Denny Hamlin Claims Clash at the Coliseum Title After Colossal Mid-Race Bounce Back

Denny Hamlin just gave a smoke show as he earned his 4th victory in the Clash and the first in the Coliseum. However, for No. 11, it was a challenging task. Midway through the race, Hamlin lost momentum to lurk around P6 and had his lead snatched away from teammate Ty Gibbs. After a gradual surge to the front row, it was again Gibbs vs. Hamlin for the win in the final lap. However, following a nudge and turn for the 2023 Rookie of the Year, Gibbs spun and triggered a caution in the race’s final lap.

Additionally, Kyle Busch also displayed a rebellious charge for the win as the race went into overtime. However, regardless of what happened in the grid, with clean air upfront and no traffic in his path, Denny Hamlin held off the challenge from Ryan Blaney and former teammate Busch to win the Clash. Following his victory, a jubilant Hamlin delivered a reassuring verdict for the fans and reiterated his iconic statement from last year, “I beat your favorite driver again.”

Joey Logano and teammate’s run-in guided Denny Hamlin to victory

Ty Gibbs was off to a strong start in P3 and continued the momentum to lead the most laps in the race with 84 laps. Even in the race’s final laps, Gibbs was running to take over Denny Hamlin’s lead. However, on the final restart, the 2022 champion, Joey Logano, and the #54 driver doored each other and went wide on the outside. This helped Hamlin heave a sigh of relief as he seized a considerable lead.

Kyle Busch showed some persistence to push for the lead, but having to steer through traffic and Ryan Blaney, he couldn’t get a bumper-less view. Speaking to FOX Sports about the key factors of his win, Hamlin said, “A lot of it was just what happened in front of me with the 54 and 22, and you just never know what was gonna happen there.”

“But I got a really good run off of Turn 2, and just got position and was able to hang on from there. It’s so chaotic, the restarts with everyone just bumping and banging. But feels great to win here in L.A.”

Hamlin is closing on Dale Earnhardt‘s record of 6 victories in the Clash. With 4 to his name, a great start to 2024 implies that he has recovered well from his shoulder struggles. Despite struggles, some fortunate opportunities befell him in the end, and we have the season-opening victor of 2024. To the 3-time Daytona 500 winner, it is a solid confidence booster for 2024. Additionally, Hamlin was more happy about the brand new shining addition to the cabinet.

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The Hamlin household entryway gets bejewelled, again

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If is safe to say that Denny Hamlin used his experience to lead in the decisive laps, including 47 in the first 50. On being asked about what the victory meant to him, the 43-year-old answered, “It’s a great momentum boost. It doesn’t do much more than that.”

Hamlin added, revealing a New Year’s Eve tradition of his, “But I clean off all the trophies every January 1 in the entryway of the house, and now we get to add one pretty quick, so really happy about that.”

The 2024 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum showcased some contrasting scenarios when to comes to Denny Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates. While Ty Gibbs was undoubtedly the team’s most improved driver since last year, Christopher Bell took an unexpected hit. Last year’s finalist, Bell, missed the main event alongside Erik Jones, Austin Cindric, and a few other names as they failed to qualify. Martin Truex Jr., on the other hand, had a decent outing with a good pace in the qualifying session. A P9 finish for the veteran is a promising start to 2024.

However, the stars were ultimately in #11’s favor. With the season starting off on such an exciting note for the driver, could this be called Denny Hamlin’s year?

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