NASCAR Cup Series Race Report - Clash at Daytona

February 9, 2020


Track:       Daytona International Speedway  
Race:        Clash at Daytona    
Date:        February 9, 2019


No. 2 MoneyLion Ford Mustang – Brad Keselowski
Start:  2nd
Finish: 17th
Status: Accident
Laps Completed: 66/88
Laps Led: 33
Point Standings (behind first): N/A

Notes: 

  • Brad Keselowski's chances to win the Clash at Daytona ended when he was involved in a six-car accident on lap 67. The driver of the MoneyLion Ford Mustang was credited with a 17th-place finish. Keselowski led 33 of 88 laps and had just raced his way into contention for the victory when he was swept up in an accident on lap 66.  
  • Keselowski started second and grabbed the lead for the first time on lap 10. He held top spot for the next 15 laps until he made a scheduled green flag pit stop for right-side tires and fuel on lap 25. He was running ninth when a competition caution slowed the pace on lap 27. Keselowski cycled into the lead on lap 29 when the leaders pitted under caution and led the field to the green for the restart on lap 30.
  • The MoneyLion Mustang stayed out front until Keselowski stopped for fuel-only under green on lap 47. Meanwhile the pack of cars led by William Byron and Kyle Larson chose not to pit, opting to stretch their fuel mileage to the finish. The Keselowski-led draft was 12 seconds behind leaders on lap 58. 
  • As the lead group slowed to enhance their fuel economy, the Keselowski draft began to close rapidly. He caught the tail end of the lead draft at the start-finish line on lap 62 and he immediately began to slice his way through the lead cars. Keselowski was running third on lap 66 when Joey Logano and Kyle Busch tangled while battling for the lead in Turn 4, pinching him into the outside wall, ending his afternoon.    

Quotes: "I just got wrecked for no reason. Guys that don't know what they are doing so they throw crazy blocks. It is just ridiculous. We shouldn't be wrecking all these cars. We had a good MoneyLion Ford Mustang that could win the race. We led a lot of the race and got destroyed for no reason."
 

No. 12 Menards/Peak Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start:  14th
Finish: 8th
Status: Accident
Laps Completed: 78/88
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings (behind first): N/A

Notes:

  • Ryan Blaney started 14th and finished eighth, after being involved in a multi-car pileup on lap 79. The No. 12 Menards/Peak Mustang sustained slight damage in two prior incidents but was too damaged to continue after the final incident.
  • After starting 14th, Blaney moved the Menards Ford Mustang into the top-10 in the opening five laps. Spotter Josh Williams kept Blaney disciplined to the high line as all the leaders ran the outside line around the 2.5-mile speedway.
  • Around lap 12, Blaney would report to new chief Todd Gordon that his Menards Ford was a little loose on entry to the corners. Gordon called the No. 12 Ford Mustang to pit road on lap 25 for four tires and an air pressure adjustment. Strong service by the Menards crew would allow Blaney to restart sixth when racing resumed on lap 30.
  • Following the competition caution Blaney would remain up in the top-six. He would work with fellow Ford Performance teammates and manage gaps to his other competitors as racing remained single file for the much of the event.
  • Gordon would once again call Blaney to pit road on lap 46 for fuel-only. This set up a large pack of predominantly Ford's led by teammate Brad Keselowski to run down a pack of mostly Chevrolets hoping to stretch the race on fuel. The pack would ultimately run them down and began a two-by-two battle for the lead.
  • The first big wreck would take place on lap 67 and Blaney managed to narrowly avoid both Penske teammates who were involved in the incident. On the next restart, Blaney would receive slight right damage after an incident in the tri oval. Racing would then resume on lap 77 and unfortunately the driver of the Menards Ford's luck ran out as he was involved in an 11-car pileup which ultimately ended his day.

 
Quote: "We had a really good Menards Ford today. We managed to avoid two of the big wrecks but just could get around the third one. It was great to work with Todd (Gordon) and all the guys on the team and I look forward to the Duels on Thursday."
 

No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start:  13th
Finish: 9th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 78/88
Laps Led: 7
Point Standings (behind first): N/A

Notes:

  • Joey Logano started 13th and finished ninth, ultimately retiring from the carnage filled Clash at Daytona prior to the end of the race, which saw multiple attempts at a green-white-checkered finish. The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Mustang was involved in multiple incidents with the team repairing the car until it was deemed unsafe to continue.
  • After starting 13th, Logano moved the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang into the top-five in the opening three laps. Spotter TJ Majors encouraged Logano to remain disciplined to the high line as all the leaders began moving up to the wall around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.
  • On lap 10, Logano reported he'd need a sizable adjustment to the Shell-Pennzoil Ford on the first stop of the race as he was battling a significant loose condition. Logano continued running inside the top-five, running fourth behind three Ford Performance teammates, with Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski leading the race.
  • Crew chief Paul Wolfe called the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang to pit road coming to lap 25 for four tires and a chassis adjustment to work on the loose handling condition. Logano would return to pit road under the competition for a gas-and-go stop, returning to the track for the restart. As the field began moving to the top-groove, Logano settled into the eighth position.
  • After making a move to the bottom, Logano found himself shuffled out, placing him on a fuel conservation strategy with the majority of the Chevrolet's. Logano's draft remained on the track as the other competitors pitted, cycling Logano to the lead with 20 laps remaining. On lap 65, Logano got turned as the No. 18 made contact with his left rear quarter panel exiting Turn 4, with a multi-vehicle incident ensuing.
  • After the team repaired the Ford Mustang, Logano returned to the track, only to be rear-ended on an ensuing multi-vehicle incident as the green flag waved. The team returned to pit road, taking four tires and surveying the damage. Unfortunately, as Logano returned to the track, the damage was deemed too severe to continue, relegating the team to the ninth position in the accident filled event.

Quote: "Kyle (Busch) had a run and I thought I did a good job blocking and he just got to the inside of me and there really wasn't a hole and he just hooked me around. Then they wrecked on a restart, that was the other crash. We didn't really hit anybody on that one. The last one, Denny blew a tire and I almost made it through."