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By Fred Altieri
Sports Reporter 

Justin Haley Wins Pole Position for Sunday's Clash at the Coliseum

Capacity Crowd Anticipated for NASCAR Season Opening Event

 

February 2, 2023

Fred Altieri

Clash at the Coliseum pole position winner Justin Haley addresses media post qualifying

Under a near-full moon hanging over Los Angeles Memorial Colisuem, 4-year NASCAR Cup Series driver Justin Haley outraced 35 other drivers to take the pole position for Sunday's Clash at the Coliseum. The 23-year old drove the #31 Chevy for Kaulig Racing around the 400-yard asphalt oval in 13.413 seconds to edge out veteran Kyle Busch, driving Richard Childress Racing's #8 Chevy (13.553) . Christopher Bell driving the #20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing finished third (13.569).

Last year's inaugural Clash at the Coliseum winner and 2022 NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano wrapped up Saturday's qualifying races by finishing 17th in Team Penske's #22 Ford, one behind position behind Bubba Wallace's #23 Toyota for 23XI Racing and one position ahead of popular veterans Ricky Stenhouse Jr. driving JTG Daugherty Racing's #47 Chevy.

Two cars added some drama to the Saturday racing as the #54 Toyota driven by Ty Gibbs caught fire during the late afternoon final practice session. The Joe Gibbs Racing crew was able to get the car ready back in the garage for the nighttime qualifying but was penalized for making unapproved adjustments. Gibbs will start in the back in his Sunday Heat race.

Fred Altieri

Tyler Reddick #45 Toyota, Noah Gragson #42 Chevy, and Chase Elliot #9 Chevy attack the Coliseum quarter-mile asphalt track during Saturday's practice session

Ryan Blaney, driving Team Penske's #12 Ford will also start last in his heat race for driving backwards to readjust his car after a spinout during his first lap in qualifying. Blaney did have the 11th fastest but was penalized as it's illegal to drive backward on track.

Sunday Race Day Information: "Gates open at 10 a.m. and heat races begin at 2 p.m., followed by a performance by Cypress Hill. And then shortly after 5 p.m., Rob Lowe will give the command to start engines and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams will wave the green flag for the main event. Wiz Khalifa will perform during the mid-race break, and DJ trio Cheat Codes will keep the party going during the caution breaks.

Tickets for the 2023 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum begin at $65, and kids 12-and-under are $10. Fans who want to take their race-day experience to the next level can upgrade to the Ally Pre-Race Party, which includes brunch, a drink ticket for Busch & Coca-Cola products, exclusive entertainment, a pre-race track walk and a special appearance from driver Alex Bowman."

 

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