NASCAR at Daytona 2017 Results: Advance Auto Parts Clash Winner, Times, Reaction

The 2017 NASCAR season officially kicked off on Sunday with Joey Logano stealing a win on the last lap at the Advance Auto Parts Clash.  

Originally scheduled for Saturday night under the lights at Daytona, the Clash was pushed to Sunday due to rainy conditions in Florida. 

Logano took home the checkered flag in the 50-mile sprint, moving into the top spot when Denny Hamlin, who led most of the race, bumped into Brad Keselowski when both were trying to go low around a turn. 

Position	Driver	Time Behind (Seconds)
1	Joey Logano	-
2	Kyle Busch	1.121
3	Alex Bowman	1.139
4	Danica Patrick	1.187
5	Kevin Harvick	1.965
6	Brad Keselowski	2.235
7	Chase Elliott	2.287
8	Daniel Suarez	2.441
9	Chris Buescher	4.552
10	Jamie McMurray	6.025
11	Matt Kenseth	8.046
12	Austin Dillon	8.355
13	Denny Hamlin	N/A
14	Kyle Larson	DNF
15	Martin Truex Jr.	DNF
16	Jimmie Johnson	DNF
17	Kurt Busch	DNF

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Logano's breakthrough at the Clash comes after years of near-misses: 

This is a terrific start to the season for Logano, who finished second in the cup standings last year. It was his best season finish since turning pro in 2008, and at 26 years old, his ceiling is only going to get higher. 

After his win, Logano explained how he was able to take home the checkered flag. 

"I knew the only way we were gonna beat those Gibbs cars is break them up," he said on the FS1 broadcast (h/t Performance Racing Network). "You've got to be a better team than they are."

It's hard to say Logano was better than Joe Gibbs Racing on Sunday, specifically Hamlin. He may have won the race, but Hamlin led virtually the entire way before his misguided move on the final lap cost him a victory.

This looked like it would be another triumph for Hamlin, who won last year's Clash and was seeking his third victory in four years. 

NASCAR provided video of the moment between Hamlin and Keselowski that knocked both drivers out of contention:

Hamlin wasn't angry after the race ended, with ESPN's Bob Pockrass noting he blamed things on "a racing deal."

One driver who has to be encouraged by their performance is Danica Patrick, who posted a career-best fourth-place finish in the Clash. She hadn't finished higher than 10th in two previous appearances before Sunday. 

Patrick was pleased with her showing in a post-race interview on FS1, via Stewart-Haas Racing:

Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch were knocked out of the race early. Busch's No. 41 car slammed into the outside wall on the 18th lap, leaving his car in bad shape, as this image from Fox Sports NASCAR shows:

Per Stewart-Haas Racing, Busch was released from the infield care center after being evaluated. This is not a good omen for the 38-year-old as he seeks his first career win at the Daytona 500 one week from today.

Johnson's early exit was hardly a surprise since he's crashed out at the Clash in each of the last six years. 

NASCAR tweeted out the video of Johnson hitting the wall after spinning out on the fourth turn:

Per Lowe's Racing, Johnson's team wasn't too concerned about their day being finished early:

When you have seven career NASCAR Cup championships, including last year, and have won the Daytona 500 twice, it's hard for Johnson and his team to get too down on themselves in an exhibition. 

The benefit of a race like this featuring some of the sport's biggest stars is it affords them the opportunity to see where their car is at, what needs to be done and how to get there heading into the main event in seven days. 

Logano took the early advantage over the field, but stiff competition behind him from the likes of Hamlin, Johnson, Busch and Keselowski will make it impossible for him to get too comfortable atop his perch.