It is already 2024, and the new NASCAR season is just around the corner. As always, the first race of the season is the pre-season Busch Clash, or as it’s now known, the Clash at the Coliseum. For the last two years, the Cup Series drivers have been competing at the Los Angeles Coliseum. In 2022, Joey Logano had the honor of being the maiden winner, and last year Martin Truex Jr triumphed.

During those two years, there have been plenty of massive moments. Some of those have been on the track, while others took place away from it. Before this, the Clash was held at the Daytona International Speedway road course, and before that on the main oval since 1979. As always, the Clash has not been a point-scoring race but it does mark the unofficial start of the NASCAR Cup season.

Top 5 Moments at the Los Angeles Coliseum

Where it all began for NASCAR

In the United States, an inaugural NASCAR event always has to be rung in with much pomp and vigor. So it wasn’t surprising that the first Clash at the LA Coliseum was as big and as bombastic as possible. As a result, the pre-race events were loaded with celebrity performances. Chief among them were rappers Pitbull and Ice Cube, and the former is even more invested because he is a team co-owner.

Chaos, chaos everywhere

Then when it came to the actual NASCAR racing product, there was literal chaos unfolding everywhere you looked. The LA Coliseum was a tiny track, so packing multiple cars vying for real estate was always a recipe for disaster. During the inaugural race, there were dive bombs aplenty, paint job trades, and flaring tempers. Before this, there were controversial scenes before the main race. Admittedly, not all cars competed in the main race, as there were limited slots.

There were incidents between Ryan Blaney and Ricky Stenhouse Jr, as well as Ross Chastain and Todd Gilliland. Another egregious incident saw Landon Cassill lunge down the inside of Austin Cindric and spin him around. Though in Cassill’s defence, he was tagged by Kurt Busch.

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Last Chance Qualifying lead dogfight end in tears

At one point, there were just a handful of grid slots, and a Last Chance Qualifying. This meant that there was a mad dash for those final berths. Harrison Burton was leading, from Ty Dillon, Ryan Preece, and Bubba Wallace. Preece attempted an audacious move, bumping Dillon and spinning Burton out from the lead.

Ryan Blaney vs Erik Jones

Fast-forward to the race, and there was controversy involving Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones. The latter bumped into Blaney and the contact broke his suspension, ending his race early.

A NASCAR rivalry resumes between Logano and Kyle Busch

Finally, there was a titanic battle for the race win, between bitter rivals Joey Logano and Kyle Busch. Busch led for much of the race, but Logano was right on his heels. During the restart, Logano pounced and never relinquished the lead, while Busch went from hunted to hunter. In the end, Logano triumphed and etched his name in history.

Who will win the 2024 Clash at the Coliseum?

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Frankly, it will be difficult to tell who will be the winner. Especially since no one has put a wheel to tarmac just yet. However, Logano and Martin Truex Jr have won in the past, so they could be favorites to win again. Considering that Ford and Toyota have rolled out new cars, they could be in an even stronger position.

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