After taking the lead from teammate Ty Gibbs on a restart with 10 laps to go, Denny Hamlin was able to hang onto the top spot on an overtime restart to win the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum, picking up the fourth win of his career in NASCAR's annual preseason exhibition. Hamlin's four Clash wins are now the second-most in the race's history with his mark bested only by Dale Earnhardt's six Clash victories.
After a long green flag run promised to pit Ty Gibbs and Joey Logano against each other for the win, a crash by Michael McDowell with 10 laps to go gave Hamlin the chance he needed, as he would restart third in the inside lane and capitalized when both Gibbs and Logano washed up the racetrack in the first corner. Hamlin was able to withstand several challenges from Gibbs, then pulled away before a crash by Gibbs coming to the white flag sent the race to overtime.
Hamlin held on to take the checkered flag, adding the 2024 Clash to a trophy case that also includes wins in the 2006, 2014, and 2016 Clashes.
Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum unofficial results
- #11 - Denny Hamlin
- #8 - Kyle Busch
- #12 - Ryan Blaney
- #22 - Joey Logano
- #5 - Kyle Larson
- #48 - Alex Bowman
- #14 - Chase Briscoe
- #6 - Brad Keselowski
- #19 - Martin Truex Jr.
- #24 - William Byron
- #41 - Ryan Preece
- #23 - Bubba Wallace
- #42 - John Hunter Nemechek
- #45 - Tyler Reddick
- #1 - Ross Chastain
- #47 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- #7 - Corey LaJoie
- #54 - Ty Gibbs
- #34 - Michael McDowell
- #10 - Noah Gragson
- #51 - Justin Haley
- #9 - Chase Elliott
- #38 - Todd Gilliland
"A lot of it was just what happened in front of me with the 54 and 22, and you just never know what was gonna happen there," Hamlin told Fox Sports. "But I got a really good run off of Turn 2, and just got position and was able to hang on from there. It's so chaotic, the restarts with everyone just bumping and banging. But feels great to win here in L.A."
Another win in the Clash marks a nice momentum boost for Hamlin, and it should also dispel some concerns about any lingering effects that the 43-year old would have from offseason shoulder surgery. However, it did not move the hearts of jeering fans who once again lustily booed a victorious Hamlin -- who took the opportunity to once again give it right back to them.
"You know I beat your favorite driver again, right?", Hamlin said.
Calling an audible
Trips to the West Coast by NASCAR are usually accompanied by a steady stream of racer trips to In-N-Out Burger, with an even steadier stream of social media posts from drivers, crew members and media alike showing you that they did. As it turns out, In-N-Out is actually an apt description of what this particular trip out west turned into.
Entering Saturday, the weather forecast for Sunday onwards called for torrential downpours throughout the Los Angeles area with the potential threat of life-threatening flooding along with it. With the potential for rain for days on end, NASCAR elected to make the virtually unprecedented decision to condense the entire two-day weekend into one day, moving the Clash from Sunday night up to Saturday.
"It's the best of what is a really tough situation for the fans and this racing community, but we felt like this was the best option to keep everybody safe and still try and get both events in," NASCAR COO Steve O'Donnell told reporters, referencing the NASCAR Mexico Series race also scheduled for Clash weekend. "I think the teams were very supportive if we were waiting, but obviously wanted us to explore every option as well. And when you look at logistics, Daytona, what's the best thing for the teams as well -- certainly if we could have raced Saturday, that's helpful to them."
Moving the Clash to Saturday was not a perfect solution, as it led to a more bare-bones race format and presentation while also severely curtailing the amount of fans in the stands. However, the quick pivot allowed NASCAR to complete Clash weekend and get its teams back to North Carolina, where they will continue their all-important preparations for the Daytona 500 in two weeks time.
"It's one of the most logical decisions we've made as an industry, potentially, ever," Chase Elliott told reporters. "I appreciate it, [and] I know the rest of the industry personnel appreciates just the willingness to be able to make a change like that. To be honest with you, I think doing an event like this on Saturday night is a better fit for it anyway. I think it's a win-win for everybody."
Preseason clashes
If there is any defining characteristic of the quarter-mile racetrack the Los Angeles Coliseum hosts, it's that it creates fertile grounds for drivers to use each other up trying to make passes and subsequently elevate the tempers of the men inside the machines. That happened not only in midpack on Saturday night but also at the front of the field.
Defending Daytona 500 champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was particularly aggrieved throughout the night. Just after it was reported that Stenhouse got out of his car at the midrace break to have an animated discussion with John Hunter Nemechek about an incident on-track, Stenhouse became incensed with a divebomb move by Michael McDowell on a restart, retaliating under the ensuing caution that occurred after the two ended up spinning Ross Chastain.
McDowell returned the favor, and the two would exchange body blows before settling down for the rest of the night.
After the race -- just after Ross Chastain retaliated against Tyler Reddick for contact in the final corner -- the race for the win ended up producing a rather spirited conversation in the garage area, as Joey Logano made his way over to Ty Gibbs' hauler to discuss the way he felt Gibbs raced him in the final laps. Their conversation was brief, but it was clear that the two did not see eye-to-eye on what occurred.
Gibbs, the defending Cup Rookie of the Year, led a race-high 84 laps but finished 18th after his crash coming to the white flag. Logano, who finished fourth, led twice for eight laps.
Race results rundown
- Of all drivers, the surprise of the night ended up being defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. After not qualifying fast enough, Blaney used a provisional to take the 23rd and final starting spot in the field. But by race's end, Blaney found his way into the top five -- even restarting on the front row for the final restart -- before finishing third to begin the defense of his 2023 title.
- The biggest heartbreak of the main event belonged to Justin Haley, who showed surprisingly good form in his first start for Rick Ware Racing. Haley qualified 10th and proceeded to spend almost the entire race inside the top 15, but an engine problem with less than 20 laps to go forced Haley behind the wall and ended his night prematurely. He was one of three drivers who failed to finish, joining Chase Elliott (steering) and Todd Gilliland (brakes).
- Haley was one of three drivers with new teams to make the main event, all of whom endured troubles with only one recovering from them. Nemechek, the new driver of the Legacy Motor Club No. 42, was spun by Corey LaJoie midway through the night but would eventually drive back up to 13th. Noah Gragson, in his first appearance for Stewart-Haas Racing, was off the pace throughout the night and finished three laps down in 20th.
- Thanks in part to a severely altered and condensed qualifying format, the list of drivers who failed to qualify for the Clash's main event featured some of Cup's biggest stars. Christopher Bell, who has made the Championship 4 the past two seasons, headlined a list of DNQs that also included Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Austin Cindric and more.
Next race
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season will officially begin with the single greatest day in stock car racing and The Great American Race. The 66th running of the Daytona 500 will take place Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox.
