RFK RACING
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Date: August 29, 2026
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Daytona International Speedway (2.5 mile Super Speedway) – Daytona Beach, FL
Format: 400 miles / 160 laps with three stages. Stage 1: Ends at lap 35, Stage 2: Ends at lap 95, Stage 3: Ends at lap 160
RFK RACING RACE SUMMARY: On a day when movie star Tom Cruise was at the track, Ryan Preece’s race had a Hollywood ending. It could not have been more of a Cinderella story Saturday night as Preece came through with a clutch victory for Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing. Preece overcame a Stage One spin to rally for the win. The victory, the first points paying win of his career, came on the hallowed grounds of Daytona in the regular season finale’, and launched him into the Chase. Co-owner Brad Keselowski celebrated with Preece in victory lane after leading 10 laps and finishing 14th. Chris Buescher, who clinched his own Chase berth in New Hampshire, led 6 laps but was spun in Stage One, and damage sustained there relegated one of the race’s fastest race cars to an extremely misleading 40th place finish.
DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS
Ryan Preece – No. 60 Kroger / OIKOS Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: RACE WINNER
Start: 4th
Laps Led: 5
Stage Results: S1-8th, S2-2nd
Headline takeaway: Ryan Preece turned in a dramatic fairy tale like performance, scoring is first career points paying win on NASCAR’s most prestigious track, and in the process erasing a 31 point deficit to claim the final Chase berth.
Preece Quote: “Unreal. The Northeast is gonna burn it down tonight because when we won the Clash all I heard was, ‘That was a non-points race.’ Well, now we’ve won a points race and now we’re in the playoffs. We came with our back against the wall and we fought. That was a heavyweight fight and we were never out. Thank you to OIKOS, Kroger, Fastenal, Mr. Jack Roush, everybody at RFK, Brad Keselowski, Tad Geschickter, all our friends and family, Ford for the awesome race car, Doug Yates for the awesome motor. I’m just super, super proud. I’m proud to be a Northeast guy.”
FULL RYAN PREECE TRANSCRIPT ATTACHED
Brad Keselowski – No. 6 Consumer Cellular Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: 14th
Start: 21st
Laps Led: 10
Stage Results: S1-15th, S2–20th
Headline takeaway: Brad Keselowski’s knack for drafting track racing was on full display as he worked his way through the field to sometimes lead at Daytona Saturday night. Though he was shuffled back in the race’s late laps, he contended much of the night. As a team leader, he celebrated his 7th win as the co-owner of RFK Racing
Keselowski Quote: “Two cars in the Chase. It’s a big deal for us. To put two cars in that position is a big mark for us. We want to be a Tier I team. Tier I teams put their cars in the Playoffs. There’s no way around that,” said Keselowski. “Winning races, putting your cars in the Chase, that’s what it takes to get there. We did that today. Ryan did that today.”
Chris Buescher – No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: 40th
Start: 2nd
Laps Led: 6
Stage Results: S1-11th, S2-40th
Headline takeaway: Chris Buescher had a dominant first stage, leading 6 Laps and appearing to have a lock on winning the segment before being spun on the final Stage One circuit. The spin altered the course of his race, though he returned to action the damage hampered his ability to compete.
Buescher Quote: “That was hard. I’m curious what today what have looked like had I not wrecked at the end of Stage One. Grateful to this 17 team for patching me up, getting me back out there to still finish even if not on the lead lap. Yeah, just disappointing. We were really strong there. Happy for Ryan though and that group. Darlington is next and I really like going there. See what we can do next weekend.”
Point Standings:
Buescher: 10th – Chase Contender
Preece: 16th – Chase Contender
Keselowski: 18th
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is September 6 at Darlington Raceway (1.3 Mile egg-shaped oval – Darlington, SC). The race begins at 5:00 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA Sports and the Motor Racing Network.
About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 39th season in 2026, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit https://www.rfkracing.com/ and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.
