Haley, Busch, Bell, Byron take Clash heat poles at LA Coliseum

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Haley, Busch, Bell, Byron take Clash heat poles at LA Coliseum

NASCAR

Haley, Busch, Bell, Byron take Clash heat poles at LA Coliseum

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Justin Haley was the fastest driver in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying Saturday to set the lineup for the heat races ahead of the Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Coliseum.

He topped the leaderboard at 67.099mph (13.413s) and will start from the pole in the first of four heat races Sunday.

Kyle Busch qualified second at 66.406mph, which gives him the pole for the second heat race. Christopher Bell was third fastest at 66.328mph and will start from the pole in the third heat race. William Byron was fourth fastest in qualifying at 66.196mph and will lead the field to the green flag in the fourth heat race.

Aric Almirola was fifth fastest in qualifying at 66.176mph, Austin Dillon sixth at 66.152mph and Denny Hamlin seventh at 66.074mph.

AJ Allmendinger was eighth fastest at 66.065mph, Alex Bowman ninth at 66.06mph and Kyle Larson rounded out the top 10 at 65.992mph.

Defending race winner Joey Logano was 17th fastest in qualifying with a 65.459mph lap.

Logano’s Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney had his time disallowed. Blaney spun on his first lap and proceeded to turn around and drive in the opposite direction before resetting himself to get another run of momentum leading into the second lap. Such a move is no longer allowed.

NASCAR officials did not permit Ty Gibbs to make a qualifying attempt. The No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team was deemed to have made unapproved adjustments while they were repairing the car following a fire in practice.

Joe Gibbs Racing replaced the burnt door foam and wiring from the incident, which they believe was the result of an exhaust that came loose.

In addition to the four heat races, there will be two last-chance qualifying races to set the 27-car field for the second edition of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, with coverage beginning Sunday at 5 p.m. on Fox.

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