Keselowski takes Clash

Daytona Beach, Fla. — Brad Keselowski opened Speedweeks, before he turned a single lap, as the 7-1 favorite to win the Daytona 500.

Now that he has the first victory of the season, Keselowski is shaping up to be a safe bet.

Keselowski led a 1-2 Team Penske sweep Sunday in the exhibition The Clash at Daytona International Speedway. The race marks the opening of Speedweeks and is the first chance for teams to show their offseason work.

"I have never won anything here during Speedweeks and I feel like I have choked them away to be quite honest," Keselowski said in victory lane.

"You need one to break through. Hopefully, this is our breakthrough."

Indeed, Keselowski is one of the best restrictor-plate racers in NASCAR. Although he's a five-time winner at Talladega in Alabama, his lone victory at Daytona International Speedway was in the 2016 summer race.

When it comes to Speedweeks — The Clash, the Thursday twin qualifying races, and finally the season-opening Daytona 500 next Sunday — Keselowski always came up empty. His best finish in the Daytona 500 was third in 2013, and he finished fourth a year earlier. In his prior appearances in the all-star Clash, Keselowski finished inside the top-nine in four of his five races.

"It was a good day, a great start to Speedweeks, and now there's two more to go," Keselowski said.

The 17-car field is set by a draw and Keselowski started last. He had 75 laps to race his way to the front, which was easy enough for the threecar Penske contingent. Keselowski had the race in control as the Penske drivers closed in on the checkered flag.