DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Brad Keselowski opened Speedweeks, before he turned a single lap, as the 7-1 favorite to win the Daytona 500.
Now that he has the first victory of the season, Keselowski is shaping up to be a safe bet.
Keselowski led a 1-2 Team Penske sweep Sunday in the exhibition The Clash at Daytona International Speedway. The race marks the opening of Speedweeks and is the first chance for teams to show their offseason work.
"I have never won anything here during Speedweeks, and I feel like I have choked them away, to be quite honest," Keselowski said in victory lane. "You need one to break through. Hopefully, this is our breakthrough."
Keselowski's lone victory at Daytona International Speedway was in the 2016 summer race.
When it comes to Speedweeks — The Clash, the Thursday twin qualifying races, and finally the season-opening Daytona 500 next Sunday — Keselowski always came up empty. His best finish in the 500 was third in 2013, and he finished fourth a year earlier. In his previous appearances in the all-star Clash, Keselowski finished inside the top nine in four of five races.
Ryan Blaney pulled out of line from behind Keselowski on the final lap in an attempt to beat his teammate, but faded into traffic. Joey Logano didn't have enough help to challenge Keselowski and settled for second.
