Kyle Busch steals Clash at Daytona win after Chase Elliott takes out leader Ryan Blaney

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Perhaps moving the Busch Clash to Daytona's Road Course wasn't a bad idea after all. 

Defending Cup Series champion Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney put on a show to open NASCAR's 2021 season Tuesday night, beating and banging all the way to the finish line and gift-wrapping a win to Kyle Busch.

Elliott, running second, got into the back of Blaney coming to the frontstretch chicane on the final lap, and sent the No. 12 into the wall. Elliott wrecked, too, opening the door for the third-place Busch to win the race.

"I knew I just had to keep my head down and stay focused ahead," Busch said. "I had to get close enough to have a shot if something like that materialized, and fortunately it did for us."

"This was an awesome way to start the year ... I'd love nothing more than to be right here this Sunday."

Here are 5 takeaways from Tuesday's race:

Elliott, Blaney fireworks

Best friends off the track, neither Elliott nor Blaney were in the giving mood during Tuesday's final laps. 

Despite starting last due to an unapproved pre-race adjustment, Elliott took the lead with five laps to go after both Hamlin and Blaney hit pit-road during the night's final caution. 

Blaney caught and passed Elliott with 2 to go, but Elliott fought back, catching his friend on the backstretch of the final lap.

After that, the battle was on. 

Elliott dove low going into the final chicane and got inside Blaney, but he couldn't make it stick. The two made contact, and Blaney ended up in the wall. Elliott's car was too mangled to get going, and Busch sped past both to take the win. 

"It didn’t work out for either of us," Blaney said. "Just racing hard. I had fresher tires and got back to second, but had to use a lot to get to him. I drove into that last corner really deep, and was just trying to protect. We came together. What are you gonna do?"

Going for the win

Elliott was going for his fifth straight win on a road course, and sixth overall. He won on this course last summer, and won on the Charlotte Roval during the playoffs last fall. 

Elliott said he spoke with Blaney after the race and apologized. 

"I thought I was close enough to drive in there," he said. "Obviously he's frustrated, and he should be. You have to go for it in an event like this. Obviously I didn't mean to wreck him." 

Back to the Roval

Blaney said he thought Elliott drove in "awful deep," but said he would make the same move two weeks from now during the Feb. 21 race back on this road course. 

Ironically, Blaney won in this same fashion two years ago at the Charlotte Roval, when Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. spun coming out of the chicane right before the start/finish line on the final lap. 

"Well I told him, if you're gonna make a move like that, at least win the race," Blaney said.

Early season rust 

There was plenty of rust in this first race of 2021, specifically from Truex Jr.

Leading during the Lap 16 competition caution, Truex missed the frontstretch chicane, blowing right through it instead of following the pace car down low. That penalty led to Truex starting at the rear on the next restart. 

"I don’t know why I did that," he said over the radio. "Terrible job."

Truex later battled back to take the lead with 7 to go, only to spin coming out of the backstretch chicane and slam the wall. He would finish 21 after taking the car to the garage.

Kurt Busch and Blaney also locked their brakes from the lead on a restart and missed Turn 1, while Kevin Harvick had an early spin through the grass. 

The usual suspects

Exhibition race or not, the usual road course ringers were in the mix all night. 

Denny Hamlin took the lead on the first lap and led the majority of the early part of the race, while Truex Jr., who finished third on Daytona's Road Course last year, ran up front all night despite starting 18th.

Hamlin finished sixth after pitting from the lead with 7 to go.