Brad Keselowski scored his first NASCAR Daytona Clash victory, moving from last to first place in the opening part of the race and staying in the lead until the finish.
Team Penske dominated the majority of the 75-lap race, with Keselowski running first ahead of Ryan Blaney for much of the second half and Joey Logano also running third for a brief spell towards the finish.
Cutting his way through the field from 17th to fourth in the opening laps, Keselowski took the lead from Chase Elliott in the first cycle of pit-stops and stayed out in front with team-mate Blaney acting as his rear-gunner.
Keselowski’s position out front helped him to steer clear of a last lap pile-up. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson bumped the rear of Jimmie Johnson’s Chevrolet down the back straight, pitching him into the wall and causing a chain reaction.
Early frontrunner Elliott was one of several innocent victims in the collision, with reigning Cup series champion Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne also involved in the aftermath.
A botched move for the lead at the start of the last lap meant Blaney fall backwards, allowing Logano to claim runner-up spot.
Kurt Busch had been bumped along by Larson and pulled out from behind Johnson moments before his last-lap accident, allowing him a clear path to take third position.
Behind Blaney in fourth, polesitter Austin Dillon recovered to fifth, having spent much of the second half of the race at the back of the pack.
Denny Hamlin had diced with Dillon for the lead in the early stages, but fell back to the midfield after a poor first pit-stop and failed to find his way back up the order.
Despite his involvement in the last lap incident, Kyle Busch survived to finish seventh, ahead of team-mate Erik Jones.
Kevin Harvick came home ninth, but did steer clear of the last lap collision after dropping off the back of the field with a quarter of the race remaining.
Larson was classified in 10th despite failing to cross the line at the end.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr ran strongly for much of the race, but finished a lap down after a controversial mid-race penalty.
He crossed the double yellow line on the inside of the circuit when overtaking Kyle Busch, with NASCAR officials judging Stenhouse to have gained an advantage when doing so.
Jamie McMurray retired midway through after a tap from Kurt Busch sent him spinning into the barriers early in the race.
He was able to pit for repairs immediately afterwards but, running a lap down and off the pace, retired shortly thereafter.
Be the first to comment