Clash at Daytona 2020: Results, highlights from crash-filled NASCAR Cup Series exhibition race

Tadd Haislop

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Clash at Daytona 2020: Results, highlights from crash-filled NASCAR Cup Series exhibition race image

One NASCAR Cup Series driver will enter next week's Daytona 500 with a 2020 victory already in the books — granted, a win from a non-points race. But the fact that the Busch Clash at Daytona is an exhibition race has never impacted the competitiveness of the racing at the 2.5-mile superspeedway on the Eastern Florida coast.

That was the case Sunday, too, when Erik Jones limped to victory in the 2020 Clash at Daytona with a banged-up race car. Jones was one of just five cars left on the lead lap (and one of six left in the race) after a series of late-race crashes took out 12 of the 18 cars that started the Clash.

MORE: Daytona 500 TV, streaming info

Ryan Newman earned the pole for Sunday's 75-lap Clash at Daytona thanks to a random draw Saturday. Brad Keselowski joined him on the front row to begin the race. The winner of last year's rain-shortened Clash at Daytona, Jimmie Johnson, rolled off 16th in his last exhibition race at Daytona. Keselowski and Johnson, though, were two of the drivers who were knocked out of Sunday's Clash in wrecks.

SN tracked live updates and highlights from Sunday's 2020 Clash at Daytona. Here's how it went down.

MORE: Full Daytona Speedweeks schedule

Clash at Daytona 2020: Results

Pos. Driver
1. Erik Jones
2. Austin Dillon
3. Clint Bowyer
4. Kyle Larson
5. Ryan Newman
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Chase Elliott (DNF)
8. Ryan Blaney (DNF)
9. Joey Logano (DNF)
10. Aric Almirola (DNF)
11. Jimmie Johnson (DNF)
12. Kurt Busch (DNF)
13. Kevin Harvick (DNF)
14. William Byron (DNF)
15. Alex Bowman (DNF)
16. Martin Truex Jr. (DNF)
17. Brad Keselowski (DNF)
18. Kyle Busch (DNF)

Clash at Daytona 2020: Highlights

— 5:10 p.m. ET: CHECKERED FLAG. Finally. Erik Jones wins the 2020 Busch Clash at Daytona with a torn up car after a ridiculous sequence to end the race. Teammate Denny Hamlin pushes him to the win.

— 5:08 p.m. ET: Green flag for overtime attempt No. 3.

— 5:02 p.m. ET: CAUTION for another crash before the white flag. This is getting ridiculous. Again, Chase Elliott gets into the back of the leader, this time Kyle Larson down the backstretch. And again, the two make contact and spin in Turn 3, collecting a handful of cars. Only four — Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Erik Jones and Larson — are left on the lead lap; Denny Hamlin is a lap down but still in the race,

— 5:01 p.m. ET: Green flag for overtime attempt No. 2.

— 5:57 p.m. ET: Red flag is lifted; caution comes back out with only eight cars left in the race and six cars on the lead lap.

— 4:49 p.m. ET: RED FLAG as cleanup from the crash continues. For this race only, teams are allowed to work on their damaged cars during the red flag. Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson are knocked out of the race.

— 4:44 p.m. ET: CAUTION. Denny Hamlin, after getting bump-drafted a couple times by Chase Elliott down the backstretch, loses control going into Turn 3 and collects, again, almost the entire field. Elliott brushes the outside wall but makes it through relatively clean. Only Elliott, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer are left on the track; a few others head to pit road for damage repair.

— 4:43 p.m. ET: Green flag for overtime attempt No. 1.

— 4:33 p.m. ET: CAUTION on the restart with three laps to go. Ryan Newman, restarting fourth, gets loose thanks to a bump from William Byron and collects almost the entire field. Only Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola and Ryan Blaney get through the incident unscathed. Byron and Martin Truex Jr. are knocked out of the race.

— 4:29 p.m. ET: Nine cars pit under caution with five laps to go; six stay out.

— 4:21 p.m. ET: CAUTION with nine laps to go. This one felt inevitable. Kyle Busch gets into the back of Joey Logano, who gets loose and collects Busch and Brad Keselowski in a crash coming off Turn 4. Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson also suffer some damage. The first incident-related caution of the race changes everything; now those who were trying to save fuel (basically all the Chevys) can pit. Busch and Keselowski are knocked out of the race.

— 4:06 p.m. ET: Erik Jones overshoots his pit stall during a stop on Lap 47. All Fords and Toyotas pit for fuel.

— 4 p.m. ET: The halfway point of the Clash at Daytona arrives. All drivers are instructed by their crew chiefs to save fuel for a potential run all the way to the checkered flag.

— 3:54 p.m. ET: Restart on Lap 31.

— 3:50 p.m. ET: Ryan Newman is penalized for speeding on pit road. He moves to the rear of the field.

— 3:47 p.m. ET: Aric Almirola's team is penalized (moves to the rear of the field) for having a crew member over the wall too soon during their pit stop.

— 3:45 p.m. ET: CAUTION. The scheduled break arrives after 26 clean laps to open the race. The eight cars that didn't pit just before the break must now come in for stops.

— 3:44 p.m. ET: All Fords and Toyotas pit together for the first time in the race, a lap before the scheduled break. Chevys (and Ryan Newman) stay out.

— 3:24 p.m. ET: Green flag. The 2020 Busch Clash at Daytona is underway.

— 3:14 p.m. ET: Engines are fired after "The Busch Guy" gives the command.

— 3:05 p.m. ET: Pre-race ceremonies at Daytona International Speedway begin.

Tadd Haislop

Tadd Haislop is the Associate NFL Editor at SportingNews.com.