Saturday night brings a start to NASCAR’s season with The Clash at Daytona sponsored by Advance Auto Parts from sunny Daytona Beach, Florida. The race, formerly known as “The Duel” includes stars Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Danica Patrick, as well as Kyle and Kurt Busch. NASCAR racing faces will be able to watch The Clash at Daytona live on television or streaming live online as all the action goes forth from Florida.
According to NASCAR.com , tonight’s race features a lineup of 17 drivers fighting for the early win at Daytona International Speedway. Among those drivers meeting the criteria to compete in the 75-lap event will be polesitters and playoff drivers from last year, as well as former Daytona 500 and Clash (Duel) winners. That includes seven-time champion, Jimmie Johnson driving the No. 48 Lowe’s car for Chevrolet.
Johnson has dominated NASCAR over the past decade or so, and will look to get a hot start to the latest season with a good performance tonight. In a recent tweet, Johnson could very well have given a preview of an impending victory celebration for tonight.
“I’d take doing burnouts over car karaoke any day.” – @JimmieJohnson ? Take advantage of our 48-hour JJ ? sale now! ? https://t.co/mSntJZBjdw pic.twitter.com/d7167wr846
— Phoenix Raceway (@phoenixraceway) February 17, 2017
This year’s race arrives just over a week ahead of NASCAR’s bigger race, the Daytona 500. There are no points involved in this sort of “All-Star” race, but it still will give drivers some early competition and fans some excitement. In 2016, Denny Hamlin and the No. 2 car took the win following a multi-car wreck in turn No. 1, while 2015 saw Matt Kenseth edge out Martin Truex Jr. to grab the win. Hamlin also won this race back in 2014 with 16 lead changes taking place between seven different drivers before he ultimately achieved victory.
As reported by Sporting News , Brad Keselowski grabbed pole position for this year’s event, based on a random draw this past Friday. He’s joined up front by Denny Hamlin, the reigning Daytona 500 champion, with Jamie McMurray in the third slot.
Keselowski spoke about the luck of the draw and getting a good start for the season.
“It’s a great way to start the year. We just need to make sure we finish there. That’s something to be joyous about, but at the end of the day it’s just a draw and you’ve got to make it count.”
The Vegas Insider website indicates that the odds from William Hill favor Keselowski to win tonight’s Clash, with Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin rounding out the top five. Danica Patrick and Chris Buescher will be amongst tonight’s biggest longshots on the odds list to claim the victory.
The Clash at Daytona 2017 Lineup & Odds
- Brad Keselowski (9/2)
- Denny Hamlin (8/1)
- Jamie McMurray (18/1)
- Austin Dillon (18/1)
- Martin Truex Jr. (10/1)
- Jimmie Johnson (7/1)
- Kevin Harvick (17/2)
- Alex Bowman 20/1)
- Joey Logano (13/2)
- Kurt Busch (15/1)
- Kyle Larson (15/1)
- Danica Patrick (60/1)
- Kyle Busch (8/1)
- Chase Elliott (10/1)
- Matt Kenseth (17/2)
- Daniel Suarez (20/1)
- Chris Buescher (75/1)
9 drivers have won the #DAYTONA500 from the pole. Only 239 hours left! #DaytonaDay @NASCAR @JeffGordonWeb https://t.co/S9gI0Ee2xJ pic.twitter.com/Y9a9nPmTif
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 16, 2017
Drivers may end up delayed if the weather doesn’t cooperate tonight. It’s going to be 60 degrees or higher on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway, but there’s the possibility the track gets wet. Tonight’s weather forecast includes 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 7 p.m. Eastern Time, so it could slow things down just a bit.
NASCAR’s The Clash at Daytona is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, with the green flag set for approximately 8:24 p.m. Eastern Time. FOX Sports 1 will provide live televised coverage of the race around the nation. Cable and satellite subscribers can log into the FOX Sports Go website or any compatible apps for mobile devices, smart TVs, video game systems, or streaming media players.
A free option to watch tonight’s NASCAR event may be through the Sling TV service where customers can sign up for a free one-week trial. The service features a variety of channels with Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 among those included for fans to watch.
For NASCAR fans wanting to listen to the race, audio coverage will be provided via SIRIUS XM NASCAR radio for tonight’s Daytona event.
[Featured Image by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images]