NASCAR sets format for Busch Light Clash at Coliseum

There will be 23 drivers in the final race competing for 150 laps. Image: nascarclash/IG

LOS ANGELES – Before the green flag drops for the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, NASCAR announced the format for the field Tuesday, laying out the rules for qualifying, heat races and the main event.

There will be 23 drivers in the final race competing for 150 laps. Only green flag laps will count and there will be a break at the midway point of the race after 75 laps.

The lineup for 22 spots will be determined by the finishing positions in the heat races and the last chance qualifier. The 23rd spot will go to the driver with the highest spot in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series standings who hasn’t already qualified.

There will be four 25-lap heat races. The top-five finishers in the heat races advance to the main event.

The last chance qualifier is for the drivers who did not advance in the heat races. It will be 75 laps and the top-two finishers advance to the Clash.

The heat race starting lineups will be determined through practice sessions. The field will be split into three practice groups and the drivers’ fastest lap time in practice will be used to set the starting order for the heat races.

The third annual Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum will be held Feb. 4 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The races will take place on the Coliseum’s temporary, quarter-mile asphalt track beginning at 1:30 p.m., with the NASCAR Mexico Series’ King Taco La Batalla en El Coliseo followed by the NASCAR Cup Series’ Busch Light Clash at 5 p.m.

NASCAR has opened its season with the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum for the past two years. Joey Logano won the inaugural event in 2022, while Martin Truex Jr. won the 2023 trophy in February.

Ticket information is available here. (CNS)