2022 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum

2022 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 1 of 2 exhibition races in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series
Date February 6, 2022 (2022-02-06)
Location Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California
Course Permanent racing facility
0.25 mi (0.40 km)
Distance 150 laps, 37.5 mi (60 km)
Average speed 29.029 miles per hour (46.718 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Joe Gibbs Racing
Most laps led
Driver Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 65
Winner
No. 22 Joey Logano Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and Tony Stewart
Nielsen Ratings 2.3, 4.238 Million Viewers
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace
Turn Announcers Dan Hubbard (Backstretch)

The 2022 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum was a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on February 6, 2022, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Contested over 150 laps, it was the first exhibition race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Format and eligibility

The 2022 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum program cover.

On September 14, 2021, NASCAR announced that the Busch Clash would move to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[7] On November 9, 2021, the format for the 2022 Clash was announced:[8]

  • The event is open for all teams and drivers for the first time in its history.
  • A total of 350 laps in six races.
  • The 36 charter teams and up to four open teams will participate in qualifying. Should more than 40 teams enter the race, it is unknown if qualifying will determine who advances to heat races.
  • Based on lap times, cars are put in one of four heat races of 25 laps each. The top four drivers in each heat advance to the feature.
  • All non qualifying drivers are assigned to one of two 50 lap heat races. The top three drivers in each heat advance to the feature.
  • The highest driver in 2021 Cup Series points standings not in will also advance to the feature in the last position.
  • The feature is 150 laps and will have 23 cars start the race.

Entry list

  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford
7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 Ryan Preece Rick Ware Racing Ford
16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet
43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet
45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Toyota
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford
77 Landon Cassill (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Ford
99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
Official entry list

Practice

Chase Elliott was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 13.455 with an average speed of 66.890 mph (107.649 km/h) .[9]

Practice results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 13.455 66.890
2 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 13.457 66.880
3 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 13.470 66.815
Official practice results

Qualifying

Kyle Busch scored the pole for the first heat race with a time of 13.745 and a speed of 65.478 mph (105.377 km/h).[10]

Qualifying results

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time
1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 13.745
2 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 13.761
3 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 13.891
4 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 13.949
5 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 13.952
6 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 13.953
7 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 13.954
8 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 13.957
9 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 13.962
10 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 13.965
11 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 13.973
12 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 13.978
13 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 14.007
14 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 14.014
15 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.023
16 77 Landon Cassill (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 14.050
17 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.053
18 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 14.076
19 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 14.120
20 2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford 14.148
21 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 14.151
22 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 14.157
23 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 14.158
24 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 14.194
25 78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Ford 14.235
26 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 14.247
27 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 14.251
28 15 Ryan Preece Rick Ware Racing Ford 14.277
29 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 14.304
30 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 14.305
31 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 14.326
32 45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Toyota 14.437
33 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 14.451
34 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14.466
35 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 14.471
36 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 14.532
Official qualifying results

Qualifying heat races

Kyle Busch scored the pole for the race after winning the first qualifying heat race. Ty Dillon finished first in the second "Last Chance" qualifying race, however was disqualified for a restart violation, allowing Harrison Burton to qualify for the feature.

Race 1

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps
1 1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 25
2 2 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 25
3 3 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 25
4 4 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 25
5 5 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 25
6 9 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 25
7 8 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 25
8 6 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 25
9 7 78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Ford 23
Official heat race 1 results

Race 2

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps
1 1 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 25
2 7 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 25
3 6 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 25
4 2 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 25
5 5 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 25
6 4 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 25
7 9 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 25
8 3 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 25
9 8 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 25
Official heat race 2 results

Race 3

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps
1 1 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 25
2 3 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 25
3 4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 25
4 2 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 25
5 5 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 25
6 6 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 25
7 7 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 25
8 9 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 25
9 8 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 25
Official heat race 3 results

Race 4

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps
1 1 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 25
2 2 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 25
3 3 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 25
4 6 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 25
5 7 15 Ryan Preece Rick Ware Racing Ford 25
6 5 2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford 25
7 7 45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Toyota 25
8 4 77 Landon Cassill (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 25
9 9 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 6
Official heat race 4 results

Last Chance Qualifier 1

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps
1 1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 50
2 4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 50
3 2 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 50
4 8 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 50
5 6 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 50
6 3 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 50
7 10 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 50
8 5 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 50
9 7 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 4
10 9 78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Ford 4
Official last chance race 1 results

Last Chance Qualifier 2

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps
1 4 15 Ryan Preece Rick Ware Racing Ford 50
2 1 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 50
3 7 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 50
4 9 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 50
5 2 2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford 50
6 8 77 Landon Cassill (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 50
7 10 42 Ty Dillon[a] Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 50
8 6 45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Toyota 45
9 3 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 45
10 5 19 Martin Truex Jr.[b] Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 0
Official last chance race 2 results

Starting lineup

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
3 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
4 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
5 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
6 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
7 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
8 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
9 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
10 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
11 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
13 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
14 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
16 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet
17 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
18 15 Ryan Preece Rick Ware Racing Ford
19 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
20 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
21 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
22 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford
23 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Official starting lineup

Race

Race results

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps
1 4 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 150
2 1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 150
3 10 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 150
4 16 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 150
5 8 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 150
6 7 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 150
7 14 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 150
8 11 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 150
9 21 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 150
10 19 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 150
11 15 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 150
12 22 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 150
13 9 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 150
14 5 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 150
15 23 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 149
16 12 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 149
17 13 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 147
18 20 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 146
19 3 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 116
20 18 15 Ryan Preece Rick Ware Racing Ford 75
21 2 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 53
22 6 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 53
23 17 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 52
Official race results

Media

Fox covered the race on the television side. Mike Joy, Clint Bowyer, and three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart[12] handled the call in the booth for the race, while pit reporters Jamie Little and Regan Smith as well as Larry McReynolds handled interviews. Chris Myers and Jamie McMurray were the host and analyst in the studio.

Television

Fox
Booth announcers Reporters Studio
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer
Color-commentator: Tony Stewart		 Jamie Little
Regan Smith
Larry McReynolds		 Host: Chris Myers
Analyst: Jamie McMurray

Radio

MRN Radio
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Announcer: Rusty Wallace		 Backstretch: Dan Hubbard Steve Post
Kim Coon

Television Ratings

The Clash was viewed by more than 4.2 million people, which earned it a 2.32 rating.[13] The ratings were only eclipsed by the 2022 Winter Olympics on NBC, which had 10.1 million viewers. Locally, the race earned a 2.7 and was the highest rated non-Daytona 500 race in the Los Angeles market in six years. This was the highest rated Clash since 2016, which was the last year it was aired on FOX.[14]

The heat races that preceded the race had nearly 2.6 million viewers.

Notes

  1. ^ Ty Dillon initially won the second last chance race, but was penalized to the end of the lead lap for jumping the final restart.[11]
  2. ^ As Truex was the highest-positioned driver in 2021 series points not qualified for the feature after heat races, the No. 19 team opted out of the race and used the provisional to guarantee his participation at the main event.[11]

References

  1. ^ "2022 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  2. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  3. ^ "Practice Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  4. ^ "Qualifying Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum Heat Races Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. February 6, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  6. ^ "Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. February 6, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  7. ^ "2022 Clash to be held at the Los Angeles Coliseum". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "Competition format for Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum includes heat races, last-chance qualifiers". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  9. ^ Utter, Jim (February 5, 2022). "Chase Elliott tops fairly tame NASCAR Clash practice". Motorsport.com. Los Angeles: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  10. ^ Utter, Jim (February 5, 2022). "Kyle Busch tops qualifying, earns pole for NASCAR Clash heat race". Motorsport.com. Los Angeles, California: Motorsport Network. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  11. ^ a b Utter, Jim (2022-02-07). "NASCAR Clash at the Coliseum field set after chaotic heat races". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  12. ^ "Tony Stewart to join FOX broadcast booth for Busch Light Clash, Daytona 500". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  13. ^ "Busch Light Clash TV Ratings". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. 2022-02-08. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  14. ^ Dean, Zach. "NASCAR TV ratings are in, and the Clash is most-viewed since 2016. There's a catch, though". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved 2022-02-08.