NASCAR's regular season closed with a chaotic Daytona race that saw roughly half the field wrecked, angry accusations between drivers, and an unexpected first Cup Series victory for Ryan Preece, who had entered the night far below the playoff cut-off. The race also drew attention off the track, after actor Tom Cruise attended with heavy security and, alongside Anne Hathaway, announced a sequel to his 1990 racing film "Days of Thunder", prompting a backlash from the original film's co-star Randy Quaid.

Preece secured his maiden points-paying Cup Series win under difficult circumstances, having previously suffered a serious crash at Daytona that led the track to remove grass from its backstretch. Elsewhere in the field, Ricky Stenhouse was accused of deliberately hooking Ryan Blaney amid the widespread wrecking. Cruise's appearance, complete with an entourage compared to presidential-level security, coincided with confirmation that "Days of Thunder 2" is set for release in 2028 with Hathaway cast opposite him; Quaid, who played team owner Tim Daland in the original, publicly criticised Hathaway's casting on social media as a "leftist, woke, horrible choice" for the NASCAR audience.