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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A snow-delayed race that featured rain and sleet had drivers spinning out as they battled each other and their rain tires Wednesday night in NASCAR’s preseason exhibition Clash.
So maybe it was appropriate that Ryan Preece, a short-track modified standout from the Northeast who had not won a Cup points event, captured the marathon that took 2 hours, 20 minutes on the historic quarter-mile at Bowman Gray Stadium.
“I’m a quarter-mile killer,” Preece said. “When it comes to this style of racing, it’s what I grew up doing. … It’s not a points race, but winning means everything. Man, I’m just speechless.”
Ryan Preece finally found his way to victory lane.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Big Win For Preece
Preece often wears his emotions, and his excitement after the victory was obvious. He has 223 Cup starts with seven top-five finishes, and he enters his second year with his best Cup opportunity competing for RFK Racing.
How he intended to celebrate tells everything about the 35-year-old Preece.
After the win, he planned on driving seven hours to Florida to compete in some short-track events at New Smyrna Speedway, just about 30 minutes south of Daytona, before getting in his Cup car next Wednesday. Preece will race in both a late model and modified that he and his family own.
He obviously thought he would have more time to get to New Smyrna until the race ,originally scheduled for Sunday, was postponed to Wednesday because of a weekend snowstorm.
“I’ll celebrate in New Smyrna,” Preece said. “I race, man. It’s what it’s about. This is going to make that drive a hell of a lot better because seven hours, I figure I’ll get to … New Smyrna about 7 a.m.
“We’ll just grind it out.”
Just like he did to win the Clash in leading the final 45 laps.
Ryan Preece celebrates Cup win #1.
2. Denny Hamlin Perseveres
Hamlin persevered to a fifth-place finish, following Preece, William Byron, Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez across the finish line.
Among those five, Hamlin was involved in the most cautions, finding himself turned at least a few times during the race.
Considering his last few months — losing the Cup title in the final laps at Phoenix, his 23XI Racing team pretty much winning its antitrust trial against NASCAR and his father dying in a house fire that also severely injured his mother — Hamlin had hoped to find a little bit of normalcy by getting back in a race car.
“It was a good preseason [race], however I believe as soon as we get to Daytona, issues will begin to get a bit of bit extra regular, issues can be a bit of extra severe. And you may know the stakes are going to get excessive right here in 10 days [with the Daytona 500],” Hamlin mentioned.
Denny Hamlin (left) discovered himself spinning typically on the Conflict.
3. Gas Name Controversy
With the exhibition race not counting warning laps and the warning flying 17 instances, NASCAR opted after a couple of drivers ran out of gas to permit all vehicles to pit for gas. The factor is, at the least Chase Briscoe’s crew felt they’d crammed up their tank full previous to the race only for such a situation.
Briscoe, who led 35 laps, ended up sixth, and his crew chief James Small was lower than happy.
“I did not know all of the circumstances that have been happening, however I do know James was not thrilled with the scenario,” Briscoe mentioned. “It undoubtedly after that, it type of killed me. And quite a lot of guys have been doing changes, and also you weren’t purported to be doing changes. … Sort of irritating a bit of bit.”
NASCAR additionally let William Byron, who ran out of gas to carry out the warning the place NASCAR opted to permit everybody to refuel, to regain his place. Contemplating it was an exhibition occasion, there seemingly can be discussions over the way it was dealt with, however onerous emotions ought to subside shortly.
Chilly climate and precipitation made for an eventful race on Wednesday.
4. Daniel Suarez Shines
Suarez, in his first outing for Spire Motorsports after spending the final 5 years at Trackhouse Racing, posted a stable consequence.
He was his typical fiery self, and it appeared at instances that he raced his former Trackhosue teammates more durable than others.
“I race folks the identical means they race me,” Suarez mentioned. “I really like everybody. If they provide me love, I give love. If they provide me hate, I give hate.”
4 ½: What’s Subsequent
The Cup Collection heads to Daytona, however the dialogue can be whether or not this occasion continues at Bowman Grey Stadium. It’s a historic venue — owned by town of Winston-Salem with the power doubling because the soccer stadium for Winston-Salem State College — and NASCAR has staged the Conflict there the final two years to generate pleasure of going again to its roots.
As this occasion confirmed, racing in February is usually a problem. The realm had a uncommon vital snowstorm — greater than eight inches fell Saturday — and the race was run in frigid temperatures that included at one level ice pellets falling from the sky. It resulted within the last half of the race being run within the moist with rain tires – and 13 instances NASCAR waved the warning flag for spins or wrecks.
“I do not suppose you’ll be able to choose a race or a observe off of that bizarre climate circumstance,” mentioned Ryan Blaney, the 2023 Cup Collection champion. “I believe this place, actually, judging off the primary half, placed on a superb present.
“Simply the best way [in the rain], calamity as it might be with anyplace. I respect the followers sticking round all evening. I guess that was brutal in these aluminum grandstands. Chilly asses up there.”
Fireworks gentle up the sky throughout pre-race festivities on the Conflict.
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