The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is officially a NASCAR Cup Series circuit. Saturday saw thirty-six drivers take to the temporary quarter-mile short track for practice and qualifying ahead of the Busch Light Clash on Sunday.
Living up to the race sponsor, Kyle Busch was the quickest in qualifying, though it does not guarantee he will start on the pole for the Clash as the starting grid is set by four heat races. Tyler Reddick, Justin Haley, and Joey Logano followed and will have the poles for their respective heats.
Qualifying order was set based on an inverse of the 2021 owner points, with the field being split into two groups of eighteen each; a similar format was used for practice earlier in the day, albeit with three groups. Kurt Busch was the first driver to take a qualifying lap around the track, setting what would be the thirty-second fastest time. B.J. McLeod briefly stole the show when he had the fastest time as the seventh driver out, though he was quickly beaten by fellow initial user A.J. Allmendinger. Landon Cassill, Cole Custer, and Haley also enjoyed time as the top dogs. By the end, Haley topped the chart for Group 1.
Rookie Harrison Burton was the first of Group 2 to set a time. After Reddick set a blazing time that shot him to the provisional pole (over a tenth of a second faster than Haley), a caution briefly came out for debris in turn four. Busch surpassed Reddick by .024 to secure the top spot.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Busch. “It’s just different with the opportunity to do something like this. NASCAR took a lot of flak on what this was going to look like and what it was going to be. But we’re having a great time.”
As the top four in qualifying, Busch, Reddick, Haley, and Logano will each start on the pole in the four heat races. The top four in each advance to the final while the rest are relegated to a pair of Last Chance Qualifiers, with the top three in those moving on. The twenty-third and final spot is given to the driver highest in 2021 points but had not locked themselves into the feature. The provisional means defending champion Kyle Larson is guaranteed a spot in the Clash even if he fails to qualify via heat or LCQ performance. On the other hand, even being the fastest qualifier does not mean Busch is locked into the Clash.
“We’re not in yet, we still have to go through that heat race,” added Busch.
Chase Elliott, who was the fastest in practice, was seventh. Bubba Wallace brushed the wall and finished last during practice but rebounded to qualify seventeenth.
Qualifying results
| Position | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Best Time | Best Speed (mph) |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 13.745 | 65.478 |
| 2 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 13.761 | 65.402 |
| 3 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 13.891 | 64.790 |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 13.949 | 64.521 |
| 5 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 13.952 | 64.507 |
| 6 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 13.953 | 64.502 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13.954 | 64.498 |
| 8 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13.957 | 64.484 |
| 9 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 13.962 | 64.461 |
| 10 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 13.965 | 64.447 |
| 11 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13.973 | 64.410 |
| 12 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 13.978 | 64.387 |
| 13 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 14.007 | 64.254 |
| 14 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 14.014 | 64.221 |
| 15 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 14.023 | 64.180 |
| 16 | 77 | Landon Cassill* | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 14.050 | 64.057 |
| 17 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 14.053 | 64.043 |
| 18 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 14.076 | 63.939 |
| 19 | 16 | A.J. Allmendinger* | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet | 14.120 | 63.739 |
| 20 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford | 14.148 | 63.613 |
| 21 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 14.151 | 63.600 |
| 22 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 14.157 | 63.573 |
| 23 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 14.158 | 63.568 |
| 24 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 14.194 | 63.407 |
| 25 | 78 | B.J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 14.235 | 63.224 |
| 26 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 14.247 | 63.171 |
| 27 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford | 14.251 | 63.153 |
| 28 | 15 | Ryan Preece | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 14.277 | 63.038 |
| 29 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 14.304 | 62.919 |
| 30 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | Ford | 14.305 | 62.915 |
| 31 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 14.326 | 62.823 |
| 32 | 45 | Kurt Busch | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 14.437 | 62.340 |
| 33 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 14.451 | 62.279 |
| 34 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 14.466 | 62.215 |
| 35 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 14.471 | 62.193 |
| 36 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet | 14.532 | 61.932 |
* – Ineligible for Cup points
Heat race starting lineups
Heat #1
| Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 2 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 7 | 78 | B.J. McLeod | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 8 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 9 | 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
Heat #2
| Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 3 | 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 4 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 6 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 8 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 9 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
Heat #3
| Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 31 | Justin Haley | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 5 | 16 | A.J. Allmendinger* | Kaulig Racing | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 7 | 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Ford |
| 8 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 51 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
Heat #4
| Start | Number | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 2 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 4 | 77 | Landon Cassill* | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Ford |
| 6 | 43 | Erik Jones | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 15 | Ryan Preece | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 8 | 45 | Kurt Busch | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 9 | 42 | Ty Dillon | Petty GMS Motorsports | Chevrolet |
