Ryan Preece Points to Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott As Reason Behind Daytona Miss

It’s going to be a lonely NASCAR playoff for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. All three of its drivers — team co-owner Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, and Ryan Preece — failed to make the 10-race postseason.

In addition to the 14 drivers who claimed at least one win this season, two other drivers qualified for the 16-driver playoffs on points: 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman.

Preece, who finished 14th Saturday night at Daytona, was upset that he fell short. The 34-year-old was challenging for the lead late in the race when he got shuffled back.

“Man, I thought we were going to win that race. You want to talk about having the best scenario play out for how we wanted it to. I was just leading the #7 (Justin Haley) there, the #17 [Chris Buescher] was doing a great job, just letting them stay there. There was nothing you could do,” Preece said.

“The problem is that the #9 [Chase Elliott] and #5 [Kyle Larson] were worried about their teammate that would have been bumped out [Bowman]. So, sh***y situation. Thought we were going to win that one. We did everything right today, and it just didn’t work out,” added the No. 60 Ford Mustang Dark Horse driver.

Larson, who finished sixth, downplayed Preece’s comments. “I was just stressed. I know I can control my destiny, and I’m trying to win to help Alex. Yeah, I was really, really trying hard to do all I could to win there,” he said.

For Preece, the finish was very similar to how the race at Talladega played out earlier this year before he was disqualified. Preece was side-by-side for the lead with five laps left and still had a chance with two laps remaining, but came up short.

“I wouldn’t have done anything different. I knew when we got to where we did, I felt like it was going to be the same thing as Talladega…” Preece added. “It just seems to be another week where we didn’t win, but [it] wasn’t for a lack of trying.”

Ryan Preece understandably frustrated by coming up short at Daytona. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Jvm0O8Ypzo

— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) August 24, 2025

Preece might have had enough points to qualify in any case, had he not been disqualified and lost all the resulting points at Talladega earlier this year. At the race, his runner-up run was tossed due to what NASCAR called “illegal modifications to the rear spoiler.”