Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For once, as he put it, Brad Keselowski didn’t “choke away” a chance at victory during Speedweeks at Daytona.

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, takes the checkered flag to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

Just the opposite. Taking the lead on Lap 39 of the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway, Keselowski held it the rest of the way to win the exhibition kick-off race to the 2018 season, leading Team Penske to a 1-2-4 finish.

And Keselowski, who led 41 of the 75 laps, took the checkered flag with a large piece of debris on the nose of his No. 2 Ford Fusion, with the water temperature in the engine rising to dangerous levels.

“I was worried about the run (of cars behind him), but the car was way overheating there at the end, and I was more worried about it blowing up than anything else,” Keselowski said. “(Engine builder) Doug Yates and his guys did a good job giving me something real durable to take all that and keep digging.

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

“I’m really proud of the whole effort here. What a way to start Speedweeks, putting the Miller Lite Ford in Victory Lane. I’m really proud of my team… I felt like we were due today.”

Keselowski has five victories at Talladega, but his only other superspeedway win came in the July 2016 race at Daytona. During February, the 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion was batting .000, making Sunday’s start to Speedweeks a special occasion.

“It means a lot,” Keselowski said. “I’ve never won anything here during Speedweeks, and I feel like I’ve choked them away, to be quite honest. You need one to break through. Hopefully, this is our breakthrough.”

Last year’s Clash winner, Joey Logano, finished second to his teammate, with Kurt Busch running third and Team Penske newbie Ryan Blaney fourth—with Ford drivers sweeping the top four positions.

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, and Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Peak Ford, lead the field during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

Austin Dillon, who started from the pole, came home fifth in the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, avoiding a last-lap melee that started when contact from Kyle Larson’s Chevrolet turned Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 into the outside wall on the backstretch.

Johnson failed to finish the Clash for the seventh straight year.

After Keselowski grabbed the lead, the field gradually strung out to single file in the top lane, with smaller groups of cars unable to make significant runs on the bottom. On the final lap, however, Kurt Busch darted past Blaney, who had dropped to the inside in a last-ditch effort to win the race.

Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Autol Parts Chevrolet, leads Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)

Behind the lead cars, Larson tagged Johnson and turned him into the wall, collecting the cars of Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne and defending series champion Martin Truex Jr. in the wreck.

Kurt Busch, the defending Daytona 500 winner, was pleased with his third-place result and what it might portend for his defense in the Great American Race.

“Project number one was to do all the laps so that we could understand more about our tires and our setup and the way that the car was going to handle,” Busch said. “Then step number two was to have fun. I had a blast.

“I wanted to make another move on the last lap but ran out of steam because the guys behind me got too wide. I couldn’t jump in there and go after the Penske guys. It’s a good day for Ford and good day for us and Billy Scott, my new crew chief. Now we’ll go back and debrief about our car.”

Media Center Interviews:

Brad Keselowski – 

Roger Penske and Paul Wolfe – 

Joey Logano and Austin Dillon – 

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race – Advance Auto Parts Clash

Daytona International Speedway

Daytona Beach, Florida

Sunday, February 11, 2018

1. (17) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 75.
2. (3) Joey Logano, Ford, 75.
3. (14) Kurt Busch, Ford, 75.
4. (15) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 75.
5. (1) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 75.
6. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 75.
7. (13) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 75.
8. (4) Erik Jones, Toyota, 75.
9. (9) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 75.
10. (10) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 75.
11. (11) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 75.
12. (5) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 74.
13. (12) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 74.
14. (6) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 74.
15. (7) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 74.
16. (8) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 73.
17. (16) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, Accident, 43.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  169.641 mph.

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 06 Mins, 19 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.102 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  3 for 8 laps.

Lead Changes:  11 among 7 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   A. Dillon 1; D. Hamlin 2-9; C. Elliott 10-14; A. Dillon 15-16; C. Elliott 17-23; J. Logano 24; K. Larson 25; K. Harvick 26-27; B. Keselowski 28-33; C. Elliott 34-38; B. Keselowski 39-75; K. Larson 76;.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  B. Keselowski 2 times for 43 laps; C. Elliott 3 times for 17 laps; D. Hamlin 1 time for 8 laps; A. Dillon 2 times for 3 laps; K. Harvick 1 time for 2 laps; K. Larson 2 times for 2 laps; J. Logano 1 time for 1 lap.

Austin Dillon, driver of the #3 DOW Chevrolet, leads the field to the green flag to start the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Menards/Peak Ford, leads a pack of cars during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #17 Fastenal Ford, Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Ford, and Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, race during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet, and Erik Jones, driver of the #20 Circle K Toyota, race during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, leads a pack of cars during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Jamie McMurray, driver of the #1 Cessna Chevrolet, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet, and Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 5-hour ENERGY/Bass Pro Shops Toyota, race during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 11, 2018 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)