Advertisement

Rain postpones Clash at Daytona until Sunday

By Amanda Vincent, The Sports Xchange
Racer Brad Keselowski prepares for the first qualifying run for the 2015 NASCAR SPRINT CUP Series Ford Ecoboost race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2015. NASCAR's championship event will be held on Sunday, November 22, 2015. .Photo by Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI
1 of 3 | Racer Brad Keselowski prepares for the first qualifying run for the 2015 NASCAR SPRINT CUP Series Ford Ecoboost race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 20, 2015. NASCAR's championship event will be held on Sunday, November 22, 2015. .Photo by Joe Marino-Bill Cantrell/UPI | License Photo

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Rain at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday caused the start of the Advance Auto Parts Clash exhibition race to be postponed until 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

The race was originally scheduled to start at approximate 8 p.m. ET Saturday. The start was delayed because of the rain, with the hope that it could get underway later Saturday. However, after a wait of less than two hours, the race was postponed for the day.

Advertisement

When the race gets underway, Brad Keselowski will start on the pole, with Denny Hamlin alongside on the front row. The starting grid was set Friday by a blind draw.

"We had good speed, from what we can tell," Keselowski said. "It's hard to get a full picture when only half the cars draft, but it was a good start. We have some things to work on handling-wise, so we'll get through that and figure it out."

The Clash is a 75-lap race that will be split into two segments by a competition caution after the completion of lap 25. No championship points will be awarded, but teams take advantage of the event to prepare for the official season opener, the Daytona 500, scheduled for Feb. 26 at Daytona International Speedway.

Advertisement

Despite using the Clash as prep for the Daytona 500, teams don't typically race the same car in both races.

NOTES: Drivers are eligible for the Advance Auto Parts Clash by being in the Chase for the Sprint Cup last season, winning a pole in 2015, being a past Daytona 500 pole sitter or previously winning the Clash. ... Seventeen drivers will compete in the 2017 Clash. ... NASCAR is allowing Daniel Suarez to compete in the event in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota vacated by eligible driver Carl Edwards. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been cleared to race after missing the second half of the 2016 season because of a concussion and was eligible for the Clash by virtue of being a past winner of the event, but Alex Bowman, who won a pole as a fill-in for Earnhardt at Phoenix International Raceway last year, will drive Earnhardt's No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. ... Front-row starters Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin were the fastest two drivers in Friday practice sessions. Keselowski led the first practice session with a 191.604 mph/46.972-second lap, while Hamlin led the second practice with a 196.526 mph/45.795-second lap. ... Hamlin won last year's Clash and went on to win the 2016 Daytona 500 the following weekend.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines