BUSCH FINISHES RUNNER-UP IN INAUGURAL CLASH AT THE LA COLISEUM
Kyle Busch won the pole and finished second at the historic venue
LOS ANGELES (February 6, 2022) – Kyle Busch (second) scored the pole, led a race-high 64 laps and came home in the runner-up spot to lead Toyota in the first Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The first official race of the NCS, the Daytona 500, will take place on Sunday, February 20.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Clash – 150 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Joey Logano*
2nd, KYLE BUSCH
3rd, Austin Dillon *
4th, Erik Jones*
5th, Kyle Larson*
8th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
15th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
18th, BUBBA WALLACE
23rd, DENNY HAMLIN
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
How did you view the finish of the Clash and was there anything you could have done to pass Joey Logano for the win?
“I was being perfect doing everything I needed to do – keep the tires underneath me. When I got close, I was like, okay I’ve got to try more and pounce at an opportunity and just overheated the tires and smoked them in three laps and that was it. Disappointing, obviously, come out here and win the pole, and lead laps, run up front. The finish goes green and it’s not chaotic and we can’t win, so it sucks. Congratulations to my son (Brexton Busch) – he won yesterday. That’s cool. I was trying to match him. He’s winning more than me these days, so somebody better send him a contract.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry TRD, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 23rd
What happened to end your day?
“Mechanical. It looks like the power steering belt evidently came off and took the hose with it. We didn’t have any steering ability. This is something you will probably see a lot of this year. It’s just fixing all of the bugs that are going to happen. Unfortunately, had a power standing issue.”
KURT BUSCH, No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota Camry TRD, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: Did Not Advance to the Busch Clash Main Event
You ended up on the wrong end of it out there. Can you explain it from your perspective?
“Just got put in a bad spot on one of the restarts. When you are not managing the race and holding the white line, it puts you in a vulnerable spot. We needed to transfer. We needed to start off the year strong, and we did not. I’m just disappointed to not be in the A-main. We’re racing in the Coliseum. This is what it is all about. NASCAR did a great job putting this all together. Thanks to Monster Energy, Toyota, Jumpman, everybody with this team. We’re supposed to be in the A-Main, and we’re not.”
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