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
On September 14, 2021, NASCAR announced that the Busch Clash would move to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. On November 9, 2021, the format for the 2022 Clash was announced:
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.
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 ChevroletOfficial entry list
Practice Chase Elliott was the fastest in the practice session with a time of 13.455 with an average speed of .
Practice results Pos Driver Team Manufacturer Time 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 66.815Official practice results
Qualifying Kyle Busch scored the pole for the first heat race with a time of 13.745 and a speed of .
Qualifying results Pos 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 14.532Official 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 B Main (cars in the B Main were split into one of two B Mains), however was disqualified for a restart violation, allowing Harrison Burton to qualify for the feature.
Race 1 Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps1 1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 252 2 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 253 3 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 254 4 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 255 5 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 256 9 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 257 8 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 258 6 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 259 7 78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Ford 23Official heat race 1 results
Race 2 Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps1 1 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 252 7 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 253 6 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 254 2 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 255 5 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 256 4 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 257 9 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 258 3 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 259 8 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 25Official heat race 2 results
Race 3 Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps1 1 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 252 3 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 253 4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 254 2 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 255 5 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 256 6 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 257 7 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 258 9 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 259 8 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 25Official heat race 3 results
Race 4 Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps1 1 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 252 2 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 253 3 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 254 6 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 255 7 15 Ryan Preece Rick Ware Racing Ford 256 5 2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford 257 7 45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Toyota 258 4 77 Landon Cassill (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 259 9 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 6Official heat race 4 results
Last Chance Qualifier 1 Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps1 1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 502 4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 503 2 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 504 8 51 Cody Ware Rick Ware Racing Ford 505 6 17 Chris Buescher RFK Racing Ford 506 3 1 Ross Chastain Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 507 10 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 508 5 38 Todd Gilliland (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 509 7 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 410 9 78 B. J. McLeod Live Fast Motorsports Ford 4Official last chance race 1 results
Last Chance Qualifier 2 Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps1 4 15 Ryan Preece Rick Ware Racing Ford 502 1 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 503 7 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 504 9 6 Brad Keselowski RFK Racing Ford 505 2 2 Austin Cindric (R) Team Penske Ford 506 8 77 Landon Cassill (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 507 10 42 Ty Dillon Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 508 6 45 Kurt Busch 23XI Racing Toyota 459 3 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 4510 5 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 0Official last chance race 2 results
Starting lineup Pos 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 ToyotaOfficial starting lineup
Race
Race results Pos Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Laps1 4 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 1502 1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1503 10 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1504 16 43 Erik Jones Petty GMS Motorsports Chevrolet 1505 8 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1506 7 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1507 14 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1508 11 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1509 21 16 A. J. Allmendinger (i) Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 15010 19 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 15011 15 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15012 22 21 Harrison Burton (R) Wood Brothers Racing Ford 15013 9 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 15014 5 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 15015 23 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 14916 12 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 14917 13 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 14718 20 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 14619 3 31 Justin Haley Kaulig Racing Chevrolet 11620 18 15 Ryan Preece Rick Ware Racing Ford 7521 2 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 5322 6 14 Chase Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 5323 17 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 52Official 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 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 FoxBooth announcersReportersStudio Lap-by-lap: Mike JoyColor-commentator: Clint BowyerColor-commentator: Tony Stewart Jamie LittleRegan SmithLarry McReynolds Host: Chris MyersAnalyst: Jamie McMurray
Radio