By Aaron Bearden
Takeaways from NASCAR’s year-opening Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Observations taken from afar.
Main Takeaway
Unprecedented weather called for an equally unprecedented decision from the NASCAR brass at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Faced with the risk of heavy rain and life-threatening flooding over multiple days beginning Sunday, NASCAR took advantage of favorable early weather and pushed the Busch Light Clash exhibition, along with the accompanying NASCAR Mexico Series race, up a full day to Saturday night.
A series statement read: “Due to the threat of unprecedented severe weather on Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Mexico Series race events for the Clash have been moved to Saturday night. Thanks to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Los Angeles Public Safety for their partnership and support to make the schedule adjustment for tonight’s event to ensure a safe experience for fans, competitors, and staff.
“We understand weather conditions may worsen as the day progresses, so we encourage fans to make decisions in the best interest of safety. We appreciate our fans, partners, and everyone associated with this event on this unprecedented event.”
Making such a move was unexpected, even given the poor forecast. It required significant logistical hurdles, adjusting the TV schedule (while changing the network to FS1) and cancelling heat races. The field was instead set by times from the final run of practice, leaving 13 drivers out of the race without a chance to race their way into the field.
Once meant to be completed behind closed doors before NASCAR changed their minds, Saturday instead became a free NASCAR race opportunity for nearby fans. Sunday ticket holders will be able to obtain refunds.
While far from a perfect solution, NASCAR’s quick thinking allowed it to get in a race that otherwise threatened to be canceled. It surely cost the sanctioning body financially and left many fans without a chance to attend what could be the final Cup race at the Coliseum.
But it was still the right call in the eyes on nearly everyone on hand. Drivers, crew chiefs and media on-site all praised the sanctioning body’s decision.
“Everyone was in line with that,” NASCAR chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell told the media on-site. “Certainly, not ideal but as the weather forecast continued to worsen, public safety and a lot of the things that were going around, a lot of different events in the community, we started to review Saturday options late last night and this morning.
“It sped up and we applaud the Coliseum for even making this a possibility. It’s the best of what is a really tough situation for the fans and the racing community but felt like this was the best option to keep everyone safe and get both races in.”
Instead of potentially waiting until as late as Wednesday, NASCAR was able to complete the exhibition and give teams time to get back to North Carolina and continue their Daytona 500 preparations. That’s a big win for the sanctioning body and teams heading into an important year.
Good, Bad and Ugly
Good: Denny Hamlin capitalizes
One of the key takeaways from the “NASCAR: Full Speed” docuseries on Netflix was how much coverage Denny Hamlin received. Some liked the deep level of content he gave the filming crew. Those that dislike the Virginian criticized the show for showing too much of him.
That same group was probably disappointed on Saturday night.
Days after the launch of the series, Hamlin snuck past teammate Ty Gibbs and Joey Logano on a late restart and held on to win the Clash for the fourth time in his career.
He then took an opportunity to remind his detractors something that they wouldn’t like:
“You know I beat your favorite driver again, right?”
In a series desperate for leading personalities, Hamlin’s continual embrace of his role as Cup’s black hat has been a welcome sign. He’s become one of NASCAR’s key figures, giving fans significant access to his life and thoughts through the docuseries and his podcast, “Actions Detrimental.”
Hamlin was even the first to tip fans off to the potential of NASCAR racing Saturday, replying to journalist Jeff Gluck’s tweet about making Saturday the Cup race day.
Should any casual fans tune in after seeing the Netflix series, Hamlin is likely to be among the drivers they’re watching for. The veteran’s story of lost championships and injury recovery could make him an easy driver to latch onto—whether they intend to boo or cheer him.
So him starting the year strong with an early victory could be a positive for the sport.
Good: Early rivalries form
If there’s one significant benefit to opening the year at a quarter-mile short track, it’s the contact and subsequent hurt feelings the short track generates.
The Clash needed little time to kick off a rivalry, with Gibbs and 2022 race winner Joey Logano trading words after their contact-filled battle for the win ended in a pair of losses.
“(Logano)’s just mad that I ran him up,” Gibbs said afterward.
That wasn’t the only drama from the closing laps. Much like former Busch Light partner Kevin Harvick had in the 2023 edition of the race, Ross Chastain took out some post-race frustration out during the cooldown lap.
Chastain’s anger came with Reddick for the 23XI Racing driver’s perceived decision to drive through him on the final lap. But the moment was actually kicked off by another incident, the field stacking up after Kyle Larson spun Bubba Wallace.
Though he claimed the spin wasn’t intentional, Larson’s admitted the bump was retaliatory after Wallace moved him up the track multiple times. The pair have prior history, but the 2021 champion told Sportsnaut that he doesn’t intend to hold on to any angst beyond Los Angeles.
“Obviously Bubba and I have had a history in the past, so I’m sure (and) I don’t really know (but) hopefully forgive and forget,” Larson said. “Like I said, he ran through me three times. I was just the one who happened to get him at the end. I hope he understands that part of it.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. didn’t even wait until the end of the race to voice his displeasure. The defending Daytona 500 champ climbed out of his car during the halftime break in order to talk to John Hunter Nemechek.
Asked by Frontstretch about the move, Stenhouse said he talked to Nemechek about “Just dive-bombing me three-wide for no reason on the restart.
“We were both a lap down. He was actually two laps down, I was one lap down. There was just no reason for it in an exhibition race.”
That wasn’t Stenhouse’s only trouble on the night. The Mississippian was also caught up in a door-slamming kerfuffle with fellow Daytona 500 champ Michael McDowell, who himself was accidentally hooked into the wall by Chastain late in the race.
Passion and conflict are key tenets of sports. Having early umbrage to build on will only help NASCAR heading into the Daytona 500 and season beyond it.
Bad: Mexico Series, EV demo catch a tough break
This weekend’s exhibition was meant to provide a spotlight for two key NASCAR initiatives.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans.
The biggest loss on the weekend was the planned demonstration of NASCAR’s electric race car. Series leadership expected to debut the prototype electric vehicle as part of the weekend festivities after private tests at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s zMax Dragway and Martinsville Speedway in 2023.
But the compact schedule required to dodge the incoming weather meant NASCAR’s plans to demo the car had to be cancelled. The vehicle will have to make its official debut later in the year.
Second was the NASCAR Mexico Series. The tour was meant to get a big push on the weekend, making a rare trip stateside and racing with former champion Daniel Suarez in the field. Suarez placed great importance on the race, vowing to run it and placing it next to the Daytona 500 in significance to him.
“It’s a huge deal for the Mexico Series to come all the way to L.A. and race the same day as the Cup Series,” Suarez told FOX Sports. “That’s a huge deal for them. And I know that, not just because I have had conversations with them about it, but also because 10 years ago, I was in that position. I was in the position where I was racing NASCAR Mexico, and all I wanted was to have an opportunity to show NASCAR (people) in the United States what we can do in Mexico as well. So it’s a big deal.”
The series ultimately did get to race. But instead of a Sunday afternoon slot leading into the Cup race, it competed after the Clash on Saturday night. The race didn’t go on until after 10 p.m. ET and was pushed to FS2, limiting its visibility to potential American fans.
Suarez won the event, taking the checkered flag shortly after 11:15 p.m. ET.
Good: Gibbs shines to start sophomore year
If it weren’t fort for a late caution, a good chunk of this breakdown would be discussing Gibbs.
The 21-year-old Toyota prospect was the class of the field Saturday. He led a race-high 84 laps and was the only one capable of driving away from the field on the night. Two-time champion Logano was chasing him down amid lapped traffic in the closing stages of the race, but time was running out and Gibbs appeared to be rolling to his first Cup win—albeit an unofficial one.
There was just one issue – he couldn’t consistently nail restarts and fire away. It was on a late restart when Gibbs was shuffled past by his teammate Hamlin and left to fade to the back of the top-five. Moments later he was spun out, dropping the 2022 Xfinity Series champ out of contention.
But while the end result was unfortunate, the run that preceded it showed how promising Gibbs is. He nearly made the playoff field in his rookie year and has immediately appeared among the frontrunners to kick off 2024.
This could be a breakout year for one of NASCAR’s biggest young stars.
Ugly: Sunday plans lose out
The unfortunate truth around the Clash’s shock schedule twist is that it kept many money-paying fans from being able to attend the race.
Also absent was Machine Gun Kelly. The popular music artist was scheduled to perform during the Clash’s halftime break on Sunday. It appeared that he would still show up for Saturday’s running, but the mini-concert was cancelled minutes before it was scheduled to begin.
The halftime performance is a minor thing. Thankfully a sizable group of viewers still made their way to the Coliseum on Saturday, too, taking advantage of the unprecedented opportunity to see a Cup race for free.
But with rumors of this race moving next year, those that planned to attend the race but missed out due to the weather will just have to deal with the sting. An unfortunate side effect of NASCAR being put in such an untenable position.
Good: High stakes qualifying
Rarely in NASCAR has qualifying felt so important.
With only 22 spots in the field locked in by pace and a lone provisional to hand out, the Clash has been a tough race to make since it moved to the Coliseum in 2022. This was further emphasized by Saturday’s weather-altered format, giving drivers just four minutes to set a qualifying time instead of heats to race their way into the field.
Only defending champion Ryan Blaney was safe. Blaney ultimately failed to crack the top-22 on his run, taking the provisional spot out of the equation for the other 35 teams.
That meant everyone else had to make their way into the top-22 on pace to secure their spot in the race. As it turned out, that task would prove difficult for some of the sport’s biggest starts.
Christopher Bell is the only driver to make the Championship 4 in the Next Gen car’s first two seasons. But he wasn’t up to the task of cracking the top-22 in Clash qualifying. Austin Dillon had finished top-three in the prior two Coliseum races, but also failed to make the feature this time around. Fresh off a Round of 8 playoff run, Chris Buescher missed the race for the third-straight year.
Short track ace Josh Berry couldn’t crack the field. Daniel Suarez had to wait until the Mexico Series race to compete. Josh Williams nearly pulled off a shocker for Kaulig Racing, but came up one spot short.
Defending race winner Martin Truex Jr. did make the race, but just barely. The 2017 champion had to wait out the closing minutes sitting near the bubble.
It’s easy to argue that having a star like Bell out of the race altogether is a negative for NASCAR. But the stakes that meant someone of his caliber could go home made for an intense viewing experience as the field was set.
Notes
- Kyle Busch has a unique distinction: he’s the only three-time podium finisher in the Clash at the LA Coliseum. Unfortunately for him none of the three were wins.
- Ryan Blaney only made the Clash because of the lone provisional starting spot, which went to the highest non-qualifying points finisher. But he made the most of the opportunity, rising a race-best 20 positions to finish third. Being the defending champ has its perks.
- The driver that led the most laps has never won the Clash in the Coliseum. Ty Gibbs continued that trend Saturday night, leading 84 laps before his late heartbreak.
- It took three years, but RFK Racing finally put a driver in the LA Clash field. Brad Keselowski made the feature and finished eighth in his first Coliseum start.
Race Results
- Denny Hamlin
- Kyle Busch
- Ryan Blaney
- Joey Logano
- Kyle Larson
- Alex Bowman
- Chase Briscoe
- Brad Keselowski
- Martin Truex Jr.
- William Byron
- Ryan Preece
- Bubba Wallace
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Tyler Reddick
- Ross Chastain
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Corey LaJoie
- Ty Gibbs
- Michael McDowell
- Noah Gragson
- Justin Haley
- Chase Elliott
- Todd Gilliland
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