On Saturday night, [autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] didn’t need a backup driver for his shoulder surgery. In fact, the shoulder surgery may have made Hamlin a new and better competitor. The driver of the No. 11 car won the 2024 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum after winning the pole earlier in the night. A late restart allowed Hamlin to pass teammate Ty Gibbs and hold on for the win.
Despite the No. 11 car locking up its left front, it didn’t affect Hamlin enough for Kyle Busch or Ryan Blaney to pass him. While the win and pole won’t count toward the regular season, it’s a great start for the No. 11 team and Joe Gibbs Racing. However, the 2024 short-track package wasn’t present at the event as it was last year’s version.
Now, NASCAR will look forward to the official start of the 2024 season with the Daytona 500 in over two weeks.
Denny Hamlin wins the 2024 Clash at the Coliseum! pic.twitter.com/IfVzOhEZLn
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 4, 2024
2024 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum top-10 finishing order:
- No. 11 Denny Hamlin
- No. 8 Kyle Busch
- No. 12 Ryan Blaney
- No. 22 Joey Logano
- No. 5 Kyle Larson
- No. 48 Alex Bowman
- No. 14 Chase Briscoe
- No. 6 Brad Keselowski
- No. 19 Martin Truex Jr.
- No. 24 William Byron