Clash at Daytona 2018: Brad Keslowski wins as Jimmie Johnson, others wreck on final lap

Relive all the action from the 2018 Clash at Daytona as 17 drivers warmed up for the Daytona 500.

Who’s going to be fast in the 2018 Daytona 500? Which teams look like they will get out of the gate quickly in the 2018 NASCAR season? The Clash at Daytona was the first opportunity to start getting some answers to those questions.

The Clash has been around for years under many names, and while it’s correctly labeled an exhibition race since no points are on the line, it does serve an important purpose for the drivers in the field. It was the first time many of them had a  chance to test out how their cars handled in the draft at Daytona International Speedway for more than just a few laps, and that’s especially important in 2018 since the Chevrolet teams are breaking in the new Camaro ZL1 and all teams are adjusting to new ride height rules.

There were changes for the pit crews as well, with new NASCAR rules dictating that only five crew members can service a car at once during pit stops. The Clash represented the trial by fire for these team members to be able to get their jobs done as quickly as possible under real race conditions.

The Fox Sports gang discussed how the new pit road rules could affect things prior to the start of the Clash.

Though 20 drivers qualified for this year’s Clash at Daytona, only 17 actually participated. Austin Dillon started from the pole after claiming the honor in a random draw.

The green flag dropped and NASCAR made its official return for a new year.

Denny Hamlin, who started on the outside of Row 1, drove to the lead in the opening laps and led the majority of the field around in the outside lane.

Kyle Larson had the dubious honor of the first really close call of 2018.

It appeared that Larson was considering slipping to the inside to go around Ricky Stenhouse Jr., but he either got loose or simply tried drifting back up and made a little bit of contact with Stenhouse’s No. 17 Ford. Amazingly, he was able to save his car even after going all the way down to the apron.

On Lap 10, Chase Elliott finally got enough help on the inside to make that lane work, and he shot up in front of Hamlin to take the lead.

Lap 25 brought a scheduled caution flag, and some interesting choices about staying out or coming to pit road right before the yellow.

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Larson was one of the cars that stayed out, leading a lap in the process.

A couple laps shy of the halfway point, we got our first caution due to contact. Jamie McMurray just lightly grazed Kurt Busch, but it was McMurray who was sent down to the apron and then back up to the outside wall.

Repairs were made to the No. 1 Chevy, and McMurray continued in the race — though he later ended up heading to the garage with less than 30 laps to go.

Stenhouse ran afoul of one of the unique Daytona rules, one that says you can’t go below the double yellow line to advance your position. While some angles made it appear he was forced to go lower by Kyle Busch, NASCAR disagreed and made the No. 17 serve a drive-through penalty.

Worried about the Fords not being fast enough? No problem with the Team Penske crew, as Brad Keselowski — who started the race dead last in 17th place — Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano were all lined up in the first three positions with less than 10 laps to go.

That’s not to say that Keselowski had no concerns.

And we almost made it to the end of the Clash at Daytona without a multi-car incident. Almost.

Jimmie Johnson, Larson, Elliott and a few other drivers got together behind the leaders. The crash marked the seventh consecutive year that Johnson failed to finish the Clash.

It didn’t affect the outcome. Blaney timed his move for the lead poorly and was hung out to dry, and Keselowski never had to fend off any true challenges before taking the checkered flag for his first Clash at Daytona victory.

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Keselowski noted after the race that he’s had great cars during Speedweeks and led races there before, but always managed to choke them away somehow (his words, not ours). He didn’t on Sunday, and he’ll undoubtedly bring a great deal of confidence into the big race next week.