CONCORD, N.C. – For the 46th time in NASCAR Cup Series history, the sport's top series will run a preseason exhibition race ahead of the new season. For a third consecutive year, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will host the event.
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The 2022 and 2023 editions of the Clash took place inside the historic venue, which has hosted both football and the Olympics. The unique location of the stadium in downtown Los Angeles has made for quite a season-opening showcase for the Next Gen car.
From 1979 to 2020, the Clash was run at Daytona International Speedway’s oval configuration and served as the unofficial kickoff of the season as it was traditionally run the weekend before the DAYTONA 500. The event was run on Daytona’s road course configuration for a single season before it moved across the country to Los Angeles.
Hendrick Motorsports has claimed the checkered flag seven times in the history of the event with four different drivers earning victories. Get ready for the latest edition of this storied event with a look back at the former Clash champions from the organization.
Ken Schrader (1989 & 1990)
The 1989 season got off to a near-perfect start for Schrader. In his second full-time season for Rick Hendrick’s team, Schrader started the Clash from the pole position. He led 15 of the 20 laps in the event to capture his first career victory in the event. Following the win, the Fenton, Missouri, native led 114 of 200 laps at the DAYTONA 500, ultimately settling for a runner-up finish behind teammate Darrell Waltrip.
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In 1990, Schrader successfully defended his Clash title. After rolling off the grid in the third position, he maneuvered his No. 25 entry to the lead, pacing the field for the final 16 laps on his way to victory lane. Schrader remains the only driver in the history of Hendrick Motorsports to win the Clash in consecutive seasons.
Jeff Gordon (1994 & 1997)
In his second season behind the wheel of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports entry, Jeff Gordon entered the 1994 Clash without a Cup Series victory to his name. By virtue of his first pole position at Charlotte Motor Speedway late in the 1993 season, Gordon earned a spot in the event for 1994. Despite only leading two laps - the final two - in the 20-lap event, the No. 24 entry found victory lane for the first time in the organization’s history.
The second triumph at the Clash for the current vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports came in 1997. Gordon paced the field for the final nine circuits en route to the win. Taking the checkered flag set up the ’97 season well, as Gordon would go on to earn his second of four titles in his career.
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Jimmie Johnson (2005 & 2019)
Johnson scored the win in the 2005 event by leading the final 16 laps in holding off Ryan Newman for the victory. The win marked his first triumph at Daytona, but there would be more to come.
Fourteen years later in a rain-shortened event, Johnson won the Clash in his first race with primary sponsor Ally. He got the race lead with an aggressive move on Paul Menard that led to a big wreck involving nearly all of the field. Shortly after that, wet weather called the race and Johnson was scored the winner.
Sandwiched between these exhibition race victories of 2005 and 2019 were two DAYTONA 500 crowns, one victory during the annual summer race at the Florida facility and two victories in the Duel qualifying races. The triumph in 2019 also marks the most recent victory from a Hendrick Motorsports driver in the Clash.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2008)
Earnhardt Jr.’s tenure with Hendrick Motorsports started with a victory in the 2008 Clash. After starting seventh, it took only five laps for Earnhardt Jr. to move into the top spot. By the time it was all said and done, he had paced the field for 47 of the 70 laps on his way to the win. He followed that up by winning the first Duel race during Speedweeks.
Daytona was also the sight of two points-paying races for Earnhardt Jr. in Hendrick Motorsports colors as he took home the 2014 DAYTONA 500 and the 2015 summer race as well as three Duel victories at the "World Center of Racing."
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