Larson lands top five in exhibition Clash at the Coliseum
TRACK: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
LENGTH: 0.25-mile oval
DATE: Feb. 5, 2023
STARTED: 14th
FINISHED: 5th
For the second year in a row, NASCAR kicked off its season with its annual exhibition race – The Clash – at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Larson qualified 10th on Saturday, placing him third in heat race two on Sunday. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion finished fourth in his heat, landing the 14th spot in the starting line-up for the main event.
By lap 23, Larson gained three positions and battled around the 10th position until the fourth caution occurred on lap 74. With a one-lap shootout until the halfway break, Larson completed lap 75 in the 10th position. During the break, the No. 5 team took advantage of the halt in action and adjusted on the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
The Elk Grove, California, native took the green flag for the second half of the showdown with four new tires. A caution followed the green flag on lap 76, with multiple yellow flags following that allowed Larson to gain four positions. Running in the sixth spot until the final caution, Larson advanced to fifth with under 10 to go. On the final lap, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 crossed the finish line fifth, matching last year’s finish.
QUOTING KYLE LARSON:
“It feels good to get to fifth. I didn't really work my way forward to fifth, it was kind of a battle of attrition. I was just kind of stuck, which I'm sure a lot of people felt stuck and always wanted to choose the outside on the restarts, but everybody in the middle of the pack figured out that the outside was better at the same time.”
NEXT RACE:
Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team officially kick off the season at Daytona International Speedway for the 65th running of the DAYTONA 500. The “Great American Race” takes place Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
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