diff --git a/internal/controller/nodereadinessrule_controller.go b/internal/controller/nodereadinessrule_controller.go
index 09ab6e1..f9d2324 100644
--- a/internal/controller/nodereadinessrule_controller.go
+++ b/internal/controller/nodereadinessrule_controller.go
@@ -160,15 +160,15 @@ func (r *RuleReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Update rule status
-	if err := r.Controller.updateRuleStatus(ctx, rule); err != nil {
-		log.Error(err, "Failed to update rule status", "rule", rule.Name)
+	// Clean up status for deleted nodes before persisting to avoid writing stale entries.
+	if err := r.Controller.cleanupDeletedNodes(ctx, rule, nodeList); err != nil {
+		log.Error(err, "Failed to clean up deleted nodes", "rule", rule.Name)
 		return ctrl.Result{RequeueAfter: time.Minute}, err
 	}
 
-	// Clean up status for deleted nodes
-	if err := r.Controller.cleanupDeletedNodes(ctx, rule, nodeList); err != nil {
-		log.Error(err, "Failed to clean up deleted nodes", "rule", rule.Name)
+	// Update rule status
+	if err := r.Controller.updateRuleStatus(ctx, rule); err != nil {
+		log.Error(err, "Failed to update rule status", "rule", rule.Name)
 		return ctrl.Result{RequeueAfter: time.Minute}, err
 	}
 
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ func (r *RuleReadinessController) cleanupDeletedNodes(ctx context.Context, rule
 		existingNodes[node.Name] = true
 	}
 
-	// Filter out deleted nodes
+	// Filter out deleted nodes from NodeEvaluations
 	var newNodeEvaluations []readinessv1alpha1.NodeEvaluation
 	for _, evaluation := range rule.Status.NodeEvaluations {
 		if existingNodes[evaluation.NodeName] {
@@ -222,38 +222,31 @@ func (r *RuleReadinessController) cleanupDeletedNodes(ctx context.Context, rule
 		}
 	}
 
-	if len(newNodeEvaluations) == len(rule.Status.NodeEvaluations) {
+	// Filter out deleted nodes from FailedNodes
+	var newFailedNodes []readinessv1alpha1.NodeFailure
+	for _, failure := range rule.Status.FailedNodes {
+		if existingNodes[failure.NodeName] {
+			newFailedNodes = append(newFailedNodes, failure)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if len(newNodeEvaluations) == len(rule.Status.NodeEvaluations) && len(newFailedNodes) == len(rule.Status.FailedNodes) {
 		log.V(4).Info("No deleted nodes to clean up", "rule", rule.Name)
 		return nil
 	}
 
 	log.V(4).Info("Cleaning up deleted nodes from rule status",
 		"rule", rule.Name,
-		"before", len(rule.Status.NodeEvaluations),
-		"after", len(newNodeEvaluations))
+		"evaluationsBefore", len(rule.Status.NodeEvaluations),
+		"evaluationsAfter", len(newNodeEvaluations),
+		"failedBefore", len(rule.Status.FailedNodes),
+		"failedAfter", len(newFailedNodes))
 
-	// Use retry on conflict to update status to avoid race conditions from node updates
-	return retry.RetryOnConflict(retry.DefaultRetry, func() error {
-		fresh := &readinessv1alpha1.NodeReadinessRule{}
-		if err := r.Get(ctx, client.ObjectKey{Name: rule.Name}, fresh); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
+	// Update in-memory state so the subsequent status patch uses the cleaned evaluations.
+	rule.Status.NodeEvaluations = newNodeEvaluations
+	rule.Status.FailedNodes = newFailedNodes
 
-		var freshNodeEvaluations []readinessv1alpha1.NodeEvaluation
-		for _, evaluation := range fresh.Status.NodeEvaluations {
-			if existingNodes[evaluation.NodeName] {
-				freshNodeEvaluations = append(freshNodeEvaluations, evaluation)
-			}
-		}
-
-		if len(freshNodeEvaluations) == len(fresh.Status.NodeEvaluations) {
-			return nil
-		}
-
-		patch := client.MergeFrom(fresh.DeepCopy())
-		fresh.Status.NodeEvaluations = freshNodeEvaluations
-		return r.Status().Patch(ctx, fresh, patch)
-	})
+	return nil
 }
 
 // processAllNodesForRule processes all nodes when a rule changes.
diff --git a/internal/controller/nodereadinessrule_controller_test.go b/internal/controller/nodereadinessrule_controller_test.go
index a1e02a6..80ce239 100644
--- a/internal/controller/nodereadinessrule_controller_test.go
+++ b/internal/controller/nodereadinessrule_controller_test.go
@@ -1412,6 +1412,50 @@ var _ = Describe("NodeReadinessRule Controller", func() {
 				return false
 			}, time.Second*5).Should(BeTrue())
 		})
+
+		It("should not write stale NodeEvaluations to status before cleanup runs", func() {
+			// This is a regression test for the ordering fix: cleanup must happen
+			// before updateRuleStatus so that the single status patch never contains
+			// an entry for a deleted node. Prior to the fix, cleanupDeletedNodes ran
+			// after updateRuleStatus, creating a dirty stale-write window.
+
+			// Initial reconcile to populate status with both nodes.
+			_, err := ruleReconciler.Reconcile(ctx, reconcile.Request{NamespacedName: types.NamespacedName{Name: "delete-node-rule"}})
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+			Eventually(func() int {
+				updatedRule := &nodereadinessiov1alpha1.NodeReadinessRule{}
+				_ = k8sClient.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: "delete-node-rule"}, updatedRule)
+				return len(updatedRule.Status.NodeEvaluations)
+			}, time.Second*5).Should(Equal(2))
+
+			// Delete node1.
+			Expect(k8sClient.Delete(ctx, node1)).To(Succeed())
+
+			// Reconcile once. With the fix, the single status patch must already
+			// contain only node2 — no intermediate state with node1 is written.
+			_, err = ruleReconciler.Reconcile(ctx, reconcile.Request{NamespacedName: types.NamespacedName{Name: "delete-node-rule"}})
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+			// The status fetched immediately after reconcile must not contain node1.
+			// Without the ordering fix this would be flaky or fail because an
+			// intermediate patch wrote the stale entry first.
+			updatedRule := &nodereadinessiov1alpha1.NodeReadinessRule{}
+			Expect(k8sClient.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: "delete-node-rule"}, updatedRule)).To(Succeed())
+
+			nodeNames := make([]string, 0, len(updatedRule.Status.NodeEvaluations))
+			for _, eval := range updatedRule.Status.NodeEvaluations {
+				nodeNames = append(nodeNames, eval.NodeName)
+			}
+			Expect(nodeNames).NotTo(ContainElement("node1"), "deleted node must not appear in the NodeEvaluations status patch written during reconcile")
+			Expect(nodeNames).To(ContainElement("node2"), "surviving node must remain in NodeEvaluations status")
+
+			failedNodeNames := make([]string, 0, len(updatedRule.Status.FailedNodes))
+			for _, eval := range updatedRule.Status.FailedNodes {
+				failedNodeNames = append(failedNodeNames, eval.NodeName)
+			}
+			Expect(failedNodeNames).NotTo(ContainElement("node1"), "deleted node must not appear in the FailedNodes status patch written during reconcile")
+		})
 	})
 
 	Context("when a rule's nodeSelector is modified", func() {