Shane van Gisbergen vs Ryan Preece: What Daytona stats say about final Chase battle

Shane van Gisbergen and Ryan Preece are both vying for the 16th and final spot in the Chase at Daytona International Speedway. Currently, they are separated by 31 points in the drivers' standings and just six points in the owners' standings. Austin Cindric is 44 points above the cut-line, while Brad Keselowski remains mathematically in contention.

Throughout the race, both drivers will have to avoid incidents, as big wrecks are common in tightly-packed superspeedway races. Despite the unknowns brought by the new rules package, a statistical analysis of past races can provide some insight into the potential outcome of this Chase battle. Both van Gisbergen and Preece have a history of finishing close to each other in Daytona races, with SVG leading in head-to-head encounters and Preece having the better average finish.

If the trend continues, van Gisbergen's 31-point lead should be enough to secure his position in the Chase. However, a DNF for van Gisbergen would be a significant setback, while a Preece DNF would almost certainly end his hopes of making the Chase. On the other hand, a race win for either driver could make a significant difference in the owners' standings.