Berlin Native Wins Thriller In Daytona To Earn Chance At Championship

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla./Berlin, CT — After Saturday night, Berlin native Ryan Preece is no longer just known for crashing at the famous Daytona International Speedway.

He's now known for winning there.

And, as a result, Preece's fans are howling with excitement as the local racing hero won his first-ever NASCAR Cup points race.

The legendary milestone victory for the 35-year-old asphalt icon, however, was more than just his first official Cup win.

In winning the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at the famous Daytona International Speedway, Preece, who cut his teeth on Connecticut's short tracks in modified stock cars, now has a chance to be the Cup Series champion for 2026.

His thrilling win, which came when the caution flag flew after a last-lap overtime crash, placed Preece 16th in points.

It means he now has a chance to compete for the season championship in the so-called "NASCAR Chase," in which the top 16 drivers battle in the season's final 10 races for the title.

“I’m just speechless right now,” said Preece on NBC Sports and reported on NASCAR.com.

“But those guys, that 60 group, we’re fighters,” Preece continued. “When you put our back against the wall, we swing hard… Last year there were a lot of keyboard warriors saying I was nothing. Well, we just kicked their butts tonight.”

Preece races the No. 60 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The primary owners of his car and race team are RFK Racing co-owners Brad Keselowski (a teammate and driver), Jack Roush, and John W. Henry of the Fenway Sports Group (also the Red Sox' owners).

“It’s a testament to how prepared these race cars are, man. I’m a racer,” Preece said after the race on NBC. “I know what it takes to build speed. So, to every man and woman at RFK, thank you for giving me a rocket ship so I could go to the moon tonight. This is redemption.”

The driver's choice of the word "redemption" is because he is often remembered for two wild accidents at Daytona, including one in the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 race and then the 2024 Daytona 500.

His car went upside down in both races, with the crashes still a popular view on YouTube.

This was Preece's second-ever NASCAR Cup Series win, a race where he ran up front most of the night, but it was his first points-paying race.

Last February, Preece won the Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray in Winston-Salem, N.C., an exhibition race on the quarter-mile short track that kicked off the season.

His Saturday night win was Preece's second victory against NASCAR Cup opponents, but he does have wins in the two companion feeder series to NASCAR Cup.

In 2018, he won two races in the now-NASCAR O'Reilly Series (the second division of racing), and in 2021, he won a NASCAR Truck Series event.

Of course, locally, Preece made a name for himself for years running big-tired, open-wheel modified cars, a staple of Northeast racing, winning 28 total modified events.

Specifically, Preece is seen racing or has raced at Thompson Speedway in Thompson, Conn., and Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Conn.

NASCAR success is not rare for Connecticut drivers, and one of Preece's competitors, Middletown-native Joey Logano, is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion (2018, 2022, 2024) and the 2015 Daytona 500 winner.

Like Preece, Logano is competing for the NASCAR title as well, coming in ninth in the Chase standings and seeking is fourth championship.

From April 10: 'NASCAR Star Draws Crowd As Guest Bartender At Popular Berlin Eatery'

From Feb. 5: 'Berlin Native Wins First NASCAR Cup Series Race In Thrilling Fashion'

From Aug. 28, 2023: 'WATCH: NASCAR Driver From Berlin Has Terrifying Accident'