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Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell fail to qualify for Busch Light Clash

JHby:Jonathan Howard•02/03/24•

Jondean25

Chris Buescher Pocono
Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

After qualifying, 2023 NASCAR Playoff drivers Chris Buescher and Christopher Bell missed the Busch Light Clash field. Buescher made the Round of 8 and Bell was a Championship 4 driver just a few months ago.

Tonight, in a rescheduled Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, neither will race in the main event. It is hard to believe that either one of these drivers missed out. For Buescher, it was a bit of a trend, one of six Ford drivers to miss the main event.

For Bell, he was one of just two drivers to miss the finale. Erik Jones also failed to qualify for the race.

Ryan Blaney entered the Busch Light Clash on the provisional. He was the top driver on points in 2023 who failed to make it on speed. The 2023 champion will have his work cut out for him.

Denny Hamlin will start on the pole tonight. Here is the rest of the starting lineup.

Josh Williams almost made his way into the big race. However, he was just beaten out at the last second. Still, it was an impressive effort in his first Cup Series action, even if it is an exhibition.

Daniel Suárez, who will race in the Mexico Series race after the Cup race, will not race in the Busch Light Clash after failing to qualify as well.

Denny Hamlin wins pole for Busch Light Clash

The pole was won by Denny Hamlin. He is showing that his shoulder isn’t bugging him one bit. Despite still recovering from surgery in the offseason, Hamlin seems to feel just fine.

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Joey Logano is going to start on the front row with Hamlin. Ty Gibbs, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Busch make up the top five. Busch has been strong in this race for two years, I like him to win the race tonight.

How about Bowman bouncing back, too? Many are overlooking Bowman this season, but he might just step up to the moment and prove he belongs amid the uber-talented roster that Hendrick Motorsports has.

The Busch Light Clash had to be rescheduled. When faced with waiting days for rain to break or push the race to tonight, NASCAR had an easy decision to make. So far, it has gone well. The decision was the right one to make, and we are going to see racing tonight.

The new Toyotas look great, the Fords aren’t as strong as many hoped. Chevy is still as fast as ever.