Chase Elliott led the first NASCAR Cup Series practice Saturday for the Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum, turning a 13.455-second lap in the No. 9 Chevrolet.
Kevin Harvick was second (13.457), followed by Chase Briscoe (13.470), Justin Haley and Kyle Busch.
Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Landon Cassill, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top 10 in the first session for Sunday’s Clash at the Coliseum, the first time in the 43-year history of NASCAR’s preseason exhibition that it’s being held outside Daytona International Speedway.
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The fastest cars in the practice were in the 13-second bracket, or about 65 mph around the 0.25-mile temporary asphalt surface that was built on top of the famous field normally used for USC football games.
There will be a qualifying session at 8:30 p.m. ET (FS1) to set the field for heat four heat races beginning at 3 p.m. ET Sunday. The main event will feature 23 cars — the top four finishers in the heats, plus the top three in two last-chance qualifiers and a provisional.
NASCAR divided the 36 cars on the entry list into three groups of 12 during the two-hour practice Saturday with each group on track for three eight-minute sessions.
There no major incidents, but several instances of contact on the tiny bullring that is a quarter-mile shorter than any other track on the Cup Series circuit.
Harvick and Corey LaJoie traded shots a few times during the first 30 minutes of the session. Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace and other drivers also ended the session with right-side scrapes after brushing the outside wall on the straightaways.
There was a stoppage with just more than 30 minutes left when Chase Briscoe apparently had a broken throttle cable in his No. 14 Ford.
Wood Brothers Racing rookie Harrison Burton‘s No. 21 Ford was the first car to take the track as drivers made their way into the Coliseum through an entrance ramp by the USC football locker room. The garage area was located a short distance from the stadium, so drivers entered via surface streets through the surrounding neighborhood.
Chase Elliott fastest in Clash at the Coliseum opening practice; Kevin Harvick second originally appeared on NBCSports.com