Joey Logano celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 6, 2022. Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
NASCAR’s first green flag of 2023 is ready to wave, setting the scene for the 75th Anniversary season for the sport – new venues, old rivalries, fresh expectations, and a milestone championship.
Teams arrived on Thursday in sunny Los Angeles to prepare for the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum in primetime this Sunday night, the second time the premier NASCAR Cup Series has opened its racing preseason at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The 150-lap non-points exhibition main event is set for Sunday, with qualifying and heat races in the afternoon. Practice starts Saturday at the quarter-mile asphalt oval constructed inside the Coliseum just for this mega-event. And with a race under their belt now for this unique show at this special venue, the NASCAR Cup Series drivers have raised their expectations and their game.
Joey Logano proved last February that the event could be a huge send-off for the regular season, which officially starts with the February 19 Daytona 500. Logano won the last year at Los Angeles and ultimately capped off the year hoisting his second NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy.
There are six former active winners of this 45-year-old race, including three-time winners Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, who will be retiring at the end of the season. Kyle Busch, who will be making his first race start with new team, Richard Childress Racing and Logano each have a pair of Clash victories. Brad Keselowski and Erik Jones each have a Busch Light Clash trophy as well.
A second straight victory for Logano would make him only the fifth driver in NASCAR history to win consecutive Busch Light Clash races and the first since Harvick did it in 2009-10.
There will be no shortage of compelling competition with only 27 of the 36 drivers entered this weekend making the race field. There will be four heat races with the top-five finishers in each advancing to the feature – making up 20 starting positions.
Six additional starting spots will be determined through “last chance” races – the top-three in two last chance qualifier races will advance to the show. And the final place on the grid is reserved for the driver who finished highest in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series standings that didn’t qualify through heat or last chance races.
Drivers are enthusiastic to get back in the cockpit this week and see what 2023 holds for them, beginning with this unique event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
“After practicing and running the race (last year), it was probably the most fun that I had all year because the cars raced so well,” said Harvick. “You could beat and bang and the racetrack was actually pretty racey. As you look back on it, it was definitely a fun experience.”
NASCAR Weekend Preview
NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum
The Place: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – Los Angeles, CA
The Date: Sunday, February 5
The Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
The Purse: $2,085,000
TV: FOX, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 37.5 miles (150 laps), Stage Break: Lap 75
2022 Race Winner: Joey Logano
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