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2024 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Preview
Date: Saturday February 3rd, 2024
Location: Los Angeles Coliseum
TV: FOX
The dreadful 3 months known as the NASCAR offseason is slated to come to an end this Sunday with the return of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. Formerly held at Daytona, this will be the 3rd consecutive year that NASCAR will kick off the season with a non-points paying race at the Los Angeles Coliseum which has yet again been transformed into a .25 mile bullring. While most fans typically enjoy short track racing, the Coliseum has not provided a ton of excitement through its first two events. Either way, there is no denying that NASCAR fans will be tuned in for the first taste of racing action for the season and that means we are drawing closer to providing our weekly betting previews and predictions for all of NASCAR’s touring series!
Our official race picks will begin with the 2024 Daytona 500 and then include weekly previews and betting picks for all of NASCAR’s touring series. Out of tradition, I have never included the non-points paying races in our official betting picks and often the risk outweighs the reward in these events. For this week’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, I am very eager to watch the event unfold. However, the Busch Light Clash has rarely been an event that was sharp for bettors. Previously this race was held at Daytona which was always a wild-card type of event especially considering so many teams used that race as an experimental session for the Daytona 500. With the new venue at the Los Angeles Coliseum, the racing at the .25 mile flat oval has mostly been all about track position and I expect that to be the story again this Sunday.
Race Details and Format
- All NASCAR Cup Series chartered teams (36 cars) are eligible.
- Practice will be split into 3 groups. Each driver’s best practice time will determine the starting lineup for the 4 scheduled heat races.
- The Top 5 drivers from each heat race advance to the main event.
- All remaining drivers will compete in the “Last Chance Qualifier” which will be a 75-lap event where only green flag laps count.
- Top 2 drivers from the “Last Chance Qualifier” advance to the main event.
- Among the drivers that do not advance, 1 entry will be granted to the main event to the driver with the highest points finish last year.
- The Busch Light Clash Main Event will be 150 laps with an intermission at lap 75. Only green laps will be counted.
Busch Light Clash Betting Odds
| Driver | Odds |
|---|
| Kyle Busch | +900 |
| William Byron | +950 |
| Kyle Larson | +950 |
| Martin Truex Jr | +950 |
| Denny Hamlin | +1000 |
| Ryan Blaney | +1100 |
| Joey Logano | +1100 |
| Christopher Bell | +1200 |
| Chase Elliott | +1400 |
| Brad Keselowski | +1600 |
| Chase Briscoe | +1800 |
| Ryan Preece | +1800 |
| Tyler Reddick | +2000 |
| Chris Buescher | +2000 |
| Ross Chastain | +2200 |
| Alex Bowman | +2200 |
| Josh Berry | +2200 |
| Ty Gibbs | +2500 |
| Bubba Wallace | +2500 |
| Austin Dillon | +3000 |
| Erik Jones | +5000 |
| Austin Cindric | +6600 |
| Daniel Suarez | +8000 |
| Noah Gragson | +8000 |
| John Hunter Nemechek | +10000 |
| Justin Haley | +10000 |
| Carson Hocevar | +10000 |
| Michael McDowell | +15000 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | +20000 |
| Daniel Hemric | +20000 |
| Zane Smith | +20000 |
| Harrison Burton | +20000 |
| Corey Lajoie | +25000 |
| Todd Gilliland | +25000 |
| Kaz Grala | +25000 |
As you can see above, the format for the Busch Light Clash leaves a lot to the imagination. Will track conditions create an advantage for a specific practice group? Will practice times greatly differ from race speed? These are variances that must be considered because they could scramble the starting order. As we have seen in each of the last two races, track position is everything so it will be interesting to see how practice and heat races unfold. There are possible scenarios where drivers betting odds may get better going into Sunday especially for some of the heavy favorites like Kyle Larson, Martin Truex, Denny Hamlin and others. If any of those drivers have poor performances on Saturday and/or bad draws, expect to see much better betting odds for those drivers going into Sunday.
Personally if I was going to throw a few wagers out for entertainment this week, I would focus on drivers that have bigger odds. In the last two races, we have seen surprise names lead several laps at the Coliseum. Bubba Wallace, Ryan Preece, and Aric Almirola are names that have led chunks of laps at the front of the field. The Next Gen Car has produced incredible parity at the short tracks and that opens opportunities for anyone that can win the track position game because passing is difficult. Therefore it would not be surprising to see a least expected winner on Sunday and that is the reason to chase a few long shots.
My personal favorite long shots surround the trio of Tyler Reddick, Austin Dillon, and Justin Haley. Reddick has been fast each year at the Coliseum despite subpar results and is a complete steal at the 20-1 range. Meanwhile, Austin Dillon has finished inside the top 3 in both of the previous Busch Light Clash races and has easily been the most impressive underdog. Meanwhile, Justin Haley qualified on the pole in last year’s race and was upfront in 2022. Haley would be a huge long shot for the outright win but may have more realistic betting value in the form of prop bets and H2H match-ups.
Unofficial 2024 Busch Light Clash Betting Picks
Tyler Reddick +2000 (.5 unit)
Austin Dillon +3000 (.5 unit)
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