NASCAR Announces Clash at Coliseum Format with Expanded Field

The second annual Clash at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is 45 days away, which marks the first event on the calendar for the upcoming season. The field for the non-points-paying event has increased to 27 cars, up from 23 in last year's inaugural race. Eligibility for the unique event includes all current charter team owners and drivers. Other owners and drivers are eligible to compete for the four additional starting positions.

There are not many other major changes with the format, as the field will once again be split into three different groups for practice. Qualifying will follow, which will feature 25-lap heat races where only green flag laps will count. The four fastest qualifying drivers will start on pole for each heat race.

Two Last Chance Qualifiers (50 laps each) will give drivers one last opportunity to advance into the 150-lap main event. The 27th and final spot in the field is reserved for the driver who finished the highest in the 2022 season points standings and who has not already earned a starting position in the Clash. That guarantees that Joey Logano (2022 Cup Champion) is already locked into the Feature.

A full breakdown of the entire 2023 Busch Light Clash is below.

Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum Qualifying:

• Single vehicle qualifying will occur on Saturday, February 4th following the scheduled practice.
• Qualifying will be single vehicle one (1) round, 3 laps, one (1) warm-up, two (2) timed.
• Qualifying order will be determined by 2022 Owner Points (lowest to highest).
• If there are more than 40 entries to this Event, the fastest four (4) open teams will transfer into the Heat Races.

Heat Races – 4 Heat Races / 25 Laps each

• Only completed green flag laps will be counted toward the official race distance
• Heat race lineups will be set by Qualifying
  • Fastest qualifier – Pole for Heat 1
  • Second fastest qualifier – Pole for Heat 2
  • Third fastest qualifier – Pole for Heat 3
  • Fourth fastest qualifier – Pole for Heat 4, etc
• The top five (5) from each race advance through to The Clash
• Remaining five (5) finishing positions from each heat continue through to the Last Chance Qualifier Race 1 and the Last Chance Qualifier Race 2 with their starting position being determined by where they finished in their heat races.

Last Chance Races – 2 LCQ Races / 50 Laps each

• Only completed green flag laps will be counted toward the official race distance

Last Chance Qualifier Race 1

• Those that did not advance from Heat 1 & 3.
• The 6th place finisher from Heat 1 will be on the Pole.
• The 6th place finisher from Heat 3 will be on the outside Pole.
• Lineup – Inside row positions 6-10 from Heat #1. Outside row positions 6-10 from Heat #3

Last Chance Qualifier Race 2

• Those that did not advance from Heat 2 & 4.
• The 6th place finisher from Heat 2 will be on the Pole.
• The 6th place finisher from Heat 4 will be on the outside Pole.
• Lineup – Inside row positions 6-10 from Heat #2. Outside row positions 6-10 from Heat #4

LCQ 1 & 2

• Top three (3) from both LCQ 1 and LCQ 2 advance through to The Clash.
• The remaining drivers are eliminated from the remainder of the Event.

The Clash

• Only completed green flag laps will be counted toward the official race distance
• 27 Drivers will start The Clash main event.
  • 26 starting drivers are locked in through their finishes in the heat races, LCQ 1, and LCQ 2.
  • 27th and final spot is reserved for the driver who finished the highest in the 2022 season points standing who did not already earn a starting position in The Clash.

Construction crews have already begun the work to prepare the quarter-mile track inside of the Coliseum. Workers will be grading 9,200 cubic yards of aggregate and filling material atop 130,000 square feet of Visqueen and plywood that covers United Airlines Field inside of the iconic venue. Paving should begin on January 4, and the installation of barriers and fencing from Auto Club Speedway and the Long Beach Grand Prix is scheduled to be finished by January 20.

Coverage for Sunday's Busch Light Clash begins at 8 PM ET on FOX. Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway begins on February 16 with the 65th running of the Daytona 500 scheduled for February 19.