Brad Keselowski won the first race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, taking home the checkered flag in the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona after starting from the rear of the field. Last year's winner and Keselowski's teammate Joey Logano came in second, while 2017 Daytona 500 winner Kurt Busch came in third.
The No. 2 driver remained confident throughout all the shuffling during the 75-lap extravaganza, a confidence that was noted on Twitter hours before the race even began.
Keselowski will not earn any playoff points, or clinch a spot in the NASCAR playoffs with the win. However he will not go home empty-handed. Despite being an exhibition race, The Clash comes with a hefty purse for the winner.
Keselowski is listed as the betting favorite for next week's Daytona 500 at 7/1 according to VegasInsider.
Austin Dillon started the race on the pole (earned position via blind draw) and quickly gave it up to Denny Hamlin. The No. 11 then instantly reengaged his on-track rivalry with Chase Elliott -- now in the No. 9 -- when the former No. 24 driver passed him for the lead. For what it's worth, the two would later draft each other in a push towards the front.
The 27-year-old Dillon jumped back into the lead about 10 laps later and continued to shuffle with Elliott while Keselowski inched closer and closer to the front.
Logano made the pass on Elliott for the lead on lap 24. Logano and a large portion of the field came down pit road just before the competition caution while Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Newman stayed out. Those drivers later came down pit road under caution.
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson was penalized for driving through three pit boxes and sent to the rear of the field. It wasn't a major setback for the veteran given the size of the field.
Finally making his move back to the front, Keselowski led the field to green following the yellow flag. While the group continued to shuffle between Keselowski in first and Stenhouse in last, Jamie McMurray went spinning into the wall after contact with Kurt Busch to bring out the first driver-induced caution of the 2018 season. He would later take his car to the garage.
Elliott led the field back to green on lap 38 but was immediately passed by Keselowski. 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. then made a great run up Keselowski's bumper with 34 to go and briefly took the lead before falling back due to lack of drafting partners.
Stenhouse was penalized with a little over 30 to go for making a pass below the yellow line. The No. 17 was forced to come down pit road for a pass through.
Keselowski continued to lead the field in front of teammates Ryan Blaney and Logano and eventually put fellow Ford driver Stenhouse a lap down with less than 20 to go. The No. 2 picked up a bit of trash on its nose with less than 10 to go but it didn't prove to be an issue.
Dillon and Elliott made the big move at the end of the race together while Blaney tried to do it by himself. It inevitably resulted in a major wreck that included Johnson and Larson, which came on the final lap of the race.
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