The NASCAR Busch Light Clash was pulled back to Saturday from the scheduled Sunday because of the severe weather conditions that have been running riot in the Los Angeles Area. With the 23-driver grid taking up the race with an added element of surprise, Denny Hamlin came through for the win. Courtesy of the victory, the Clash win count is up to 4 for the star driver.
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Before the race, Hamlin was tied with Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Jarrett as the second-most winningest driver with 3 wins (2006, 2014, 2016). Going into Saturday, NASCAR decided to call off the LCQ and the heat races. The starting line-up was decided based on practice speeds. Hamlin started the 150-lap race from the pole.
With the after-effects of the off-season shoulder surgery hanging over his head, Hamlin found his teammate Ty Gibbs controlling most of the race. But a late race pass helped him secure his 4th win. As things stand, after the typical chaos that marks the beginning of a new NASCAR season, Hamlin is only second behind Dale Earnhardt (6 wins) as the Clash’s king.
Denny Hamlin has something to say to the crowd. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/rZhhowzVdE
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 4, 2024
“You know I beat your favorite driver again, right?”, the Joe Gibbs Racing star taunted the booing crowd after his win. He appears to have proven using the Clash that his age is nowhere related to his chances of winning races, and potentially a Championship, in the Cup Series.
Kyle Busch misses out yet again
Another driver who would’ve loved adding a Clash win to his trophy cabinet was Kyle Busch. The former JGR man finished the race in second position behind Hamlin. Having won the event twice previously (2012, 2021), a third win would have put him on the same pedestal as Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and the others. But once again, he just wasn’t quite good enough.
Mentioning that finishing second “stung” him, he added, “Second, third, second kind of hurts. I don’t know what it really is. It’s just tight nature, tight bullring kind of stuff, the things we all grow up doing with legends cars, late models, all that… This second stuff sucks.”
This is the third time in as many Clashes that Busch has finished in the top three.
