BRCC at the LA Coliseum: All Roads Lead to the Daytona 500
When we first found out that Black Rifle Coffee Company would have a car competing in NASCAR’s 2022 Daytona 500 race Sunday, Feb. 20, we immediately wanted in on the action. Attending the famous race and witnessing a BRCC-sponsored vehicle battle it out on the track at upwards of 200 mph would be a bucket list-worthy experience.
But we also knew that covering such a high-profile race would require us to be at the top of our game.
So to prepare for our epic adventure at Daytona, we headed to Los Angeles to attend NASCAR’s Feb. 6 preseason Busch Light Clash exhibition race at the Memorial Coliseum.
Photo by Kelly Getzelman/BRCC Blog.
The Los Angeles event marked the first time a preseason Clash was held outside of Daytona International Speedway since the race’s inception in 1979. NASCAR transformed the iconic venue into a quarter-mile asphalt oval built around the facility’s football field.
The race in Los Angeles was also the perfect opportunity for us to get a firsthand look at the No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet driven by NASCAR Cup Series driver Ty Dillon.
Photo by Kelly Getzelman/BRCC Blog.
We arrived in Los Angeles Feb. 4, before the big race, to participate in all the media activities. This included a full tour of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and a walk around the freshly paved quarter-mile track. It was quite a surreal experience to see firsthand the extensive details required to prepare for a race of this magnitude.
Photo by Kelly Getzelman/BRCC Blog.
The next day, we had our first opportunity to stop by the Petty GMS Motorsports staging area to get a glimpse of the BRCC-sponsored Camaro and the team.
The cars were able to get a couple of practice laps in before qualifying later that day, and man, did the BRCC military green with black accents look badass!
Photo by Kelly Getzelman/BRCC Blog.
Race day is something you have to see to believe. From the moment the gates open at 6 a.m. until the race car haulers exit at sunset, NASCAR is a well-oiled machine. Even though this was an exhibition race, it simply did not disappoint. Qualifying heats decided the lineup for the Clash, with last-chance elimination races chopping the field from 36 cars down to 23 for the 150-lap final.
The No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet left it all out there on the track during qualifying and initially won the Last Chance Qualifier, but NASCAR disqualified Dillon for jumping the final restart on his way to the checkered flag. Thirteen total drivers failed to advance to the final 150-lap main event.
Photo by Kelly Getzelman/BRCC Blog.
“Well, just in case anyone was wondering, I’m back!” Dillon said shortly after the race. “I’m going to give it my all every time I get in that race car. I hate that the result didn’t work out, but I owe it to these guys to give it everything I have every time I strap in. I have great owners, Maury Gallagher and Richard Petty. They hired me to go win races and give it all I have, and that is what I am going to do. I have a great sponsor in Black Rifle Coffee Company, and hey, we are going to have a year!”
Photo by Kelly Getzelman/BRCC Blog.
Rapper Pitbull warmed up the crowd with a 45-minute set before the green flag finale. At the halfway point of the 150-lap event, racing was paused as fans were treated to a live halftime performance from rapper Ice Cube, allowing the NASCAR crews to make final adjustments to their vehicles, since the short track did not allow for the usual pit-row adjustments.
In the end, Joey Logano held off hard-charging pole winner Kyle Busch to triumph in the Feb. 6 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum.
Photo by Kelly Getzelman/BRCC Blog.
Attending the Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum was a unique way to prepare for our trip to cover the Daytona 500, and it left us excited to see what the BRCC/Petty GMS team had in store for fans come Sunday.
