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Forget everything you know about the clash before last season because it’s been moved once again from Daytona Superspeedway to one of the most legendary sports venues in the country. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season is about to start with the Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
NASCAR must have liked the soldout show they put on this time last year for LA sports fans and traditional NASCAR gearheads. So why not do it again? Work on the temporary paved short track began moments after the last football game wrapped up at the facility. The track sits on a protective bed that includes several layers of protective material, and a couple of inches of paved asphalt.
The format is similar to what local fans may find at their hometown track. A series of heat races that decide the main event field. The question is if Joey Logano can go on to win the Clash at the Coliseum two times in a row. Joey Logano figured out how to race on this temporary short track last season as he’s the defending champ of this race.
Oddsmakers see Logano as possibly going back-to-back in LA again in 2023 but it’s tight at the top of the odds list.
Here are the favorites to win the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash outright:
Joey Logano +800
Chase Elliott +800
Kyle Larson +800
Christopher Bell +850
Kyle Busch +850
All of the above drivers have short-track wins on their Cup Series resume with Kyle Busch leading the pack with 16. However, Busch has moved from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing and this will be his first outing with his new team while moving from Toyota to Chevrolet. Here’s the breakdown of current active drivers and their wins on short tracks in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Kyle Busch – 16
Denny Hamlin – 11
Kevin Harvick – 8
Brad Keselowski – 7
Martin Truex Jr. – 6
Joey Logano – 5
Alex Bowman – 2
Kyle Larson – 2
Chase Elliott – 1
Christopher Bell – 1
Chris Buescher – 1
William Byron – 1
Kurt Busch would be on this list with ten wins on short tracks in the Cup Series but he retired following the past season. This was due to his issues with concussions towards the end of the season. NASCAR has worked on a new back clip for the rear of the car to hopefully help reduce head injuries which seemed to have an uptick last year with the new Cup car design.
2023 Busch Light Clash Preview
Note: This is a non-points-paying race – bragging rights only.
Track: LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angles California
Type: 0.25-mile asphalt oval, 2 sweeping for a 4-turn track.
Race Distance: 150 laps (Final feature/main event race)
Banking: 2.25 degrees in corners
Defending Track Winner: Joey Logano
TV/Radio: Fox/FS1/ MRN
2023 Busch Light Clash Predictions
Joey Logano +800
Joey Logano worked his way through the Clash format like a seasoned local track regular. Then he went on to win the main event which now looks like a forecast for him to win the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. For some reason, Logano went through much of the season under the radar despite winning races and running consistently. That can’t be the case this season as Logano comes into 2023 with much of his same team and a full season of Championship winning notes.
Kyle Busch +850
I have to be honest about my feelings on this – I wanted to fade on Kyle Busch due to his poor showing toward the end of the season last year. In addition, he’s moved teams with a different manufacturer. That’s a lot of stuff to ignore. No matter how you feel about the former two-time champion, he led the most laps at this race last year with 64, he finished 2nd behind Logano and he’s Kyle Busch who is the modern-day king of NASCAR short track racing.
Tyler Reddick +1200
Tyler Reddick won three times last season starting with his checkered flag at Road America. He followed that up with a win at the Brickyard and captured his third a few weeks later at Texas Motor Speedway. None of these were short-track wins but two were road-course victories. Also, Reddick was a driver to be dealt with at the Clash last season. He led the race for 50 laps which is more than Logano who won the contest by being out front for the last 35 rotations. There is one note; Reddick did not finish the Clash last season after his drivetrain failed.
Others to Consider: I would love to go with Martin Truex Jr (+2000) as he has six NASCAR Cup Series short-track wins. However, he finished 15th after starting 19th but did not lead any laps. And I hate to mention this, but he’s recently had to deal with personal issues – which I won’t linger on as they are none of my business. But that’s the kind of thing that can throw anyone off. Erik Jones (+4500) has a knack for surprising people and staying in the mix. He won again last year and finished this race in the No. 4 spot.
The temporary track is about the same size as a running track around a high school football field and just a bit wider. The race will consist of heat races that determine the final cars on the track for the main event. The main event (the Clash) will feature only 23 cars for a 150-lap final race.
Most Important NASCAR Statistics
2023 Busch Light Clash Betting Lines
Joey Logano +800
Chase Elliott +800
Kyle Larson +800
Christopher Bell +850
Kyle Busch +850
Ryan Blaney +1000
Denny Hamlin +1000
William Byron +1200
Ross Chastain +1200
Tyler Reddick +1200
Kevin Harvick +1800
Martin Truex Jr +2000
Alex Bowman +2500
Brad Keselowski +2800
Darrell Wallace Jr. +2800
Chase Briscoe +3000
Daniel Suarez +3500
Erik Jones +4500
Aric Almirola +5000
Chris Buescher +5000
Ryan Preece +5000
Austin Cindric +6000
Austin Dillon +6000
Ty Gibbs +6600
AJ Allmendinger +7000
Justin Haley +7500
Noah Gragson +8000
Harrison Burton +15000
Michael McDowell +15000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr +15000
Ty Dillon +30000
Todd Gilliland +50000
Corey Lajoie +50000
BJ McLeod +50000
Cody Ware +50000
J.J. Yeley +50000
