Shane van Gisbergen bagged his first ever stage win at an oval race track at Daytona International Speedway. And he just might’ve secured his spot to advance into the Chase.
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Coming to the end of the first stage, the Trackhouse Racing driver made an aggressive push on the back bumper of the No. 5 Chevy of Kyle Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver himself was involved in a heated battle with the leader, Chris Buescher. The contact by SVG sent Larson into Buescher’s path, and the two drivers made contact, sparking a big crash.
Buescher was trying his best to block the advance by the No. 5 car, but instead he wrecked himself in the process. Unfortunately, Buescher’s teammate, Ryan Preece also got caught in the melee, as he was looking to grab some stage points to his name to keep his Chase hopes alive.
SVG won the stage, which further solidified his position on the cutline. Preece entered the Daytona race chasing the 31-point deficit on SVG, but this crash has handed the Kiwi driver an advantage over his direct rival. Kyle Larson felt he sparked the crash, “My bad.”
The good news for Preece was that although he was spinning on the track, he crossed the start-finish line. And therefore NASCAR scored him with the points for the stage. “Damn, right. I kept my leg in it through the grass.”
According to Jeff Gluck, NASCAR scored Preece in P8, so he bagged three stage points. Meanwhile, SVG took 10 points to his name, thanks to the stage win. Bubba Wallace locked himself in the Chase after adding four points to his tally, but on the flip side, Brad Keselowski was officially eliminated from the contention for post-season.
Buescher’s No. 17 Ford would require extensive repairs, and he has already lost 13 laps for repairs involving the suspension and steering. Fortunately, he is already locked into the Chase. This means Preece is the only RFK Racing driver in the race to contend for the top 16.
The No. 60 Ford had minimal damage, and Preece even managed to get his car back onto the track after sliding on the grass. Another solid run in Stage 2 could help Preece close the gap on SVG. But, in case he fails to overcome the points deficit, this crash in Stage 1 will prove to be a decisive one.