“We only had little short runs here and there. But you never know with the Clash, and certainly, with the lesser field amount I think the strong cars can really show,” said a confident Denny Hamlin to Fox Sports after winning the pole, becoming the fastest out of the 22-driver field to claim the top spot. Opening up to Fox Sports, Hamlin was the fastest in Saturday’s final practice session with a lap of 68.498 mph at the quarter-mile track, while 2022 Cup Series champion Joey Logano ends up at the front, just behind Hamlin in the second spot.

While the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has found the right footing, winning the pole at the season opener at L.A., things did not go the way his teammate hoped they would, as the #20 driver finds himself on the wrong end. Disappointingly, Christopher Bell became the only driver to make the Championship 4 each of the past two years but failed to qualify for the rescheduled Clash at the Coliseum.

A closer look at the starting grid at the Clash

The weather was the villain as the storm threatened the race, prompting NASCAR to reschedule the race, moving ‘The Clash at the Coliseum’ to Saturday night out of concerns for inclement weather headed toward California. Like the rest, Denny Hamlin applauded the organization’s decision, giving his approval on social media for moving the race up a day and calling it a “W” for NASCAR.

The impending storm did not even faze the 43-year-old as he took charge, grabbing the pole and setting the fastest time to start first in the 22-car field. Despite the JGR veteran’s strong show, his teammate and sensational driver, Christopher Bell, begins his 2024 campaign on a sour note, getting DNQ and not making it to the field.

This is the first time a JGR car has failed to make it to the Clash in the three years at Coliseum. Whereas the defending champion, Ryan Blaney, gets in courtesy of provisional points set up even though he was 26th in the line. Unfortunately, C. Bell was among the 13 drivers who failed to make the field for the exhibition race, including Austin Dillon and Chris Buescher.

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Denny Hamlin will enter Saturday’s pre-season exhibition race as the fastest, starting first after he aced the qualifying session as the grid’s fastest with a lap of 68.498 mph. Hamlin and his teammate, Martin Truex Jr punched in their tickets starting at first and nineteenth. On the other hand, JGR’s C. Bell gets off on the wrong foot, failing to make it.

Sharing the news on his social media site, Fox Sports, Bob Pockrass named the other 13 drivers that failed to make it besides Bell. Austin Dillon, Josh Williams, SHR‘s Josh Berry, Austin Cindric, Erik Jones, Daniel Suárez, Harrison Burton, Chris Buescher, Carson Hocevar, Daniel Hemric, Kaz Grala, and Zane Smith were the other names that had to start on a sour note besides Bell.

Reacting to the disappointing news, a fan noted, “Shoutout to the 20 crew for sending bell out on scuff tires.”  While others were surprised to know about Bell’s fallout, “What happened Bell;” “Bell DNQ’d in the fastest car.” Denny Hamlin fanboys did not forget to celebrate the opportunity, “Let’s go Hamlin!!” “Denny Hamlin is the goat,” wrote another fan, who called the veteran the greatest of all time. 

NASCAR Update: Clash at the Coliseum Moved Up to Tonight to Beat Massive Rainstorm