The Clash at The Coliseum was the race that kick-started the current NASCAR season. But that’s not the only thing it started. It also marked the beginning of a series of never-ending assumptions. One of those assumptions is, will the winner of The Clash win the championship too? Surely, this one is not too far-fetched, as it has happened several times before.
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Dale Earnhardt, one of the brightest stars in NASCAR’s sky, won his first clash at the LA Coliseum in 1980. Following that, the intimidator won the championship trophy that year as well. With a total of five wins that year, Earnhardt never allowed his name to be chucked off the topmost tier on points, post that year’s Daytona 500. Earnhardt repeated the feat in 1986 and 1991.
Not long after, the 1997 season marked the then-Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon’s second and final Clash win. That year, he won 10 races, which catapulted him to win the Championship; also his second title. Just the next year, he emerged victorious in 13 races and grabbed his third titular win.
Similarly, in just his fourth season driving a Cup car, Stewart-Haas Racing owner Tony Stewart won his first Winston Cup championship. The year was 2002. It was also when he won The Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum in Los Angeles.
Other drivers to have won the Clash and The championship in the same season include Darrell Waltrip (1981) and Team Penske racer Joey Logano (2022).
Could Hamlin’s first win of the year serve as his talisman?
Denny Hamlin has 51 victories at the Cup level, including wins in crown jewel races like the Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600, and the famed Daytona 500. He also has four wins at The Clash but not a single Cup Series championship to boast.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is 43 years old at this moment. The Hamlin-haters might argue that he is getting old and perhaps doesn’t have it in him to make it ever again, but his fans would point out that if he wins, it wouldn’t be the first time for a driver to win the championship at forty-plus age. Dale Earnhardt and Richard “The King” Petty won the championship at 43 and 42, respectively. Moreover, veteran racer Bobby Allison of the Alabama Gang is the oldest champion (45) in NASCAR’s Cup history. So why can’t Hamlin?
But surely, Hamlin’s career is indeed Hall of Fame worthy, with or without a Cup Series title. However, knowing how competitive this man is, will he just let this opportunity slide? It doesn’t seem so.
