Joey Logano wins the LA Coliseum and wins the Clash

50 spectators were present at the Los Angeles Coliseum to witness this extraordinary competition. Exceptional above all by the choice of this legendary venue essentially dedicated to American football matches and athletics meetings and which twice hosted the Olympic Games in 000 and 1932.

Welcome to the Coliseum © Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

A 402 meter asphalt oval was created in the stadium angeleno, around the American football field. It is, of course, the shortest track in Cup Series history.

Après une centaine de tours d’essais mis à profit pour valider les réglages des voitures, les pilotes se sont élancés seuls en piste samedi pour 3 tours de qualification destinés à déterminer  l’ordre de départ des 4 courses sprint de 25 tours du Dimanche, les « Heat Races ». A ce jeu Kyle Busch s’est montré impérial au volant de sa Toyota Camry du Joe Gibbs Racing devant les Chevrolet Camaro de Tyler Reddick et Justin Haley et la Ford Mustang de Joey Logano. Ces 4 pilotes gagnaient ainsi le droit de s’élancer en tête de leur « Heat Race » ce dimanche.

Kyle Busch launches the Heat Races © Nascar Media/Getty

The first race was won without difficulty by Kyle Busch who confirmed his domination on Saturday. 25 laps representing only 6 minutes of racing, the intensity is maximum during this very brief effort. Denny Hamlin got a little scare by not finishing in the Top 4 qualifying for the main race and had to go through the last chance races.

Second smooth race and victory for Tyler Reddick. Martin Truex Jr. cannot do better than 9th behind Brad Keselowski and the two men go to the repechage.

Justin Haley pockets his final while Kevin Harvick fails to qualify. Times are tough for veterans.

The fourth “Heat Race” closes this sequence with finally some animation when Austin Cindric, Landon Cassill and Kurt Busch hang on. Joey Logano wins and Kyle Larson, the defending champion, qualifies allowing Martin Truex Jr. to advance to the final as the highest placed non-qualified driver in 2021.

Martin Truex Jr. “Lucky Dog” of the day © Nascar Madia/Getty

The two Last Chance Races will offer a real spectacle to delighted spectators. It is no longer time for calculations since only the first three drivers in each 50-lap race can advance to the Clash final. During the first round, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and AJ Allmendinger saved their skins while Aric Almirola saw his weekend end behind the tow truck after a particularly violent impact despite the low speeds. During the second round, Austin Cindric and Kurt Busch got lost and once again hit the walls of the Coliseum. Ty Dillon crossed the line victoriously but his victory was immediately taken away following a stolen restart. Ryan Preece, Bubba Wallace and Harrison Burton are the last qualifiers while Brad Keselowski and Alex Bowman leave the arena.

THIS LAST-CHANCE RACE IS UNANNNEEEEE! pic.twitter.com/aiUOjLJZ2n

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 6, 2022

Clash at the Coliseum starting grid:

The 23 qualified drivers take their place in the stadium for the start of the Clash. 150 laps are on the program with a 15-minute break mid-race to give way to… an Ice Cube Set! A spectacle, always a spectacle.

Gentlemen, start your engines © Nascar Media/Getty

From the first meters of the race, Tyler Reddick tried to pass pole sitter Kyle Busch but had to resolve to regain his place in the line before trying his luck again a few laps later and taking command. Behind the block passes follow one another within the peloton and the positions keep changing. The track is short but it’s still a good race!

In the first third of the race, Bubba Wallace was already 2 laps behind. After the elimination of Kurt Busch, the beginnings were difficult for 23Xl Racing. The first yellow flag came out on lap 53 following a spin by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. while Denny Hamlin retired after his Toyota V8 overheated. The engine temperature was one of the big pitfalls of this race, forcing the teams to install cooling vents on the engine covers.

At the restart, Kyle Busch regained first place ahead of Joey Logano. Larson is now 4th and we feel the reigning champion becoming more and more comfortable on the track, but a new yellow flag interrupts the race on the 65th lap following a spin by his teammate Chase Elliott while fighting for 7th. place with Ryan Blaney.

Kyle Busch closed this first segment of the race in the lead despite a final charge from Logano... after the line. A few minutes of break will not be too much to bring down the temperatures under the hoods and helmets before the final sprint.

Kyle Larson will take the lead at the next corner © Nascar Media/Getty

The race resumed for 75 laps and Kyle Busch maintained his advantage ahead of Kyle Larson who overtook Byron and Logano at the restart. The latter puts pressure on the reigning champion and recovers second place on the 95th lap. The Ford Penske driver is unleashed and rushes towards Kyle Busch who seems to be in difficulty and locks up his wheels. A neutralization on the 115th lap caused by a broken suspension of Ryan Blaney fortunately brought him a little respite. At the restart, Logano made an impeccable attack and took first place. He won't let go and wins at the end of this Clash at the Coliseum in front of Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon. Kyle Larson fails in 5th place.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 06: Joey Logano wins the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum © Sean Gardner/Getty Images

See you on February 20 for the Daytona 500 which will truly launch this 2022 NASCAR season.

Final ranking of the Clash at the Coliseum:

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