Although Denny Hamlin appeared adamant about securing a consecutive Clash victory following his dominant performance last season, it was Chase Elliott who made history at Bowman Gray Stadium by winning the Cup Series non-points race. However, the HMS driver revealed that the victory was not as straightforward as it might have seemed. During his post-race interview, Elliott praised both Hamlin and Blaney for their good performances, while admitting to his anxieties during the race.
Advertisement
He shared, “I know it’s not a points race but it is nice to win for sure. I’m just really proud of our team for continuing to keep our heads down and push forward. Had a tough race. Ryan kept me honest there at the end. Denny was really good in the second half after the break. It felt like he was kind of riding. I was afraid of losing control of the race and not getting it back. Fortunately, it worked out.”
Starting from pole position after winning in his heat race on Saturday night, the #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver, Elliott, never faltered. He successfully fended off challenges put forth by Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney throughout the latter stages of the race. Elliott surged across the finish line 1.333 seconds ahead of Blaney, who had impressively climbed from last place — starting from a driver points provisional among the 23 competitors.
Blaney overtook Hamlin for second place with 53 laps to go, and the duo rapidly distanced themselves from the rest of the pack. As the race neared its conclusion, Elliott and Blaney navigated through lap traffic, with Elliott managing the situation to maintain his lead.
Elliott dominated the race, leading 171 of the 200 laps at Bowman Gray Stadium — the NASCAR Cup Series’ first race at this historic track since 1971. The initial 100 laps saw two cautions, both resulting from single-car incidents: Kyle Busch spun out after a nudge from Daniel Suarez and Noah Gragson in turn 3 on lap 21, and William Byron lost control after making contact with the front stretch wall on lap 79.
The latter half of the Clash was punctuated by three cautions within the first 21 laps, involving Carson Hocevar, Kyle Larson, Byron, Brad Keselowski, and Alex Bowman. Reflecting on this cheerful start to the season, Elliott expressed optimism, stating that it was an excellent beginning and he is eagerly looking forward to the upcoming Daytona weekend.
