Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski Clash showdown offers Daytona 500 preview

When you have two of NASCAR’s best restrictor plate racers in a virtual mano-a-mano tussle in an exhibition event where points don’t matter and winning is the only priority, fireworks are inevitable.

Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski certainly delivered in Sunday’s Advanced Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway. Taking turns, first Keselowski then Hamlin, the two dominated the non-points race, leading all but nine of 75 laps.

It was Hamlin who took control in the latter stages, however, as Keselowski fell back in traffic after incurring a pit road penalty. That Hamlin led 47 straight laps and had Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Daniel Suarez and Matt Kenseth, acting as de facto wingmen, seemingly had him headed to a second straight Clash victory.

But as Hamlin controlled the race, Keselowski deftly moved his way through the pack. Picking one car off at a time, he eventually broke the JGR stranglehold up front and slid into the second position as the white flag waved. And propelled by the momentum of the draft, Keselowski gained the advantage. Hamlin knew as much, and as they entered Turn 1, Keselowski went for the lead by powering underneath Hamlin, who countered by attempting to block Keselowski’s charge. It was too late. The two made contact, causing Keselowski to slow and Hamlin to spin.

“(Keselowski) was coming with a huge run,” Hamlin said. “I tried to do everything I could to block and cover the bottom before he got there, but he was coming at such a higher rate of speed I probably didn’t get there in time.”

Keselowski saw the proceedings similarly. He had the run, Hamlin tried to defend, and what transpired was predictable. The benefactor was Joey Logano, Keselowski’s teammate, who drove around both to take the victory.

“I was able to see that the block was coming way too late and it wasn’t going to work, so I immediately went to the top because I saw that they were going to crash,” Logano said. “We were basically in the right place at the right time.”

So it goes in a race where drivers largely only care about shaking off their offseason rust, and aggressive driving is an accepted practice because of the nature of the format, where little outside of the winner’s check matters.

Although both essentially shrugged off what happened afterward, Keselowski also choose to look ahead to next Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500. His message was clear and directed not only to Hamlin, but those not eligible to compete in the exhibition race who were watching the Clash on television.

“I guarantee he knows — and everyone else who was watching today — that I’m going to make that move again,” Keselowski said. “And you better move out or you’ll end up wrecked.”

Sure, a bit of posturing, but Keselowski’s point does carry some validity.

Plate racing is more than just supreme horsepower and finding the right drafting partner at an opportune time. Winning at Daytona and its sister track, Talladega Superspeedway, is akin to a chess match where drivers need to make and execute passes in the moment, but also think ahead and plan accordingly.

Few are better than Keselowski, whose five restrictor-plate victories since 2009 leads all drivers. He’s equally good at Daytona and Talladega, and it doesn’t matter if the race is in the day or night — he excels under any conditions.

Yet, Keselowski has never tasted success in the Daytona 500. Which is why he felt it necessary to send a reminder that come next Sunday he’ll do whatever it takes to win NASCAR’s biggest race; because while the Clash may have been rather meaningless, next weekend is anything but.