After a race hit by rain, sleet, freezing conditions and a ton of cautions, RFK Racing star Ryan Preece has won the NASCAR Cup Series Clash.
After gradually battling his way through the field all night, Preece put his No. 60 Ford in victory lane after nailing the final restart of the race, with the likes of William Byron and Ryan Blaney unable to keep up with him in the final stages.
It is Preece’s first-ever win at Cup Series level, meaning he joins Jeff Gordon (1994) and Denny Hamlin (2006) as the only drivers to win the Clash before winning a points-scoring race. His emotions were clear for all to see after the checkered flag as he spoke to FOX and fought back the tears.
"I don’t even know what to say," he said on the frontstretch. "To be honest with you, it’s been a f*****g long road. It’s the Clash. But man, it’s just been years and years of grinding.
"I’m just super thankful for Brad Keselowski, Kroger, Coca-Cola, all our partners, Bam, break open the pappy. Jack Roush, the Fenway Group.
"Two years ago, I didn’t think I was going to have a job. I thought I was going back to Connecticut. I’m just super, super emotional."
It could have been a very different feeling for Preece post-race, however. With so many cautions, some NASCAR drivers were beginning to run out of fuel, with the No. 60 driver having been told he only had 25 laps worth left with 48 to go.
However, NASCAR decided to eventually call all cars into the pits to refuel, which aided Preece’s victory. Some, such as Chase Briscoe’s crew chief James Small, slammed this decision as ‘complete bulls**t’ over the radio.
Elsewhere at Bowman Gray Stadium, behind the top three, Daniel Suarez and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five, with Chase Briscoe, Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, and Alex Bowman making up the top 10.
With that said, you can find the full results with time gaps below.
Who won the NASCAR Clash race today?
| Pos | Driver (Car No.) | Team (Manufacturer) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Preece (60) | RFK Racing (Ford) | LEADER |
| 2 | William Byron (24) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) | +1.752 |
| 3 | Ryan Blaney (12) | Team Penske (Ford) | +2.962 |
| 4 | Daniel Suárez (7) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) | +3.991 |
| 5 | Denny Hamlin (11) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) | +4.313 |
| 6 | Chase Briscoe (19) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) | +6.060 |
| 7 | Austin Dillon (3) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) | +6.369 |
| 8 | Chris Buescher (17) | Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (Ford) | +8.016 |
| 9 | Ross Chastain (1) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) | +8.249 |
| 10 | Alex Bowman (23) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) | +10.340 |
| 11 | Joey Logano (22) | Team Penske (Ford) | +11.102 |
| 12 | Josh Berry (21) | Wood Brothers Racing (Ford) | +11.405 |
| 13 | Christopher Bell (20) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) | +11.720 |
| 14 | Ty Gibbs (54) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) | +12.033 |
| 15 | Carson Hocevar (77) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) | +12.434 |
| 16 | Kyle Larson (5) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) | +12.487 |
| 17 | Chase Elliott (9) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) | +12.923 |
| 18 | Connor Zilisch (88) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) | +13.236 |
| 19 | Kyle Busch (8) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) | +13.464 |
| 20 | Shane Van Gisbergen (97) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) | +13.775 |
| 21 | Austin Cindric (2) | Team Penske (Ford) | +14.039 |
| 22 | Tyler Reddick (45) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) | +14.552 |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace (23) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) | 1 LAP |
