Denny Hamlin maintained the fastest average speed in the initial two practice rounds and solidified his performance by registering the top speed of 68.498 mph in the third round. This determined the starting lineup for the Clash.
Hamlin secures the pole position for the Clash, initially slated for Sunday night but rescheduled to Saturday due to anticipated severe weather in the L.A. area. Sharing the front row with Hamlin is Joey Logano (67.924 mph), the winner of the inaugural Clash at the Coliseum in 2022.
Ty Gibbs, Hamlin’s teammate at JGR, will start third, followed by Alex Bowman in fourth, and Kyle Busch rounding out the top five. The top-10 positions are completed by William Byron, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace, and Justin Hailey, making his debut in Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 Ford.
Last year’s Clash winner, Martin Truex Jr. from JGR, is positioned 19th on the starting grid. The top 22 speeds determined the field, with the final spot awarded to the team highest in owner points not yet qualified, claimed by reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney, who finished 26th fastest overall.
Initially, heat races and a last-chance race were planned to set the lineup, but NASCAR made the unprecedented decision to move the race up a day due to impending bad weather.
Several notable drivers, including Christopher Bell (second-fastest in practice rounds), Daniel Suarez, Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, and rookies Josh Berry and Zane Smith, did not advance to the main event. Bell, expressing his challenges, mentioned, “Just no rear grip in our Mobil 1 Camry for some reason. Just couldn’t get off the corners.”
In the two eight-minute practice sessions, Hamlin consistently posted the fastest average speed of 67.822 mph, with Bell and Gibbs as his closest JGR teammates. Logano and Byron completed the top five.
During Group 1’s second practice round, Austin Cindric spun off Turn 2, but fortunately, there was no damage to his No. 2 Ford.
The list of drivers who failed to make the race includes Josh Williams, Carson Hocevar, Josh Berry, Daniel Suarez, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones, Chris Buescher, Austin Cindric, Daniel Hemric, Christopher Bell, Kaz Grala, Harrison Burton, and Zane Smith.
