Every point matters.
That was the major lesson NASCAR sent out when announcing the end of the "win and in" postseason format after 12 years and reverting back to an iteration of the old "Chase" system before the 2026 season.
Nobody knows how true that statement is more so than RFK Racing's Ryan Preece.
Preece has been inside the top 16 in the point standings for most of the 2026 season, largely due to his consistency. However, that consistency really came down to a lack of adversity, more than anything else. He recorded 11 straight top 18 finishes, but he didn't finish higher than eighth place during that stretch.
So the fact that he was ninth in total points scored at that point, and eighth if you exclude stage points, felt a bit fragile.
After back-to-back DNFs at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, it has become clear that that kind of consistency is not sustainable, simply because being consistent and being consistently good are not necessarily one in the same.
Ryan Preece out of playoff picture, thanks to penalty
Preece has suddenly fallen out of the top 16 and thus out of the provisional playoff picture; he's two points below Team Penske's Austin Cindric for the final transfer spot, and he's only seven points ahead of Team Penske's Joey Logano, who made up significant ground on the cutoff at Nashville.
Yet the main reason why Preece is 17th is the fact that he was docked 25 points after the race at Texas Motor Speedway in early May, when it was determined by NASCAR that his move on Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs, which knocked Gibbs out of the race, was an act of retaliation.
In other words, Preece has scored the 16th-most points this season, but he's 17th in the standings; NASCAR has effectively removed him from the playoff picture, and Cindric finds himself on the good side of the cut line, despite having registered the 17th-highest point tally.
Of course, with 12 races remaining on the regular season schedule, it's entirely possible that this penalty will end up not making a difference. But as of now, it is making a major difference, which goes to show just how valuable every single point is under this new format.
Even if Preece does still qualify for the playoffs, it's possible that he will be seeded lower to start the postseason because of this penalty, and drivers seeded higher start the postseason with additional points.
Preece and his team did appeal the penalty, which also included a $50,000 fine, but it was upheld.
The FireKeepers Casino 400 is the 15th race on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Live coverage from Michigan International Speedway is set to be provided by Amazon Prime Video beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, June 7. Preece finished this race ninth a year ago.
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