Writer: Gage O'Leary
Racing season is right around the corner:
Soon the engines will be fired for the 2023 NASCAR season and it'll be kicked off in LA for the second running of the Clash at the Coliseum.
For race fans, January is a month full of anticipation. The Rolex 24 hours at Daytona will be at the end of the month, and of course the start of the NASCAR season when the calendar turns to February. The Daytona 500 is probably the most anticipated event in racing, even with the Clash first on the schedule. Most race fans already have their minds set on the Superbowl of NASCAR, I know I do. As part of the January anticipation I'd give a shout-out to the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals that was just wrapped up on Saturday. It was Logan Seavey winning over Tanner Thorson to pick up his first golden driller trophy. So, as mentioned, January is a fun month for race fans and it gives me the chance to look at what's ahead.
The Rolex 24 hours is what tells me that racing is back, even though I'm a much bigger NASCAR fan than an IMSA fan, the opening event which so happens to take place at Daytona is so much fun and so unique and nothing like any other race in the world. At the drop of the Green Flag you know that it will not end for a whole 24 hours presenting a huge challenge for teams, drivers, broadcast crew and even fans... I say that it's a challenge for fans because if you're as committed to it as myself, when it's on TV, your gonna watch it. My sleep schedule gets thrown out of wack but it's worth it to see racing back again. I think my favorite part of this race is the 60+ entries and variety of vehicles you'll see throughout the event. The different classes provides great racing from the drop of the green, through the day and throughout the night. You got battles going on all over the race track which makes the 24 hour rollercoaster what it is for fans who are committed like myself. It's disappointing to not see Jimmie Johnson and the Ally 48 team in the entry list but you will still see NASCAR drivers in the event, as well as quite a few Indy car drivers if you're in to that racing too.
For those who came just for NASCAR, sorry, I'm too excited for racing season lol.
The Clash at the Coliseum, back for year 2:
Joey Logano rolls into 2023 with all the momentum as the defending Cup Series champion but also the defending Clash winner. Last seasons action was full of excitement with the Heat races and Last chance qualifiers. The main event wasn't filled with the same intensity but was still a lot of fun to watch. Logano held off Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones and Kyle Larson who rounded out the top 5 to take home the trophy. Only 3 drivers led in the race, Busch led a race high 64 laps, Logano and Tyler Reddick were the only other leaders of the main event. Reddick looked like an early favorite as he was off to a good start but a mechanical failure if I remember correctly retired him from the race. Kyle Busch, the runner-up last season will drive the RCR #8 that was driven by Reddick in 2022 after leaving JGR this off-season.
Keep an eye out for potential angry drivers after or during the race, whether it's a Heat race, LCQ, or the main event. This is a track that you would expect tempers to flare at. We didn't see a lot of it in last year's race but there was some notable moments in which some drivers were heated. Most notably Ryan Blaney was furious with Erik Jones after contact battling for the 7th position. Blaney would later retire from the race and under caution he ran over and threw his HANS device at the 43 car of Jones. Nothing more came of this incident post race and Jones and Blaney didn't have anymore issues throughout the 2022 season. Safe to say Justin Haley's team wasn't to happy with Kyle Larson after contact sent him into the wall causing him to have huge damage to the front of his car and ending his race. Ty Dillon, Erik Jones teammate at the time, was out to make no friends in the LCQ. Let's just say it wasn't just one driver unhappy with the then driver of the 42. It even carried all the way up to the broadcast booth when Tony Stewart called out Dillon. There was more incidents I'm sure I'm forgetting as I'm going off of just memory but I wanted to point out that we could see fireworks on and off the track on February 5th.
So who's gonna win this thing in just under three weeks?... Logano would be a safe bet, maybe Kyle Busch considering he had a strong run last season and the 8 car was fast as well, maybe Ross Chastain who has a lot of momentum for 2023 and he has a reputation as one of if not the most aggressive driver in NASCAR?... Or will we see a Wildcard surprise or maybe even shock the LA crowd?... I'm here to tell you what underdogs could steal the show in Hollywood this season.
Underdogs to watch in the Clash:
Noah Gragson: We will have a fun rookie of the year battle to watch between Noah Gragson and Ty Gibbs, two guys who will be rivals for years to come. Gragson as well as Gibbs have some experience in Cup but are looking at their first full season at stock car racings biggest level. He's an underdog coming into the clash because of that rookie status but he's racing with a team that can get it done in LEGACY M.C, formally known as Petty GMS. Since the merger, they've had one win and that was with Erik Jones at Darlington but they had really good opportunities for more last season and the future there is even brighter now with 7-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson on board. The 43 car finished in the top 5 in the main event last year and the 42 won it's LCQ but it was taken away because he apparently jumped the restart. I like Gragson's aggressive driving style for this race and I see him as a threat to possibly win this race.
Erik Jones: From one LEGACY M.C driver to another... Jones is my favorite NASCAR driver but I promise this is not a biased opinion. Jones was able to finish 4th in this race a year ago which was a big step for his team that came into the 2022 campaign with a lot of question marks. Unfortunately, his first win of the season came very early in the playoffs when he was not in it. If he could've got there that win would've locked him into the next round of the Playoffs, but now he can come into the season with higher expectations and playoff aspirations. The reason I like Jones as an underdog pick is because he has raced this style of track for years in Michigan. Owosso Speedway, Birch Run Speedway, and Auto City Speedway all have similarities with the Coliseum track. He runs often in season and in the off-season with the #4 Super late model at tracks around America as well. This will be a good opportunity for Erik to start the season strong.
Ryan Preece: After years of hoping, Preece has finally landed his big break with Stewart-Haas racing. Preece will move up into the 41 car full-time as Cole Custer has been sent back down to the Xfinity series. Preece has made his way to the big stage from a asphalt Modified driver to now racing full-time for Tony Stewart and Gene Haas in the NASCAR Cup Series. Preece has a big competitive side and can get aggressive which I think will bode well for him in the Clash. Let's not forget he made the main event last year in a freaking Rick Ware Racing car. His experience at tracks like Martinsville for example with not just JTG Daugherty but the NASCAR wheelen modifieds as well should help him out a lot in LA. Not to mention he's raced at other tracks that are somewhat comparable to the Coliseum in the mod. I wouldn't sleep on Preece come February 5th.
Brad Keselowski: BK was never an underdog at Penske but after becoming a part owner of Roush Fenway's team his results haven't been there. Neither he or his teammate Chris Buescher was able to qualify for this race last year which makes him an even bigger underdog, but RFK really started to find some speed and some consistency towards the end of the season picking up some pole awards with Keselowski and a race win in the Bristol fall night race with Buescher. He and Erik Jones raced in the same areas, Auto City Speedway was Keselowski's stomping grounds during his younger years in racing. The tracks Keselowski has raced at throughout the years could set him up well for some success at the clash and something worth noting is BK has been very good at Martinsville speedway in his NASCAR career and that's about the only NASCAR track you can compare the Coliseum with.
Daniel Suarez: Team Trackhouse made significant progress in 2022 picking up 3 wins and a Championship 4 appearance with Ross Chastain. Suarez won his first race in 2022 at Sonoma and had a strong playoff run given the fact that it has been an up & down Cup career for Daniel and the fact that Trackhouse is still a young team. Suarez has finally found some stability with Team Trackhouse after going from Xfinity champion, to JGR in Cup and then to SHR and then searching for a new ride after losing the 41 car to Cole Custer. Suarez and Trackhouse could surprise some people and find themselves up front in LA.
Corey LaJoie: We've reached our final underdog and our biggest underdog yet. The odds of LaJoie pulling off an upset are very low, especially after missing the race last year. I've been waiting for Spire Motorsports to take the next step but it hasn't happened yet. If Spire can give LaJoie a good car and he's able to get into the show and if things go his way and he has a shot towards the end you know that he's gonna give his all, that's never a question when it comes to LaJoie. I'm rooting for Spire to have a suprise year and I think we'll get a good idea if they are capable of it on February 5th.
Thanks for reading
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