24: caught in a late multi-car crash in the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600. 33rd.
- Nashville, May 31: a piece of another car's broken brake rotor went through his radiator. 36th.
- Michigan, June 7: collected in a multi-car crash in Stage 3. 28th.
From Watkins Glen in May through New Hampshire in August, his average finish was 19.9. Going into Daytona, he was outside the Chase.
Daytona, Aug. 29
Preece started 4th. With about six laps left, Carson Hocevar crashed and collected Erik Jones, which sent the race to overtime. Preece restarted near the front. On the final lap Zane Smith blocked Tyler Reddick, got turned sideways and started a crash behind the leaders. Preece came out of it in front and won under caution, with Daniel Suárez 2nd.
The win gave him the 16th and final spot in the Chase. Shane van Gisbergen, who came into the night ahead of him in points, finished 27th and missed out. "This is redemption," Preece said, per the Associated Press.
The Chase
Preece started the Chase as the 16th seed and finished 15th in the standings with 2,226 points. He finished 10th at Darlington, Bristol and Kansas in three of the first four Chase races. He led 23 laps at Talladega in October and finished 13th.
The best chance at a second win came at Martinsville on Nov. 1. He started 6th, took the lead on Lap 84 and led 41 laps. In Stage 2 a loose wheel sent him spinning, he lost the right-rear tire, and he finished 23rd. He closed the year 25th at Homestead.
What 2027 Looks Like
Preece is moving to a new number. RFK Racing announced on Nov. 4 that he and his whole No. 60 crew, including crew chief Derrick Finley, will move to the chartered No. 6 Ford in 2027, replacing Brad Keselowski. "To be trusted with the 6 means more to me than I can put into words," Preece said. RFK says it will announce plans for the No. 60 later. Track every move on our 2027 silly season tracker.
The 2027 Daytona 500 is Feb. 21. Start times and channels for every race are on our race TV guide, and every other driver's grade is on the 2026 report cards page.
The Bottom Line
Preece's B+ says he got more out of his car than almost anyone in 2026. The win says he can finish the job when the door opens. The question for 2027 in the number 6 is whether he can turn all those 10th-place runs into top 5s.
Gear Up for 2027
We do not have Ryan Preece gear in stock right now. If he wins in the number 6 next year, the Winner's Circle subscription is the easiest way to get the shirt.
- Winner's Circle Shirt Subscription
- NASCAR Fan Cap Subscription
- 2026 Daytona 500 Trophy Black Hat
- The newest NASCAR gear
Sources: NASCAR official race results and loop data for all 36 2026 points races; Clash via Frontstretch; Texas penalty and appeal via RACER; Charlotte, Nashville and Michigan via RFK Racing summaries on Speedway Media; Daytona via the Associated Press; Chase seeding via NBC; Martinsville via RFK Racing and NASCAR.com; final standings via Heavy; 2027 move via RFK Racing and Field Level Media.
