NASCAR Cup Series drivers competed in four heat races and two last chance qualifying races at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to try to make the feature Busch Light Clash on Sunday, Feb. 5.
In the first four 25-lap races, nine drivers competed for five spots in each event. Then two 50-lap races gave drivers one last chance to make the feature, with the top three advancing. The 27th spot was reserved for whoever finished highest in Cup points in 2022 who didn’t advance via the LCQ or their heat.
Winners of the four heats make up the first four positions in the Clash, while those finishing second take spots five through eighth.
Twenty-seven of the 36 drivers make the feature on the quarter-mile track.
Heat 1
Justin Haley began on the pole and moved back into the lead over Aric Almirola after the No. 10 led the first lap. Harrison Burton spun off the bumper of Noah Gragson, bringing out the first caution.
Haley maintained the lead until lap 20 when Almirola grabbed first place. Alex Bowman also followed suit into second, leaving Haley in third.
In the end, Almirola won the heat, while Bowman, Haley, Gragson and Joey Logano also moved on to the main event.
Heat 2
Kyle Busch started on the pole in this heat in his No. 8 car of Richard Childress Racing and held it the first half of the race. Then his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. battled for first place on lap 18, eventually getting clear on lap 20.
About the same time, Kevin Harvick made contact with Austin Cindric, sending him around and bringing out the yellow. Cindric then got spun by Chase Elliott on the restart, though the race stayed green.
As the race wound down, Harvick bumped Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on the last lap and just nipped another competitor at the line to make the main.
Truex won over Busch, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson and Harvick.
Heat 3
Christopher Bell, who was the polesitter in heat 3, was in front for about five or six laps until his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin passed him for first. Bell got stuck on the outside, while several inside moved ahead of him. One of those was Ryan Blaney, who started last in this heat.
Around lap 19, Daniel Suarez bumped and spun Brad Keselowski.
Then shortly after the next restart, Bell got turned around off of Todd Gilliland’s front bumper.
At the end, Hamlin won the heat, with Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Blaney and Suarez all moving on to the feature race.
Heat 4
This heat…
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