In the three editions of the NASCAR Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, one thing above all has stood out. The slamming of cars against each other, and the spinning out of a fellow competitor.
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That has been the most common theme in each race, all three races have had a different winner, which is a good thing, but the fact that drivers are too busy wrecking each other is a problem.
That was no different on Saturday night, as Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson and 23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace tangled at the end of the race.
Larson in his No. 5 Chevrolet spun Wallace's No. 23 before the finish line on the tight 1/4-mile track in the Los Angeles Coliseum. The incident resulted after the pair fought tough against each other for the better part of the second half of the 150-lap event.
RFK Racing posted a video of the incident on X as Brad Keselowski slipped past the incident for a good finish.
BK SCOOTS THROUGH FOR P8 ‼️ pic.twitter.com/iqjwIYQcJf
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) February 4, 2024
Wallace looked like he was going to get a top-10 finish, maybe even push for a top-five finish, but he didn't reach the finish line. After being spun by Larson, Wallace quickly drove off the track.
This isn't the pair's first run-in, as Wallace famously purposely wrecked Larson in 2022 at the Las Vegas Playoff race, which resulted in a one-race suspension for the 23XI Racing driver.
Larson spoke about what happened with Lee Spencer from SiriusXM NASCAR Radio after the race, admitting he hit Wallace on purpose.
"It was just another one," Larson said of Wallace hitting him earlier in the night. "Listen, I got hit three different times by him and it was the last lap, and I was going to get my hit in finally. I wasn't trying to spin him or anything, but just shove him through the corner like he was shoving me through the corner."
If there's really bad blood the pair haven't talked about it, Larson said that if roles were reversed, he would expect the same reaction from Wallace.
"If roles were reversed. I would have expected the same thing that he got," Larson said. "I hope he understands that. Yeah, we've had our run-ins before, and I haven't talked to him and who knows if there's even anything to talk about."
Aggressive and angry driving is the name of the game in racing at the L.A. Coliseum. There are surely going to be some mad drivers at the Daytona 500, and that should make for some intriguing television during that race and throughout the 2024 season.
