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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Denny Hamlin, who wasn’t even sure he would recover from offseason shoulder surgery in time to compete in the Clash at the Coliseum, won the Saturday night exhibition that NASCAR rushed to convert in a one-day show. avoid a Dangerous storm “Pineapple Express” He headed towards California.
Hamlin, in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, started from the pole and led 59 of the 151 laps. But his teammate Ty Gibbs controlled much of the race until a late caution prompted a restart with 10 laps remaining.
Hamlin took the lead on the restart and was on the verge of winning until Gibbs crashed on the final lap, sending the race into overtime. Hamlin then pulled ahead of reigning NASCAR champion Ryan Blaney, who needed a provisional to make the 23-car field, on the restart to win.
“It’s just a great boost,” said Hamlin, who will now move on to the season-opening Daytona 500, where he will seek a fourth victory in “The Great American Race.”
“You know, I clean all the trophies every January 1st in the driveway and now we can add another one pretty quickly, so I’m really happy about that.”
Hamlin then turned to the crowd (many of the spectators were booing him) and repeated his usual taunt: “You know I beat your favorite driver again, right?”
Hamlin has won the Clash four times, but his other three victories came when the exhibition was held at Daytona International Speedway, including his rookie year. Joe Gibbs Racing has won the race a record 12 times, now two years in a row following Martin Truex Jr.’s victory last season.
Kyle Busch finished second in a Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, and Blaney recovered to lead Penske teammate Joey Logano to finishes third and fourth. Austin Cindric, his third teammate, missed the race after the field decided on speed instead of scheduled heat races.
The top three Clash finishers receive medals in an Olympic-style podium ceremony.
Logano, winner of the inaugural Clash in 2022, and Gibbs had a heated exchange after the race over contact between their cars.
NASCAR had only planned to hold heat races Saturday at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, with the main event scheduled for Sunday. But with heavy rain and flooding expected, NASCAR eliminated the heats, set the field at 23 for practice speeds and started the race just 30 minutes after qualifying.
A planned “halftime” performance by Machine Gun Kelly was cancelled.
NASCAR around noon on Saturday made the decision to race the match Saturday night due to concerns about impending inclement weather. The decision was widely applauded by the drivers, who saw the weather radar and feared that the race would not be held before Wednesday if it was not brought forward. The teams will report to Daytona in a week to begin preparations for the season opener on February 18.
“It’s one of the most logical decisions we’ve made as an industry, potentially,” driver Chase Elliott said.
Hamlin, the first driver to hint on social media that the race could be moved forward one day, applauded the decision and called it a “W” for NASCAR.
The NASCAR Mexico Series race was scheduled to continue with a doubleheader. Spectators on Saturday They were already entering for free and the seats were general admission.
NASCAR said it would contact Sunday ticket holders and that prepaid parking will be refunded in full.
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