Ryan Preece was able to get out of his car after he was involved in an incredibly scary crash during the final laps of the Coke Zero 400 race at Daytona on Saturday night.
Bryce’s car flipped in different directions 12 times after being airborne as it slid into the grass. After getting out of his car, Bryce lay on a stretcher and was taken by ambulance to the inpatient care centre. NBC reported after the race that Brees was taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.
The accident occurred with six laps left in the 160-lap race. The drivers eased most of the final stage of the race before their final pit stop. Once the teams made their last pit stops of the evening, the drivers became aggressive as they raced for the win.
The race restarted with two laps to go after the caution after Brees crashed. Chris Buescher was pushed into the lead by Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teammate Brad Keselowski and was not challenged on the final lap to win his third race of the season.
Buescher’s victory meant Bubba Wallace secured the 16th and final NASCAR Cup Series qualifying finish. Wallace entered the race last in qualifying but would have been out of qualifying had a winless driver outside the top 15 in the points standings won the race.
With Wallace in the playoffs, Chase Elliott misses the playoffs for the first time in his Cup Series career. Elliott missed seven of the 26 regular season races due to a broken leg and a one-race suspension. Elliott finished fourth on Saturday night and scored enough points in every race to make the playoffs but simply did not compete in enough races to qualify for the postseason via points.
The playing field is set
Martin Truex Jr. clinched the regular season title and 15 bonus points in the playoffs at Daytona. He started the playoffs tied for first with William Byron. Byron led all drivers with five wins over the first 26 races of the season.
Bosher will start qualifying in fourth place after his victory, four points behind third-placed Denny Hamlin. Here’s what the playoff field looks like ahead of the first round of playoffs in Darlington, Kansas, and Bristol.
1. William Byron, 2,036 points
2. Martin Truex Jr., 2036
3. Denny Hamlin, 2025
4. Chris Bucher, 2021
5. Kyle Bush, 2019
6. Kyle Larson, 2017
7. Christopher Bell, 2014
8. Ross Chastain, 2011
9. Brad Keselowski, 2010
10. Tyler Reddick, 2009
11. Joey Logano, 2008
11. Ryan Blaney, 2008
13. Michael McDowell, 2007
14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2005
15. Kevin Harvick, 2004
16. Bubba Wallace, 2000
Race results
1. Chris Bucher
2. Brad Keselowski
3. I show you Almirola
4. Chase Elliott
5. Joey Logano
6. Alex Bowman
7. Kyle Bush
8. William Byron
9. Kevin Harvick
10. Corey LaJoie
11. Ty Dillon
12. Bubba Wallace
13. Michael McDowell
14. Austin Hill
15. Chandler Smith
16. Christopher Bell
17. Ross Chastain
18. Eric Jones
19. JJ follows
20. Daniel Suarez
21. Justin Haley
22. Josh Perry
23. PJ MacLeod
24. Martin Truex Jr
25. Tyler Reddick
26. Denny Hamlin
27. Kyle Larson
28. Harrison Burton
29. AJ Allmendinger
30. Chase Briscoe
31. Ryan Preece
32. Todd Gilliland
33. Austin Dillon
34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
35. Ty Gibbs
36. Ryan Blaney
37. Austin Cendrick
38. Autumn Riley
39. Brennan Paul