Ford Performance - Clash Advance

Tuesday, Jan 31 367

After a successful debut last season, the NASCAR Cup Series opens its 2023 campaign with the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum for a second straight time. Ford driver Joey Logano kicked off the NASCAR Next Gen era with a victory in his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Mustang to become the first driver to win the Clash at a facility other than Daytona International Speedway.

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Austin Cindric

No. 2 Ford Mustang (Team Penske)

Kevin Harvick

No. 4 Ford Mustang (Stewart-Haas Racing)

Brad Keselowski

No. 6 Ford Mustang (RFK Racing)

Aric Almirola

No. 10 Ford Mustang (Stewart-Haas Racing)

Ryan Blaney

No. 12 Ford Mustang (Team Penske)

Chase Briscoe

No. 14 Ford Mustang (Stewart-Haas Racing)

JJ Yeley

No. 15 Ford Mustang (Rick Ware Racing)

Chris Buescher

No. 17 Ford Mustang (RFK Racing)

Harrison Burton

No. 21 Ford Mustang (Wood Brothers Racing)

Joey Logano

No. 22 Ford Mustang (Team Penske)

Michael McDowell

No. 34 Ford Mustang (Front Row Motorsports)

Todd Gilliland

No. 38 Ford Mustang (Front Row Motorsports)

Ryan Preece

No. 41 Ford Mustang (Stewart-Haas Racing)

Cody Ware

No. 51 Ford Mustang (Rick Ware Racing)

FORD CLASH HISTORY

The Clash has been held in some form since 1979 and Ford has won it 10 times by seven different drivers. The best stretch in the event for Ford undoubtedly came during a three-year winning streak in which Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett all reached victory lane from 1998-2000. Jarrett owns three of Ford’s 10 victories (1996, 2000, 2004) in the event and on two of those occasions (1996 and 2000) he went on to win the Daytona 500.

LOOKING BACK AT 2022

For the first time in NASCAR history, the Clash was held at a place other than the Daytona International Speedway as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum hosted the event on February 6, 2022. The specially-made quarter-mile asphalt track delivered in the main event as Logano, who won his heat race, passed Kyle Busch on lap 116 and led the final 35 to become only the second Ford driver to win the Clash more than once. Logano, who also captured the event in 2017, joined Dale Jarrett (three-time winner) with multiple Ford victories.

ELLIOTT CLAIMS FORD’S FIRST CLASH VICTORY AT DAYTONA

Bill Elliott became the first Ford driver to win a non-points event in the NASCAR Cup Series on February 8, 1987 when he captured the Busch Clash. The format that year was a single 20-lap run (50 miles) with no pit stop required. Elliott, who started on the pole in his No. 9 Coors Thunderbird after a blind draw, fell back to sixth on the start after Terry Labone and Ricky Rudd were involved in an accident on the first lap. On the ensuing restart, Elliott steadily reeled in leader Darrell Waltrip and passed him on lap eight. Elliott led the final 13 laps and won with an average speed of 197.802 mph, a record that still stands for the event. A week later, Elliott won his second Daytona 500.

TAURUS WINS DEBUT AS RUSTY TAKES INAUGURAL BUD SHOOTOUT

Taurus made NASCAR history as the first four-door sedan and it wasted no time in opening eyes as Rusty Wallace drove it to victory in its debut race – the 1998 Bud Shootout. The win was Wallace’s first at Daytona International Speedway and it came with a little help from his younger brother, Kenny, who pushed him across the finish line on the final lap. Bill Elliott and Jimmy Spencer finished third and fourth, respectively, to give Ford a sweep of the top four positions.

DJ HOLDS OFF JR FOR SHOOTOUT TRIUMPH

Dale Jarrett won his third Budweiser Shootout on February 7, 2004 in his No. 88 UPS Taurus. The race was broken up into two segments – an initial 20-lap run followed by a 50-lapper to the finish – and marked the beginning of Nextel as series sponsor. Jarrett and Kevin Harvick were side-by-side at the white flag, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave Jarrett the push he needed to complete the pass on the outside going through turn one. Even though Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray got into an accident on the backstretch, the race finished under green with Jarrett holding off Earnhardt Jr. to win.

LOGANO BREAKS CLASH DROUGHT

Joey Logano snapped a 13-year Ford winless drought when he won The Clash in 2017, making him the manufacturer’s first victor since Dale Jarrett in 2004. Logano found himself in the right place at the right time, taking the lead after Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski made contact on the final lap. Keselowski had a run and was trying to pass Hamlin, whose attempt at blocking came too late and resulted in both cars colliding. That enabled Logano to get through and win the Clash for the first time in his career. Four Ford drivers finished in the top six spots as Danica Patrick was fourth, Kevin Harvick fifth and Keselowski sixth.

KESELOWSKI SETS THE TONE

In a foreshadowing of what the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series would look like, Brad Keselowski took Ford to victory lane in the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway. Keselowski led a Ford sweep of the top four finishing positions as he took the lead on lap 39 of the 75-lap feature and never looked back, holding off Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Ryan Blaney, respectively. It marked the second straight Clash win for Ford and served as a springboard that saw the Blue Oval lead the series with 19 wins and capture the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships.