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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- As Denny Hamlin crashed on the final lap of the Advance Auto Parts Clash exhibition race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, Joey Logano stole the win. Kyle Busch finished second, Alex Bowman was third, Danica Patrick fourth and Kevin Harvick finished fifth, respectively.
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"It's cool to win the Clash," Logano said. "We came close last year, and it's really neat to be in victory lane and a good start to our day."
Denny Hamlin dominated the 75-lap race after taking the lead following a lap 25 competition caution, but in an attempt to block Brad Keselowski on the final lap, Hamlin and Keselowski wrecked, turning the lead over to Logano.
"It is the Clash; it's not the 500, and I guarantee he knows and everyone else who is watching today that I'm gonna make that move again," Keselowski said.
The four Joe Gibbs Racing teammates -- Hamlin, Daniel Suarez, Matt Kenseth and Busch restarted in the top-four after a lap 60 caution that came out as a result of an incident between Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr.
The JGR quartet looked poised to post a top-four sweep before Keselowski broke them up by moving past Busch to take fourth inside the final five laps. With two laps to go, he moved into second.
After starting on the pole, Keselowski led the first 18 laps before getting caught speeding on pit road during the first caution of the race. Hamlin, who started the race next to Keselowski on the front row, ran second throughout the opening laps of the race, but made a second pit stop during the first caution of the race to repair damage his car sustained just before the yellow flag. The first caution was the result of a Kurt Busch wreck after being clipped by Jimmie Johnson.
"I was just minding my own business in the low groove, and we got tagged in the right rear," Busch said. "It's kind of a shame, all of the hard work and the effort everybody puts into the offseason, Doug Yates and his engines and everybody from Ford and everybody at Stewart-Haas, all of the effort put towards building a car, and we didn't even make it to the first pit stop, so it's kind of a bummer."
Johnson spun and hit the inside retaining wall to bring out the third caution of the race on lap 50. As a result, Johnson failed to finish the Clash for the sixth straight year.
"I guess last year there were a couple of issues there," Johnson said. "It's so bizarre because the car hasn't been loose anywhere else. The first time I got loose, I got into the No. 41 (Kurt Busch) and crashed him, and I feel terrible for that. And then, that time, I didn't think it was going to turn around. I was about half-throttle, running along. I'm not sure if the car behind me got close and helped my cause, but it had been very loose off of turn four from the moment I crashed Kurt, on. Maybe the track is changing. We certainly planned to race at night. And it's weird, because I've made a living out of a loose race car, and to have it bite me this afternoon, and unfortunately, take the No. 41 out, I'm disappointed in myself and our situation for that."
Kyle Busch got off pit road first to restart the race with the lead, but was nabbed speeding on pit road on lap 24, just before the yellow waved for the competition caution. By that time, Hamlin had recovered to restart the race with the lead, with teammates Suarez and Kenseth in second and third.
NOTES: Drivers were eligible for the Advance Auto Parts Clash by being in the Chase for the Sprint Cup last season, winning a pole in 2016, being a past Daytona 500 pole sitter or previously winning the Clash. ... Seventeen drivers competed in the 2017 Clash. ... NASCAR allowed Daniel Suarez to compete in the event in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota vacated by eligible driver, Carl Edwards. ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 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 fill-in for Earnhardt at Phoenix International Raceway last year, drove 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.
