Rain forces postponement of Daytona Clash to Sunday

(Photo: Greg Engle)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Persistent rain on Saturday night forced postponement of the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona.

The race has been rescheduled for Sunday morning, with green flag at 11:35 a.m., broadcast on FS1. The Clash will precede Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for the Daytona 500, which will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

With starting positions drawn by lot, Brad Keselowski will lead the field to the green flag in the Clash. Denny Hamlin, the defending winner of the exhibition race that signals the start of the NASCAR season, will start on the outside of the front row.

Hamlin is seeking to become the first back-to-back winner of the event since Kevin Harvick in 2009-2010.

The 17-driver field includes Coors Light Pole Award winners from the previous season, playoff drivers from the previous season, former Clash winners and former Daytona 500 pole winners who competed full-time in 2016.

Sunoco rookie Daniel Suarez was added to the field after Carl Edwards unexpectedly stepped away from NASCAR racing in early January. Because Joe Gibbs Racing’s preparation of Edwards’ cars was at an advanced stage when Edwards announced his departure from the No. 19 Toyota, Suarez was allowed to compete in the Clash as his successor.

Edwards led the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with six poles in 2016.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.