Busch Light Clash – Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Joey Logano
Clash Fantasy Outlook – Joey Logano, the 2022 Busch Light Clash champ will be primed to have a strong showing and be a factor. Logano knows how to get the job done here, isn’t afraid to get aggressive and the #22 team fields one of the best shorter-flat track programs in the series. Last year at Martinsville which is the best comp track for this unique venue, Logano finished 5th in the fall (3rd best Speed Ranking) and then snuck in a 2nd in the spring.
Clash Track History – Last year in the Busch Light Clash, Joey Logano had an evening to forget and finished 16th. The #22 was mired back in the pack all race long and was never a factor. In the race, Logano started 17th, had a 13.5 average running position and then finished 16th. In terms of speed stats, Logano ranked 12th for Green Flag Speed. In 2022, Logano was the class of the field and ranked #1 in our exclusive PROS Rankings. In the race, Logano started 4th, finished 1st, led 35 laps, had a 2.5 average running position, was the fastest driver late in a run, had the 2nd best green flag speed and had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. Over the final quarter of the race when the trophy was on the line, the #22 was the fastest car on the track.

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William Byron
Clash Fantasy Outlook – At the Los Angeles Coliseum, look for William Byron to have a strong showing to begin his “24” in 2024 campaign. Byron’s one of just four drivers who are 2 for 2 at finishing in the top ten and his average finish between the combined races is 8th. Martinsville was a surprising weak spot for Byron last year, but I’m sure the #24 team went to work during the off-season to focus on turning that around. As a former winner there, I have no doubt about his “Paper Clip” prowess. On Sunday, look for Byron to be tough to beat.
Clash Track History – William Byron is 2 for 2 at finishing in the top ten at the Coliseum with his average finish being 8th. Last year, Byron had a strong showing in the Clash. In the race, Byron started 4th, had a 5.4 average running position and then finished 10th overall. I’ll note, to close out the race Byron lost quite a few positions. With 9 to go until the scheduled distance, Byron was running in 6th. Additionally, Byron had the 5th best Driver Rating, ranked 6th for Green Flag Speed and ranked 9th for Speed Late In A Run. In his Heat Race leading up to the Clash, Byron led start to finish. In 2022, Byron started 7th, had a 5.5 average running position, earned the 7th best driver rating and then finished 6th. In terms of speed stats, Byron had the 5th best Total Speed Ranking, ranked 5th for Speed Late In A Run and had the 7th best Green Flag Speed.

Denny Hamlin
Clash Fantasy Outlook – Denny Hamlin is a shorter-flat track master who’ll be tough to beat at the Coliseum. In terms of raw talent when it comes to racing on this sub-track type, Hamlin’s as good as it gets. Hamlin’s yet to have a really great result at the Coliseum, but I have no doubt he’s primed to be a factor. Martinsville is the best comp track out there and in 2023, Hamlin finished 3rd in the fall (2nd best Total Speed Ranking) and 4th in the spring (Best Total Speed Ranking). In 2023 across all the shorter-flat tracks visited, Hamlin had the best Total Speed Ranking in the series. I will note, Hamlin had off-season shoulder surgery and stated he wouldn’t be 100% until late February/Early March, so proceed with caution with that news but I don’t think Hamlin seems concerned, so I won’t be too concerned myself.
Clash Track History – At the LA Coliseum, Denny Hamlin has yet to have an incident free race and his average finish between the combined races is 16th. Last year, Hamlin finished 9th which is an extremely respectable result when you take into account, Bubba Wallace bumped him out of the lead on lap 43 which had him quickly sliding back to 9th, and then later on lap 74 when he was in 12th, Ross Chastain dive bombed him and spun the #11, which dropped Hamlin to the very back. In the race, Hamlin started 3rd, led 26 laps before Wallace bumped him out of the way and ran the most fastest laps (17). In terms of speed analytics, Hamlin ranked 4th for Green Flag Speed and 7th for Speed Late In A Run. In the 2022 Clash, Hamlin had power steering issues, and those eventually led to his last place finish (23rd) when he pulled his car into the infield during the lap 54 caution after losing his power steering belt. Just prior to his problem, Hamlin was a lap down in 19th. At no point did he ever look competitive but because of his power steering problems, I’m not going to read into his afternoon.

Ryan Blaney
Clash Fantasy Outlook – At the LA Coliseum, look for defending series champ, Ryan Blaney to be a factor. Blaney’s 2 for 2 at finishing 17th in this exhibition race but I have no doubt he’s capable of being a contender. Blaney’s shown potential in both races despite what you’ll see in the results column. Martinsville is the best comp track out there and last fall, Blaney took the competition to the woodshed and put on a display of domination en route to victory lane (led 154 laps, best Speed Ranking). I’ll note, Blaney has yet to have an incident free race at the Coliseum so hopefully the odds are on his side that he’ll finally avoid trouble.
Clash Track History – Ryan Blaney is 2 for 2 at finishing a clunker 17th in the Clash but I wouldn’t read into either result. Last year, Blaney started 15th, had a 21st place average running position and then finished 17th after having an eventful evening. In the race, Blaney was spun on lap 23 after climbing up to 11th which damaged the #12 and dropped him off the lead lap. Later, Blaney rebounded back up to 9th on lap 113 when he got into the wall and the #12 was now heavily damaged to the point where you could stick a fork in his evening. In 2022, Blaney looked solid but walked away with an asterisk 17th. “Performance Wise”, I would say Blaney was looking like a top five contender but on lap 114 while running around 7th he brought out a caution and then went to the infield for a couple of laps, threw his Hans device at the #43, got interviewed and then said Erik Jones destroyed the #12 battling for 7th. Blaney later returned to the track, but his competitive evening was over at that point.

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