Logano wins Clash, Elliott takes pole

Joey Logano won the Advanced Auto Parts Clash on Sunday, and then Chase Elliott beat Dale Earnhardt Jr. to claim the pole position for next week’s Daytona 500.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.

— Joey Logano took full advantage of a wreck involving leaders Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski and won the Advanced Auto Parts Clash exhibition race Sunday at Daytona International Raceway.

After Hamlin and Keselowski spun on the final lap, Logano edged to the front and beat Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman and Danica Patrick to the green flag. Hamlin, who won the Clash in 2016, had the lead until he cut off the fast-approaching Keselowski. They made contact, allowing Logano to slip past.

“I went to the top when I saw they were going to crash,” Logano said. “It was fun to change our strategy up and figure out a way to win at the end of the race.”

Said Hamlin: “He (Brad Keselowski) had help from the 22 (Team Penske teammate Logano). I was in a bad spot there. He was just coming so much faster than what I was. There’s not much that I could have done to defend.”

Later in the day, Chase Elliott nipped Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final qualifying lap to win his second straight pole for next week’s Daytona 500.

Elliott turned a lap at 192.872 mph to just edge Earnhardt’s speed of 196.864. Elliott and Earnhardt gave Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet a 1-2 front row for NASCAR’s biggest race.

The rest of the field will be set Thursday in the two qualifying races.

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Daniel Suarez and Matt Kenseth comprised the top four spots at several times during the Clash exhibition race.

Suarez, a rookie who won last season’s Xfinity Series championship, finished eighth.

The race had been postponed to Sunday after being rained out Saturday night.

Defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson had perhaps the toughest day, finishing 16th after spinning twice earlier in the two-segment, 75-lap race. His first spin took out Kurt Busch on Lap 16.

Hamlin and Keselowski were running 1-2 on the final lap when Hamlin spun, taking Keselowski with him and allowing Logano to move to the front.

Hamlin, last season’s Clash winner, led a racehigh 48 laps and appeared to be in position to win again before he tried to block Keselowski on the final lap.

Patrick’s fourth place was her best finish in any kind of Cup event, official or exhibition. She has still to register a top-five finish in an official Cup race.