The non-points Busch Light Clash exhibition race will be held on a made-from-scratch ¼-mile asphalt oval inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and will serve as the racing debut for NASCAR’s new Next Generation car.
Here’s all you need to know to follow the event…
How to watch the Busch Light Clash
The event is held over two days – Saturday, Feb. 5 features practice and single-car qualifying. Sunday, Feb. 6 features qualifying heat races, last-chance qualifying races and the main event.
Saturday, Feb. 5
3:30 p.m. ET – Practice (FS2/Fox Sports App)
8:30 p.m. ET – Single-car qualifying (FS1/Fox Sports App)
Sunday, Feb. 6
3 p.m. ET – Clash qualifying heat races (Fox, Fox Sports App)
4:10 p.m. ET (approx.) – Clash last-chance qualifying races (Fox, Fox Sports App)
6 p.m. ET – Main Event, 150 laps (Fox, Fox Sports App)
Race weekend details
Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum
The Place: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Date: Sunday, Feb. 6
The Time: 6 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,967,000
TV: FOX, 3 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 37.5 miles (150 laps), Stage Break: Lap 75
2021 Clash Winner: Kyle Busch (Daytona Road Course)
Practice groups
Drivers will go out in separate 12-car groups during the Saturday practice session with each group getting eight minutes of track time.
|
Group 1 Drivers |
Group 2 Drivers | Group 3 Drivers |
|
Austin Cindric |
Ross Chastain | Kyle Larson |
| Brad Keselowski | Austin Dillon | Tyler Reddick |
| Aric Almirola | Kevin Harvick | Chase Elliott |
| Denny Hamlin | Corey LaJoie | Ryan Blaney |
| A.J. Allmendinger | Chase Briscoe | Ryan Preece |
| Kyle Busch | Martin Truex Jr. | Chris Buescher |
| Christopher Bell | Joey Logano | Justin Haley |
| Harrison Burton | Todd Gilliland | William Byron |
| Bubba Wallace | Cole Custer | Michael McDowell |
| Ty Dillon | Alex Bowman | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| Erik Jones | Cody Ware | Landon Cassill |
| Kurt Busch | Daniel Suarez | Michael McDowell |
Time to race the Next Gen car
With more than two years in development, the Next Gen car is the seventh iteration of stock car – and most revolutionary – NASCAR has used since 1949.
NASCAR, drivers, teams and the entire industry have worked countless hours to get to this debut. The Next Gen car is a massive leap forward, as never in NASCAR’s 73 prior years has this much time and energy been spent to bring a car from concept to reality.
The Next Gen car features a sequential shifter, a single center-lock wheel nut, 670-horsepower engines, and car numbers just behind the front wheels. It also boasts rack-and-pinion steering which replaces the recirculating ball, an independent rear suspension upgrade from the full floating axle, carbon fiber-reinforced body panels, and a rear-end diffuser.
Why the LA Coliseum?
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has been a familiar name in sports for nearly 100 years, having been home to two Olympic Games, two NFL Super Bowls, the 1959 World Series and several collegiate and professional teams such as the USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, the Los Angeles Rams, the Raiders and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It has also hosted many historic events, including the first ever Papal Mass by John Paul II in 1987 and Nelson Mandela’s return to the United States in 1990. The iconic venue earned a State and Federal Historic Landmark title in 1984.
The Coliseum opened in 1923 as a living memorial to all who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I and will celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2023.
What they’re saying
“As we demonstrated last year, we are committed to creating the most dynamic schedule for our fans, long term. With the addition of new and unique venues like the Coliseum and World Wide Technology Raceway, each in markets with passionate NASCAR fans, we’re continuing to build on bold changes to deliver the best racing in the world.” – Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of strategy and innovation
“I think it’s cool that we’re doing different things. I’ve been saying this all along, it’s not the Next Gen car, it’s Next Gen NASCAR. Everything is going to change with it. It’s not just the car is different. It’s different tracks, it’s different formats, there’s different weekend formats, you name it.” – Cup Series driver Joey Logano
“The cool thing is it’s going to be a lot of fun to do something fun and there is a lot of excitement around it as well. I think everybody is anxious to get on track and see what we can do and
hopefully it turns into a fun event for the drivers. I’ll enjoy it, and usually when I enjoy it, we run well. I’m excited about it, and it should be good.” – Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr.