The Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum kicks off the 2023 season of NASCAR. It’s the 75th anniversary of NASCAR and the 100th anniversary of the LA Coliseum. These anniversaries added excitement to the event. The Coliseum has a unique track because it’s a quarter-mile track, which is one of the smallest tracks in the NASCAR schedule. The Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum has its own special race format that leads to the main event. It first starts off with four different heat races with about ten cars in each of them. The cars that finish in the top five within the 25 laps get to advance to the main event. I thought the heat races were awesome because there was lots of action. There was bump and bump action, side by side action, and passing for every position. The cars that finished below the top five have a final chance, called Last Chance Qualifiers. The top three from the two Last Chance Qualifiers Races advance to the main event.

The cars who finish below the top three are out of the event. I thought the two Last Chance Qualifier Races were decent, the only problem was that they were 50 laps each, which to me was way too long. Before the main event started, there were driver introductions, which were called out by teams. I thought it was a nice addition, because you heard boos or cheers depending on the drivers. After that, the USC Trojan marching band performed the National Anthem which was really nice and loud. Fireworks went off once they finished and a huge aircraft flew across the LA Coliseum. 

There were about 27 cars in the main event. The race began and there was a lot going on. There were so many tight corners that cars banged each other. Lots of tempers flared throughout the race so you saw cars turning each other to create a wreck. It was a pretty quick first half, and then the cars parked in the center to get ready to see Wiz Khalifa perform on stage. Everyone loved hearing the performer; the roar of the crowd was really loud. 

After the performance, it was the last half of the race. It was really chaotic and I loved it. It was really dangerous for.a car to be in the front of the field, because they could easily get turned and fall to last place. I, along with a lot of fans, was going crazy when we saw the first place car fall down to last. It was so unpredictable at this point that it was really intense. After the last lap, fireworks would go off and it was really beautiful seeing them at night. The driver who won the trophy was Martin Truex Jr. in the number 19 Bass Pro Shop Toyota Camry. He was winless in the 2022 season, so it was awesome seeing him win already in the 2023 season.

Because the event was held at the Coliseum, which is connected to the Olympics, there were three winners, the first time that has happened in NASCAR. The 2nd place winner was Austin Dillon in the number 3 Chevrolet, with teammate Kyle Busch in the number 8 Chevrolet getting 3rd place. Both 1st, 2nd, and 3rd were all awarded with metals. I was pretty pumped seeing Busch get 3rd place after getting spun to last place. I loved the whole event. It’s a must-go if you like racing.

Before the racing, there was an area which was called the Fan Fest. There were a lot of truck haulers that sold merchandise of the drivers and the LA Clash event. I went to buy a shirt and two key chains. There were also some show cars that were from other tracks where NASCAR hosts races. There were tents that offered free items or you could win prizes. I won NASCAR socks, a sponsored hat, and a wristband. Not only that, there were Q and As with drivers at specific times which was a nice addition.