LOS ANGELES – In front of a large, enthusiastic crowd in one of the most iconic venues in sports, Martin Truex Jr. earned his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in more than a season in a rough-and-tumble all-thrills Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Sunday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
NASCAR: Paint Scheme Preview: 2023 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum
Check out the fresh batch of paint schemes to take to the track for the first time during the 2023 season at the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum this Sunday (8 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). (more…)
Burton, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team Have High Hopes for the Clash
Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are optimistic headed into this weekend’s Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and with good reason. (more…)
Spire Motorsports Kicks Off 2023 With Fox‘s “Animal Control” Aboard Lajoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet
CONCORD, N.C. (February 1, 2023) – “Animal Control,” FOX’s all-new comedy, will be featured as the primary sponsor aboard Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) pre-season race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. (more…)
Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry TRD Preview – Busch Light Clash at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry TRD News and Notes
- LA COLISEUM DEBUT: Denny Hamlin finished 23rd in last year’s inaugural trip to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after a mechanical issue ended his race early. To advance to the main event, Hamlin had to battle his way in through a last-chance-qualifying race where he started first and led all 50 laps to secure his position in the 150-lap race.
- HAMLIN CLASH HISTORY: Hamlin is a three-time Busch Clash winner with all three victories coming at Daytona International Speedway. He won the annual exhibition race to kickstart his rookie season in 2006 and followed up by winning again in 2014 and 2016.
- 2022 SEASON RECAP: Last season marked the fourth consecutive season where Hamlin ended up in the top five in the series standings. While the final result was solid, the road there was a trying one for the No. 11 team. After finishing every race in 2021, various misfortunes saw Hamlin out of the race at the end of four of the first nine events in 2022. A win at Richmond Raceway in early April solidified his place in the playoffs and Hamlin added another crown jewel victory to his resume when he won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Once the playoffs began, Hamlin turned in an impressive stretch with a series-best 6.6 average finish over the final 10 races.
- SPORT CLIPS: Sport Clips will be featured as the primary sponsor for Hamlin at the Busch Clash. The sports-themed haircutting franchise based in Georgetown, Texas is a longtime supporter of Joe Gibbs Racing dating back to 2009 and has more than 1,850 stores in the United States and Canada.
- JGR CLASH STATS: Joe Gibbs Racing has earned 10 victories in the Busch Clash. Kyle Busch (2012 and 2021), Denny Hamlin (2006, 2014, 2016), Erik Jones (2020), Matt Kenseth (2015) and Tony Stewart (2001, 2002, 2007) have all won the race while driving for JGR.
- TUNE IN: Coverage of the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum begins Sunday, February 5, at 5 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The main event is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET.
Denny Hamlin, Driver of the No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry TRD
What are your thoughts on returning to the LA Coliseum for the second time?
“I’m looking forward to going back. NASCAR has done a great job putting this event together and I know there has been a lot of effort put in when you look at the celebrities coming out and the musical acts. It’s a fun atmosphere and an exciting way to start the season. From a racing perspective, we definitely want to have a better showing than we did last year, and I think we will. We improved so much from the start of the season to the end and everyone has worked really hard this offseason, so it’s always fun to see where we stack up.”
Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Los Angeles Memorial Stadium
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 | 23.0 |
Hamlin 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
| 36 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 3 | 624 | 13.1 | 15.5 |
Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series Career Stats
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
| 614 | 48 | 208 | 321 | 36 | 13,354 | 12.0 | 13.2 |
About Sport Clips Haircuts
Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 and began franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, offers online check in for clients, and ranks #30 in the Entrepreneur “Franchise 500” for 2023 and is listed in Franchise Direct’s 2021 “Top 100 Global Franchises”. There are almost 1,900 Sport Clips stores open in the U.S. and Canada. Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named a 2021 Top Franchise for Veterans by Entrepreneur. Sport Clips provides “Haircuts with Heart” through its annual Help A Hero fundraiser that has contributed $13 million to the VFW; national partnership with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants; and other national and local philanthropic outreach. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing team and SRX Racing, and partners with other NCAA and professional sports teams. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit sportclips.com.
NASCAR Cup Series News & Notes – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
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, February 5 at 8 p.m. ET at the purpose-built, quarter-mile, asphalt oval inside the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Todd Gilliland and No. 38 Ford Team – The Clash at The Coliseum Competition Notes
Making their on-track debut, genera8tor Skills (www.gener8tor.com/skills) is ready to carry Todd Gilliland to the sunny skies and bright lights of Los Angeles, California.
Interstate Batteries Announces Expanded Presence With Longtime Partner Joe Gibbs Racing
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 1, 2023) – Interstate Batteries, one of the most tenured team sponsors in NASCAR history, begins its 32nd season as the founding sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) with an expanded presence that will feature the brand’s iconic green livery across all four of JGR’s NASCAR Cup Series entries.
The Clash – RFK Racing
The format of this year’s Clash at the Coliseum is largely unchanged from 2022. Saturday, the field will be split into three groups for practice, with each group receiving three sessions to dial in their cars.
CHASE BRISCOE – Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum
The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season begins on the West Coast for the second year in a row with the non-points Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum. Last year’s race on the purpose-built, quarter-mile, asphalt oval inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was the debut of the new NextGen car, the seventh variation of the NASCAR stock car first introduced in 1949.
