Denny Hamlin will lead the Cup Series field to the green flag for the Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET on FS1).
Hamlin was the fastest in Saturday’s final practice session with a lap of 68.498 mph. Joey Logano, the 2022 Clash winner, will line up second with a lap of 67.925 mph.
The top 22 drivers advanced on speed after their four-minute practice sessions. The 23rd spot went to the driver that finished highest in points last season.
Saturday’s race marks the second time Hamlin starts from pole for the Clash. He won pole at Daytona in 2014 and went on to win the Clash.
“We only had little short runs here and there,” Hamlin told Fox Sports’ Jamie Little after winning pole. “But you never know with the Clash, and certainly, with the lesser field amount I think the strong cars can really show.”
More: Busch Light Clash starting lineup
Ty Gibbs will start third with a lap of 67.868 mph. Alex Bowman (67.843 mph), Kyle Busch (67.735 mph), William Byron (67.588 mph), Ross Chastain (67.573 mph), Kyle Larson (67.547 mph), Bubba Wallace (67.37 mph) and Justin Haley (67.325 mph) will round out the top 10.
Reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney had the 26th-fastest lap at 66.598 mph. He made the main event using the points provisional.
For the first time since the Busch Light Clash moved to Los Angeles, RFK Racing made the main event. Brad Keselowski qualified 13th with a lap of 67.224 mph. Chris Buescher missed the show after posting the 30th-fastest lap.
Corey LaJoie also made the main event for the first time since the Clash moved to the LA Memorial Coliseum. He qualified 18th with a lap of 66.994 mph.
2023 Clash champion Martin Truex Jr. (2022) and Austin Cindric (2023) were the last two drivers to receive the points provisional for the Busch Light Clash. Truex finished 15th in the main event in 2022. Cindric finished 25th in last season’s main event due to an engine failure.
Truex qualified for the 2024 Clash with the 19th-fastest lap at 66.90 mph. Cindric missed the main event with 31st-fastest lap at 66.264 mph.
Saturday’s Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on FS1. The green flag will wave at 8:10 p.m. ET.
Catch up on NBC Sports coverage:
Christopher Bell, Austin Dillon among those who fail to make Clash field