LOS ANGELES (SportsTicker) – Under the bright lights in Hollywood fashion, NASCAR is rolling out the red carpet in Los Angeles, California to commence the celebration of the 75th year of the sport, and it all starts when the engines are fired for the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. ET at the purpose-built, quarter-mile, asphalt oval inside the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
NASCAR has come a long way in its 75 years. It was on December 14, 1947, when Bill France Sr. gathered 35 people for four days of meetings (Dec. 14 – 17) at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach. The distinguished group represented the most influential names in the racing industry at the time and included drivers, mechanics, promoters, car owners, journalists, businessmen, and a recording secretary. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was born from that meeting and though he knew what was needed, not even Bill could envision what the sport would become.
In the last 75 years, NASCAR has expanded globally, with series in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Brazil and Europe, and this weekend’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum is the perfect exhibition-style event to jump start the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. This year is also packed with some exciting new changes to the schedule with the series competing for the first time on a street course in Chicago, and also throwing it back to its roots with the return of North Wilkesboro hosting the All-Star race.
“As we prepare to celebrate our 75th anniversary season, we are committed to delivering a schedule that acknowledges the deep history and tradition of our sport while establishing a bold future that brings the best racing in the world to new markets and new fans,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Racing Development and Strategy.
Time to Clash in the Hollywood Hills
This weekend’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum will be the 45th running of the annual non-points exhibition race that has been hosted by the NASCAR Cup Series since 1979.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is the third different venue to hold the Busch Light Clash, joining Daytona International Speedway, where it was hosted from 1979 to 2020 and the DAYTONA Road Course which hosted the event in 2021.
In total, 24 different drivers have won the Busch Light Clash since the inaugural race back in 1979. NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the NASCAR Cup Series in Clash wins with six victories (1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995).
Last season’s inaugural event at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was won by Team Penske’s Joey Logano, his second victory in the season-opening exhibition race (2017, 2022).
With Logano’s win, he became the 12th different driver to win the Clash multiple times; joining Dale Earnhardt (1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995), Dale Jarrett (1996, 2000, 2004), Kevin Harvick (2009, 2010, 2013), Tony Stewart (2001, 2002, 2007), Denny Hamlin (2006, 2014, 2016), Neil Bonnett (1983-1984), Ken Schrader, (1989-1990), Jeff Gordon (1994, 1997), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003, 2008), Jimmie Johnson (2005, 2019), and Kyle Busch (2012, 2021).
The 2022 Busch Light Clash also saw five lead changes among three drivers during the scheduled 150 laps; with Kyle Busch (64 laps led), Tyler Reddick (51) and Joey Logano (35) each spending time out front.
There are six former Busch Light Clash winners entered in this weekend’s race, led by Denny Hamlin (three: 2006, 2014, 2016) and Kevin Harvick (three: 2009, 2010, 2013) with three victories each. The other four previous winners are Kyle Busch (2012, 2021), Joey Logano (2017, 2022), Brad Keselowski (2018) and Erik Jones (2020).
NASCAR Next Gen is ready to set some more records
After a record-blistering debut last season, the Next Gen car returns for another action-packed 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Announced in a competition briefing with media during preseason, NASCAR has made some changes to the rear of the Next Gen car to improve safety during impacts. The updates have been implemented by the teams, and the industry is ready for the close, side-by-side racing fans have come to love this weekend in the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. ET.
Last season, the Next Gen car exceeded expectations on the competition-side. Below are just a few of the accolades the Next Gen car produced in 2022.
· Series-Most Race Winners (19) In A Single Season: The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season produced the series-most different winners (19) in a single season (1949-2022). The 2022 season tied the NASCAR Cup Series record of the most different winners in a single season (19) all-time; joining 1956, 1958, 1961 and 2001 with 19 different winners each. Chase Elliott led the NASCAR Cup Series in wins in 2022 with five victories.
· Most First-Time Winners In A Season (Five): The most first-time NASCAR Cup Series winners in a single season in the Modern Era (1972-2022) is five and it has happened four times: 2001, 2002, 2011 and 2022.
· 22 of the 36 Races (61%) Won By Drivers Under The Age Of 30: The youth movement was undeniable in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022, as 12 different drivers under the age of 30 visited Victory Lane in 22 of 36 races (61%). Austin Cindric was the youngest Cup winner of 2022 at the age of 23.
· Second Closest Average Margin Of Victory Since Advent Of Electronic Scoring (1993): The average Margin of Victory for the 36 races of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season was 1.011-seconds – the second-closest average Margin of Victory since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993 – behind only the 2014 season (0.909 sec.). The closest finish of the 2022 season was the 0.036-second victory Austin Cindric (winner) had in the DAYTONA 500 over Bubba Wallace (second)
· Series-Most Green Flag Passes For The Lead All-Time: The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season produced 1,544 green flag passes for the lead (GFPL), the series-most green flag passes for the lead in a single-season since the Loop Data statistic was initially tabulated in 2007 (the last 16 seasons). The Talladega Superspeedway NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race on October 2, 2022, produced the most green flag passes for the lead in a single event in 2022 at 190 green flag passes for the lead.
· Nine Races Set Records In Green Flag Passes For The Lead In 2022: A total of nine different NASCAR Cup Series races have set records in green flag passes for the lead this season; including Circuit of The Americas (30 GFPL), Atlanta-1 (141 GFPL), Las Vegas-1 (57 GFPL), Bristol Dirt (20 GFPL) Darlington-1 (28 GFPL), Kansas-1 (41 GFPL), Charlotte (64 GFPL), Nashville (47 GFPL) and Las Vegas-2 (46 GFPL).
· Green Flag Passes Up 6.36% Year-Over-Year: In a year-over-year comparison (2021 to 2022), the 2022 season produced an increase in total green flag passes throughout the field of +6.36%. (Total GFP – 2021 = 115,056 GFP; 2022 = 122,869 GFP). A total of 20 of the 36 races in 2022 have a positive year-over-year percentage in total green flag passes (55.5%).
· Seven Races Set Records In Total Green Flag Passes: Seven different races this season have set records in total green flag passes – Atlanta-1 (6,439), Richmond-1 (3,072), Bristol Dirt (2,703), Nashville (2,470), Road America (2,080), Richmond-2 (3,559) and Watkins Glen (3,141).
