Competition format for Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum includes heat races, last-chance qualifiers

Posted on February 6, 2022February 6, 2022 by Staff Report

The first-ever Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum is a two-day event that consists of practice, heat races and two last-chance qualifying races, setting the stage for a 150-lap main event at the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 6 on FOX.

All 36 Charter teams are in Los Angeles, but only 23 will make the final show on Sunday night under the lights.

Here’s a breakdown of how the event works. Scroll to the bottom to the see the information presented visually.

• Saturday, Feb. 5: Practice and single-car qualifying

NASCAR Cup Series drivers took to the quarter-mile paved oval for a two-hour practice session, then ended the first day with single-car qualifying runs.

The single-car qualifying speeds will determine the fields and lineups for Sunday’s four heat races (see below for more on that).

MORE: Kyle Busch fastest in qualifying

• Sunday, Feb. 6: Heat races

Schedule: 3 p.m. ET, FOX (NASCAR RaceDay comes on at 2 p.m. ET)

There will be four 25-lap heat races with nine cars in each race Sunday, with those events starting at 3 p.m. ET on FOX. The four fastest cars from Saturday’s single-car qualifying — Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Justin Haley, Joey Logano — are on the pole position for each heat race (fastest speed in the first heat race, second fastest speed in the second heat race, etc.).

The first heat race consists of cars with qualifying speeds ranked one, five, nine, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29 and 33 on the speed chart. The second heat race will consist of cars with qualifying speeds ranked two, six, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30 and 34. And so on.

• How to advance from the heat race to the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum

The top four finishers in each heat race — 16 total cars — will automatically advance through to the Clash later in the evening. The winner of the first heat race will start on the pole, with the outside pole going to the winner of the second heat race.

The winners of heat race three and four will make up the second row. The remaining order for the 16 cars will be filled out in the same manner.

MORE: Track the lineup movement Sunday

• Sunday, Feb. 6: Last Chance Qualifying races

Schedule: Approximately 4:10 p.m. ET, FOX

The Last Chance Qualifying races follow the heat races. Each heat race has nine cars, with four automatically advancing to the main event. That leaves five cars from each heat race, or 20 total cars, not advancing.

All 20 of those cars will advance to two ensuing 50-lap Last Chance Qualifying races, 10 in each race.

The starting order for each LCQ is based on finishing positions in the heat races, with the remaining field from heat races one and three racing in the first LCQ event. The second LCQ race is comprised of cars from heat race two and four.

The top three finishers (six total cars) in both Last Chance Qualifying races will advance to the Busch Light Clash, filling out positions 17-22 of the 23 available positions.

The final spot is reserved for the driver who finished the highest in the 2021 points standings who does not transfer on finishing position in the heat races or Last Chance Qualifying races. So in essence, that means 2021 champion Kyle Larson is the only driver locked into the field.

• Sunday, Feb. 6: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum

With the field set, the 150-lap main event is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on FOX.

“I’ve had the chance to drive on the track through iRacing and make some laps in the NextGen car at Bowman-Gray on a similar layout, and there’s no doubt that this race is going to be awesome,” said Clint Bowyer, longtime former NASCAR Cup Series driver and current FOX Sports analyst. “The different qualifying events and format for the Clash are only going to add to what will be an unforgettable weekend. This is definitely a race you’re not going to want to miss.”

Click here to download the below graphic

Posted on February 5, 2022February 5, 2022 by Reid Spencer

LOS ANGELES — At Bristol Motor Speedway in 2007, Kyle Busch won the debut race of the Car of Tomorrow.

In March of 2008, he gave Toyota its first victory in the NASCAR Cup Series with a dominating win at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Contemplating the prospect of winning the first race in the Next Gen NASCAR Cup Series car, however, Busch says that “first” might be taken with a grain of salt.

MORE: Busch post top spot in Clash qualifying | Scenes from the track

“In the back of my mind, you would say, yeah, you want to be the first guy, but I think many of us would argue that the first race for this vehicle will be the Daytona 500,” said Busch, who leads all active drivers with 59 victories in Cup Series points races. “You know, we’re here obviously, it is a race. Yes, they will pay somebody at the end of the day to win it. But this is more, as we’ve kind of alluded, a little bit where it’s a show.

“I mean that’s fine, and we’re going to do our best job of being able to put on a good show. There’s going to be a race involved. There’s going to be a checkered flag at the end of it. And I’ve been involved in the sport enough where there’s a lot of asterisks on the things that I’ve accomplished. So I’m sure me winning this race—I did not win the first race of the new car—it would be whoever wins Daytona, that’s how it would go.”

Busch, who was fifth fastest on the practice chart on Saturday morning, could make the issue moot by winning the Daytona 500 for the first time.

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Reid Spencer

In Saturday’s opening practice session, Ryan Blaney was 35th fastest among the 36 hopefuls for the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum.

Soon after his group of 12 cars took to the track for their second session, Blaney jumped to second fastest overall.

The driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford ended practice ninth overall as the track gained speed throughout the scheduled two-hour warm-up. Blaney said wholesale changes to his car after the first session accounted for the improvement in performance.

“We found a lot,” Blaney acknowledged. “We changed a whole lot between the first and second practice. We were really bad the first run and just really loose. The corners are so tight here that the moment your rear slips out from under you, it takes forever to catch it and you lose tons of time.

“We came in and put tons of wedge in it and changed the right front spring and rear springs. There is a lot of adjustability in these cars with rear and front bar and stiffness on the arms on them—you can change a lot. We did a good job of getting on top of it and taking a huge swing at it.

“We were so far off. The adjustability on these cars is a lot though … It’s nice to have so many options where you can tweak on things.”

With independent rear suspension, differential in place of rear-end housing and rack-and-pinion steering all new to the Next Gen car, crew chiefs will have a lot to work with — and a lot to learn — in the coming weeks.

Posted on February 5, 2022February 5, 2022 by Zack Albert

LOS ANGELES – The Busch Light Clash inched another day closer Saturday to pulling back the season-opening curtain on its Tinseltown debut. All the changes on tap for 2022 were primed for a sneak preview, from the new Next Gen car to the first official laps on the temporary Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum surface.

Predictions? Computer models and simulations can only do so much to un-muddle the unknown, but if the on-track action in a more-or-less cautious opening practice offers an indication, full-contact racing should be the theme. Sounds right for a venue that regularly hosts tackle football.

“My job is to use it, not fix it,” said California native Kevin Harvick, referring to the trusty front bumper of his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. “That is the theory I am going with this week. I hit the wall, hit a car, and they haven’t said a word about it. So next time I will use it harder, I guess.”

The scene is set for qualifying heats and ultimately a 150-lap main event in Sunday’s Busch Light Clash (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the NASCAR Cup Series. The preliminaries will determine the 23-car field for the Clash feature.

Cup Series rookie Harrison Burton and his No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford led the first group out for practice Saturday morning, fittingly linking the sport’s longest-running team to another historic first. The rest of the group sessions had their share of bumps and minor scrapes – something that may be an inevitability this weekend on the tight quarter-mile oval.

“I don’t remember getting hit or hitting anyone,” said Chase Elliott, before adding: “… yet.”

After building some heat and rubber into the fresh asphalt, drivers worked to find the groove, sometimes cutting below the white line and over the rumble strips at corner entry. The adjustments weren’t just limited to the track, but also with drivers getting used to the new car’s extra grip, extra turn and improved braking power.

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

In some instances, the orientation required drawing on some short-track experience from the memory banks.

“It’s exciting. It reminds me a lot of Summer Shootout and racing Legend cars, so I’m glad I went back and ran one a couple years ago to knock the rust off,” said Bubba Wallace, referring to his time on the Charlotte Motor Speedway’s frontstretch quarter-mile. “It’s cool to see it being pulled off, and hats off to NASCAR and everybody here in LA to make this happen that it’s actually happening so I think we were expecting a lot different then we got on track actually this morning for some practice laps and it was like, ‘All right, we can we can make a race out of this.’ ”

Harvick is one of two current Cup Series drivers with some history of racing near – but not inside – the LA Coliseum. The 2014 series champ recalled racing along with Kurt Busch in the former NASCAR Southwest Tour around a temporary street course on the grounds outside the stadium, including all the bumps and jumps from the dodgy surface there. Sunday’s race has a different allure, something that breathed new life into the exhibition event that’s run annually at Daytona International Speedway until now.

“Obviously it is an iconic site and I think for me, being close to home and knowing that I have a lot of friends and family that are just intrigued by the event,” said Harvick, who hails from Bakersfield, just under two hours north. “The intrigue of the event is really the most valuable piece of the event, not only for what we do as teams but for our sponsors and new fans and for the sport in general. This is the type of event that you need to blow it out of the water at the start of the season to get the eyeballs and the people and you guys to all show up because it is different.

“That is the world that we live in. We live in different (times) and trying new things and having the guts to do it is sometimes hard to do, but the rewards are pretty big on the other side when it works.”

MORE: Clash 101: Format, TV, schedule

The other rewards will come with the first checkered flag Sunday and the Clash trophy, which is modeled after the Coliseum’s architecture. Elliott, fastest in Saturday’s cumulative practice sessions, goes off as the betting favorite with Hendrick Motorsports teammate and defending Cup champ Kyle Larson not far behind in the pecking order. And Kyle Busch put his own name into the hat of contenders with a top lap in Saturday’s qualifying, leading Tyler Reddick, Justin Haley and Joey Logano into the pole slots for Sunday’s heats.

Burton’s christening of the track may go down as a fun footnote in NASCAR trivia, but winning the first trophy would blaze a historic trail.

“I think it would be super cool to be the first person to win this race. I don’t think anybody would tell you anything different,” Elliott said. “Yeah, I think it would be a huge deal. Not only that, but a great way to start your year off. This is something new and exciting. I think we’re all very fortunate and lucky to even be here and be a part of it. If you’re standing on top of the mountain at the end of the day for something like this, this type of location and this type of an event – I think it is special and it should be for whoever wins.”

Posted on February 5, 2022February 6, 2022 by Tadd Haislop

The last time Josh Berry won a race at South Carolina’s Florence Motor Speedway, in 2021 as part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, he won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race a week later at Martinsville Speedway. He says that sequence changed his life.

On Saturday, Berry won again at the 0.4-mile paved oval, this time in the seventh annual IceBreaker. He did so with his debut as a full-time Xfinity Series driver at Daytona International Speedway just two weeks away.

“I sure hope so,” Berry said in Victory Lane when asked by FloRacing’s Jacklyn Drake whether his second Florence victory might lead to another Xfinity win. “I’m just really thankful. I have so much fun racing these cars.”

Those cars are late model stocks, which Berry had driven to victories virtually everywhere except for the Florence IceBreaker. A short-track racing master, Berry now has another notch on his belt as he enters 2022 driving full-time for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series.

Hear from Josh Berry in @NASCARRoots Florence Motor Speedway Icebreaker victory lane! 🏁

📺 https://t.co/QAS5pfNfXj pic.twitter.com/vTQyhZkgZu

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) February 5, 2022

This win, though, required strategy. Berry qualified third behind pole-sitter Zack Miracle and Connor Hall. The eventual winner displayed patience, conserving his tires while trying to keep the leaders in sight.

Sure enough, both Miracle and Hall experienced trouble. Berry took the lead on Lap 79 and never gave it up, eventually coasting to the victory by more than seven seconds.

“Last year in this race I fell too far back and lost track position,” Berry recalled. “I just tried to keep better track position with cleaner air. These guys worked really hard this winter putting this car together; first race on it. I just want to thank them for everything they’ve done for me for the last 10 years now.”

125 laps
34 drivers
1 winner

The 🏆 and $10K goes to @joshberry!!#IceBreaker | @FlorenceMSpdwy pic.twitter.com/nVYA6mGNcc

— NASCAR Roots (@NASCARRoots) February 5, 2022

As Berry turns his attention to the Xfinity Series, Carson Kvapil for the rest of the season will take the wheel of the late model stock Berry drove to the win Saturday for JR Motorsports.

“We’re all really excited for this season,” Berry added. “So this is a good way to start.”

Miracle finished second in Saturday’s IceBreaker after starting on the pole. Kade Brown, Trent Barnes and Brandon Pierce rounded out the top five.

Florence Motor Speedway’s weekly racing season begins Saturday, March 5 with its opening night.

Posted on February 5, 2022February 5, 2022 by Reid Spencer

LOS ANGELES — Kyle Busch set the fastest lap in single-car qualifying runs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Saturday night, claiming the top spot for Sunday’s opening heat race (3 p.m. ET, FOX).

RELATED: Complete qualifying times | Full schedule for Sunday

By setting the best lap at a time of 13.745 seconds, the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota claimed the coveted top spot in Heat 1 of 4 on Sunday for the race debut of NASCAR’s Next Gen car.

“I never would have thunk it,” said Busch, the only Toyota driver in the top 14 in time trials. “I don’t know, you know, it’s pretty cool. It’s just different with the opportunity to do something like this … we’re having a great time. We had a bunch of fans come out just to witness the qualifying.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what this place will look like (Sunday) and have the opportunity to race this No. 18 Toyota and keep it up front. We’re not in (the main event) yet—we still have to go through that heat race.”

Tyler Reddick earned the top spot for Heat 2 with a time of 13.761, which was second fastest in Saturday’s qualifying. Justin Haley will lead Heat 3 after posting a 13.891 mark Saturday and Joey Logano, fourth fastest Saturday with a best lap of 13.949 seconds, starts on the pole position for Heat 4.

Qualifying times set the lineup for each heat session — drivers 1, 5, 9, etc. are competing in Heat 1, drivers 2, 6, 10, etc. are competing in Heat 2 and so on.

Sunday’s heat races will feature four 25-lap races, followed by two last-chance qualifiers (LCQ’s) to set the field for the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum main event at 6 p.m. ET on FOX. The top four finishers in each heat will advance to the 150-lap main event. Three drivers will advance from each of the LCQs, with the provisional completing the 23-car Clash field.

Reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson posted the eighth-fastest lap with a time of 13.957 seconds. Larson is currently the only driver with a guaranteed spot in the main event, because the final spot is reserved for the highest 2021 points finisher who has not already qualified.

Contributing staff reports.

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Staff Report

See the order that cars will go out for single-car qualifying Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Click the print icon to see the full order the 36 cars will log their laps.

Qualifying will determine which heat race each driver will be in with the fastest driver being on the pole for the first heat race, the second fastest being on the pole for the second heat race, the third fastest being on the pole for the third heat race and the fourth fastest being on the pole for the fourth heat race.

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (“NASCAR”) and Credit One Bank^® are kicking off the 2022 racing season with the launch of a new credit card designed for the ultimate race fan, the Credit One Bank NASCAR® American Express® Card.

Credit One Bank and NASCAR, who recently extended their multi-year sponsorship, have designated American Express as the new payment network for the co-branded credit card. Credit One Bank has served as an Official Partner and issuer of co-branded credit cards for NASCAR since 2016 while American Express joins as the Official Credit Card Payment Network of NASCAR starting with the 2022 racing season.

“Helping our customers access more of what they love is a tenet of everything we do,” said Mamta Kapoor, Head of American Express and NASCAR Partnership Marketing at Credit One Bank. “NASCAR has some of the most passionate fans in the world. We are proud to continue to give those superfans unique opportunities to earn cash back rewards while gaining access to exclusive experiences with their new Credit One Bank NASCAR American Express Card.”

In celebration of the partnership and new card launch, a Credit One Bank and American Express-themed pace car will be present on the race track during the historic Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this weekend.

“We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Credit One Bank with the addition of this new card for NASCAR fans on the American Express Network,” said William Stredwick, Senior Vice President, Global Network Services, American Express. “This partnership extends our brand, giving more customers access to the benefits, offers and protections of American Express.”

The Credit One Bank NASCAR American Express Card offers fan-focused benefits* including:

Discounts on select NASCAR race experiences: tickets, parking, merchants, and more
Free access to NASCAR Scanner for the 2022 race season (via Desktop or NASCAR mobile)
Opportunities to win tickets to races with VIP treatment
Cash back rewards on everyday spend categories

Card Members can also enjoy a wide range of unique discounts from leading brands through Amex Offers, early access to concert and event tickets from American Express Experiences, and additional benefits offered by American Express partners, including Retail & Return Protection, Travel Accident Insurance, and Extended Warranty Coverage.

“Announcing this new partnership with American Express and a multi-year renewal with long-time partner Credit One Bank continues building on the NASCAR fan experience,” said Michelle Byron, Vice President of Partnership Marketing, NASCAR. “We’re giving fans unique ways to experience the sport and show their support for brands that celebrate the best racing in the world.”

For more information about the Credit One Bank NASCAR American Express Card as well as terms and conditions, visit CreditOneBank.com/NASCAR.

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Staff Report

Chase Elliott topped the Busch Light Clash practice leaderboard Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, pushing his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a 13.455-second lap at 66.89 mph.

Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford had the second-best time (13.457 seconds, 66.88 mph), while teammate Chase Briscoe was third fastest (13.47 seconds, 66.815 mph) in the No. 14 entry. Justin Haley and Kyle Busch round out the top five, while Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Landon Cassill, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin completed the top-10 performers

The practice field was broken up into three groups of 12 cars apiece. Each group then had three eight-minutes sessions on track over the course of the two-hour practice.

This practice marked the first on-track competitive appearance for NASCAR’s Next Gen car.

Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota set the initial pace in Group 1, turning a lap around the quarter-mile track in 13.835 seconds at 65.052 mph. Bell ended up 20th out of the entire 36-driver field.

Up next for the NASCAR Cup Series is single-car qualifying, also Saturday, at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The main Busch Light Clash event is then Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on FOX after a series of four heat race and two last-chance qualifying races. Learn more about the format here.

Posted on February 4, 2022December 5, 2022 by Zack Albert

LOS ANGELES — Friday was a rare quiet day for a NASCAR weekend. Engine sounds were nearly nil, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum provided a historic backdrop as teams made themselves at home – turning what’s normally a tailgating area into a makeshift garage.

Friday was orientation day ahead of Sunday’s Busch Light Clash (6 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), a chance for teams, broadcasters and crew to get acquainted with the famed surroundings. Some of the most curious onlookers were the drivers, who loaded in early to walk the grounds and see the temporary quarter-mile track for themselves.

The LA Coliseum has hosted plenty in its nearly 100-year-old lifetime, and it’s a peerless list. But there may be no apples-to-apples comparison for what’s about to happen with Sunday’s season-opening exhibition, one that has come a full revolution from wild idea to closed-course reality and one that could usher in a new era of change.

“We haven’t been calling this a race, we’ve been calling this an event, and that’s what’s different about this weekend versus our traditional weekly races,” said Tony Stewart, a team owner who will join the FOX Sports booth for Sunday’s call. “Different cities, different race tracks … were races. This is an event. This is different. This is not just a race. This is an event at a very special place, a very special venue.

“What’s going to make it a success is if everybody leaves here and feels good about the product and what they saw. The time they were here, if they left here and felt like they were entertained, that’s what’s going to make it a success. It doesn’t have to be 40 passes for the lead, it doesn’t have to be two-wide racing, three-wide racing. If people leave here and they feel good about this event, that is going to make this event a success.”

Friday’s walk-through provided hints that this weekend promises to be far from the routine. The Olympic torch burned bright at the east end of the stadium. Bass-heavy sound checks from race break performer Ice Cube resonated. The LA skyline, San Gabriel Mountains and the Hollywood sign offered iconic long-range scenery.

Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

The LA Coliseum has hosted motorsports events before – motocross, rallycross and off-road racing to name a sampling. But this endeavor marks something all-new, even though the speedway surface almost seems like it’s in a natural habitat within the coliseum bowl.

“Back in the ’70s and ’80s, we did the Mickey Thompson off-road show, we’ve done rock ‘n’ roll shows, so flipping the field from one event to another isn’t foreign for us at all,” said Joe Furin, the coliseum’s general manager. “If NASCAR can engineer something within these parameters, we’re all in. … From the venue perspective, in some ways, we’ve done what we can do. I think they’re going to put one heck of a show on. I think if you’re sitting up in those stands and when you hear those engines rumbling, you’re not just going to hear it, you’re going to feel it come through the concrete and it’s going to shake you.”

MORE: How the LA Coliseum track was built

Cars will make the track rattle for practice and qualifying Saturday, the initial tune-up for Sunday’s heats and 150-lap main event. Friday offered a quieter time to get familiar with the venue, and for those instrumental in making the track come alive to soak it all in.

“If you think about the window between September when we announced this and Feb. 6, it’s a small window – not only to announce a race and be racing, but then to build a track inside of it, too,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s senior vice president of strategy and innovation. “As a vision of the team’s and then to actually be able to promote it, build the track and then actually execute it on Sunday will be something really special. I’m really excited and proud of the team for where it’s at today. I’ll be more excited and proud once we drop the checkered flag on Sunday.”