February 4, 2023 | By Lee Spencer

Busch Light Clash whets appetite for NASCAR return

The inaugural Busch Clash at the LA Coliseum was nothing short of electrifying.

With the urban setting, show-topping entertainment and introduction of the Next Gen car on a quarter-mile track, the season opener ushered in a new era in NASCAR and a new level of excitement.

But can Round 2 of the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum live up to expectations?

“It’s unlike any other Cup race you have ever seen,” said defending race winner and NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano. “You go to the smallest race track—and it’s a fight! There’s not a better word for it. It’s a fight. It’s a battle.”

BIGGER IS BETTER

NASCAR expanded the field from 23 participants to 27 for this weekend’s event. Considering that drivers such as Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman and Chris Buescher were on the outside looking in, that’s a good thing.

Practice is set for Saturday on FS1 starting at 6 p.m., ET. Drivers will be divided into three groups for practice. Qualifying begins at 8 p.m. with 36 drivers rolling off based on last year’s point standings. BJ McLeod kicks off time trials with Logano making the final qualifying attempt.

Logano is also the only driver locked into the feature due to a rule offering a provisional to the highest finishing driver in the 2022 standings who did not transfer based on finishing position in the heat races or last chance qualifier.

BRINGING THE HEAT

Sunday’s activities will be broadcast on FOX starting at 5 p.m. ET. Lineups for the four heats will be set due to Saturday’s qualifying. The fastest time secures the pole for Heat 1, the second quickest lap secures the top spot in Heat 2 and so on. The top five finishers in each 25-lap heat transfer to the feature with the four winners comprising the first two rows.

The remaining drivers will battle for the final six positions through the 50-lap Last Chance Qualifiers. The 27th and final position in the feature will be reserved for the top-finishing driver in the 2022 Cup point standings not advancing from the heat races or last-chance qualifiers.

CROWNING A CLASH CHAMPION

The 150-lap main event will be broken down into two 75-lap segments. A halftime break will offer teams time to service the cars and the drivers. Rather than a traditional trophy, drivers racing their way to the podium will receive gold, silver and bronze medals.

The 2022 Clash was a race of attrition. Fifty laps into the feature, a rash of mechanical failures occurred. Denny Hamlin’s power steering broke on Lap 52. Tyler Reddick led 51 of the first 53 laps before his drivetrain broke. Chase Briscoe’s drivetrain failed on the same lap. Ryan Preece, who raced for Rick Ware Racing in last year’s event, suffered oil pressure woes halfway through.

But after a year to work on the new car, most of the bugs should have been exterminated. Both drivers and teams will have an elevated level of confidence rolling into the Los Angeles Coliseum for a second time.

“From where we are now moving forward, we’re in a much better spot,” said Bubba Wallace.

TOP PROSPECTS

Joey Logano—The 2022 NASCAR Cup champion started the season with a win at the LA Coliseum and a win at Phoenix Raceway finale to capture his second title. Thirteen of his 31 wins have come on tracks shorter than a mile-and-a-half. Logano’s 2023 campaign features the same players from last season. No doubt the No. 22 Penske team expects to pick up where they left off.

Kyle Busch—After 15 winning seasons, two titles, and 56 victories, Busch did not receive the fond farewell from Joe Gibbs Racing he had expected. But the 37-year-old racer is in his prime and ready to exact revenge. Busch led a race-high 64 laps in the 2022 Clash before finishing second. He’s climbing in the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy—that led 51 of the first 53 laps of the event.

Ross Chastain—There was not a hotter driver than Chastain at the end of the 2022 season. In the final two rounds of the postseason, his average finish was 2.75. No, Chastain didn’t advance to the Clash feature at the Coliseum last year. Yet after discouraging outings at LA and Daytona, the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team posted two wins, 15 top fives and 21 top 10s en route to a second-place finish in the Cup standings.