2023 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum Driver Ratings

Martin Truex Jr - 10

What a way to start the season after going winless last year. Truex was strong in qualifying and was able to execute down the stretch, an area where this team struggled last season. He will take all of the momentum heading into Daytona, where he has never won before.

Austin Dillon - 9

It was somewhat of a surprising performance for Dillon, who was able to keep pace and beat his new teammate. Now he heads to Daytona, seeking his second 500 victory.

Kyle Busch - 9

After a runner-up finish last year, Busch ended up 3rd after allowing his faster teammate to get by him in the closing laps. A solid debut for the two-time champion with his new team.

Alex Bowman - 9

Bowman missed out on the main event last year, and also missed five of the last six races of the season due to his concussion. This was a much-needed step in the right direction for this No. 48 team.

Kyle Larson - 8

Larson quietly had a top-five run, which bodes well as he tries to regain the dominant form he showed during his 2021 championship season.

Tyler Reddick - 7

Reddick was solid in his debut with 23XI Racing, proving that he will be a contender at every round again this season.

Ryan Preece - 9

The feel-good story of the race was Preece, who led a race-high 44 laps. Had it not been for the electrical issue towards the end of the race, he could have ended up in victory lane in his first start with Stewart Haas.

Ross Chastain - 7

Chastain did himself no favors by taking out multiple cars tonight, including his good buddy Denny Hamlin.

Denny Hamlin - 6

Hamlin was spun by Chastain again, and found himself in the middle of a few other dust ups during the race. It was not a great start to the season for the veteran, as he tries for his fourth Daytona 500 win next weekend.

William Byron - 7

Byron showed flashes of brilliance early in the race, but was never able to get up towards the leaders to challenge for the win.

Justin Haley - 7

Haley was the fastest car in qualifying on Saturday, which should account for something. He was one of the casualties during the main event, taking him out of contention.

Kevin Harvick - 6

The final Clash for Harvick did not go well, but better days are ahead for him and the No. 4 team.

Christopher Bell - 5

Bell was another driver that ended up being involved in several incidents on the night. Most of them were not of his doing, just simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Noah Gragson - 5

Gragson didn’t make much noise at all tonight, which could be a good thing for him going forward.

Chase Briscoe - 5

Briscoe had a promising start to this race, but it faded quickly as he found trouble in a couple of different incidents with other drivers.

Joey Logano - 6

The defending race winner and reigning series champion was the highest-finishing Penske car, in 16th place.

Ryan Blaney - 4

Blaney had a dreadful night, and his car was living proof of that. Now he can turn his attention to Daytona, where he nearly won last year, pushing his teammate to the finish line.

Aric Almirola - 5

Almirola managed to win a heat race but he was not able to stay up front during the main event.

Daniel Suarez - 4

Suarez was simply nowhere to be found in this race.

AJ Allmendinger - 4

AJ’s return to full-time competition got off to a bit of a rocky start, as he spun on several occasions throughout the night.

Chase Elliott - 4

The most popular driver in NASCAR had one of the quietest nights in recent memory. This was a night to forget, but it also doesn’t award any points so he shouldn’t be too concerned.

Bubba Wallace - 7

A promising night quickly turned sour as Wallace was taken out by Dillon while battling for the lead late in the race. He doesn’t need any motivation, but he will have plenty of it heading into Daytona, where he finished runner-up in the 500 last year.

Todd Gilliland - 6

Gilliland ended up about where everyone expected, but he showed some promising signs of talent at various points of the race.

Michael McDowell - 6

A decent night went wrong when McDowell ran out of gas late in the race.

Austin Cindric - 4

Cindric had a miserable night. He barely made the main event, taking the provisional spot to get there after he failed to advance in the heat and LCQ races. He will now try to defend his Daytona 500 victory.

Ty Gibbs - 6

Another bad break for Gibbs, as the rookie suffered more mechanical issues on his No. 54 Camry. It would be in his best interest to just forget this one and focus forward, where the future is bright.

Erik Jones - 5

Jones had a solid night going before a spin early in the race broke the rear end of his Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet.