The Low Tier – Busch Light Clash At The Coliseum
Harrison Burton
Coliseum Fantasy Spin – Harrison Burton had a tough rookie year, and I can’t say I’m expecting a lot of improvement from him in year #2. In the Clash, I think the odds aren’t good he’ll make the main event and if he does, I think he’ll finish in the bottom half of the field. I’ll note, Burton did finish 12th last fall at Martinsville, so if people are looking for some hope, it is out there for those taking on lottery type odds.
Coliseum Track History – Harrison Burton advanced to the main event last year, but it’s hard to say he belonged. Last year during the exhibition LA weekend, Burton finished 8th in his Heat Race and then in his Last Chance Qualifier, he finished 4th and should’ve got eliminated, but then in post-race, NASCAR penalized Ty Dillon which led to him advancing to the Clash. In the main event, Burton started 22nd, had a 15.9 average running position and then finished 12th. In terms of speed stats, Burton had the 17th best Green Flag Speed and the 18th best Total Speed Ranking.
Todd Gilliland
Coliseum Fantasy Spin – I can’t say I like the odds of Todd Gilliland advancing to the Clash, and if he does, you can pencil him in to finish in the back. Last year, Gilliland missed the main event and wasn’t competitive in either of the preliminary races. I’ll note, I do view Martinsville as the most similar track and last fall he finished 14th, so perhaps there’s some hope for those looking for it.
Coliseum Track History – Last year at the LA Coliseum, Todd Gilliland and the #38 team weren’t anywhere in the competitive ballpark. In the preliminary races, Gilliland finished 8th in his Heat Race, and then 7th in his Last Chance Qualifier.
Ty Dillon
Coliseum Fantasy Spin – If you think Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is a “Wild Man” at superspeedways, you should put in the tape and re-watch Ty Dillon from last year at The Coliseum. He literally drove without abandon, dive bombing in every corner. Mike Joy said, “Ty Dillon has hit everything but the lottery.” In his new ride, the less competitive #77, I think Dillon has long odds of making the main event.
Coliseum Track History – Last year at the LA Coliseum in the Last Chance Qualifier #2, Ty Dillon was the “Show” and technically speaking, he did cross the finish line first when the checkered flag waved but post-race, NASCAR took it away since they ruled Dillon jumped the final restart. Him being in that position is even more impressive when you take into account, Dillon started last (10th) and then on lap 34 while running in 2nd, NASCAR also penalized him for jumping a restart which dropped him to the back with just 16 laps remaining.
Corey LaJoie
Coliseum Fantasy Spin – Do you think Corey Lajoie will race his way into the Clash? I can’t say I’m a believer in his prospects, and if he does, there’s no question he’ll finish near the back unless it becomes an all-out demolition derby.
Coliseum Track History – Last year at the Coliseum, LaJoie finished 9th in his Heat Race and then 7th in his Last Chance Qualifier. Just accept those results as him being quite uncompetitive.
JJ Yeley
Coliseum Fantasy Spin – JJ Yeley will be competing in the Clash piloting the Rick Ware Racing #15, but do you really think he’ll make the main event? If Yeley does, the scenario is outright crazy and nobody seen that coming! By miracle if he does make the main event, look for Yeley to finish near the back.
Coliseum Track History – JJ Yeley didn’t compete in the 2022 Clash in any capacity.
Cody Ware
Coliseum Fantasy Spin – Cody Ware nearly made the Clash last year but came up one position short in his Last Chance Qualifier. Making the Clash will be tough, and if Ware does make it miraculously, you can pretty much so pencil him in to finish last. Personally, I think his odds of making the main event are sky high.
Coliseum Track History – Last year at the LA Coliseum, Cody Ware struggled in his Heat Race and finished 8th (out of 9). In his Last Chance Qualifier, I don’t know how he did it, but Ware legitimately finished 4th (out of 10), and that was in race # 1 which wasn’t a crash up derby.
BJ McLeod
Coliseum Fantasy Spin – The odds of BJ McLeod making the Clash are probably about +100,000,000,000, and you can probably add a few more zeros. I just don’t see anyway he’ll be making the main event.
Coliseum Track History – Last year at the LA Coliseum, nobody was worse than BJ McLeod. He literally got lapped in 14 laps in Heat Race #1 and finished two laps down in last, and then in the Last Chance Qualifier he completed just 4 laps and then called it an afternoon.
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