Ryan Preece trimmed Shane van Gisbergen's points lead in the NASCAR Cup Series standings after finishing ninth at New Hampshire, while his rival struggled to 20th. The result cuts the gap to 31 points with one race left in the regular season.
Preece, driving the #60 Ford Mustang for RFK Racing, was eyeing a top-three finish but lost ground after a final pit stop left him with a tire set that didn't perform. "I thought we were going to be in contention to win that race," Preece said. "Ultimately, that last set of tires for whatever reason wasn't our best. We struggled."
Despite the disappointment, Preece remains optimistic. "We need our big days. Shane was able to capitalize on his road courses, and we had a good day today, but it would have been even better if we could have won or chased down the leaders. I'm on offense. I'm ready," he added.
Meanwhile, van Gisbergen, the Trackhouse Racing driver, led the opening stage in damp conditions before a competition caution switched the field to slick tires. He was uncompetitive in the dry but managed to collect two stage points. "Tough day for what we needed," van Gisbergen told NBC Sports. "Being that fast on wets and Connor being that fast shows that we're nowhere in the dry. We're missing something to have grip when the surface is like that."
With one race remaining at Daytona, van Gisbergen acknowledged the uncertainty. "I'd love to have more of a cushion, of course, like we entered with," he said. "The #60 did a great job. I'd love to have more into a big unknown race next week." Daytona will feature a new superspeedway package that has never been raced, adding to the drama of the playoff battle.
The NASCAR Cup Series regular season concludes at Daytona International Speedway on August 31 (AEST). Preece, who finished 25th at Daytona 500 this year, hopes for a better result this time.
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