The third running of the Busch Light Clash, which will take place in the L.A. Coliseum in 2024, will see all 36 NASCAR Cup Series chartered teams travel west to begin the season.
Josh Berry and Noah Gragson will be riding in their new Stewart-Haas Racing vehicles for the first time this weekend. Gragson returns to the series in the No. 10, while Berry starts his first campaign in the No. 4 Ford.
Kaz Grala will drive Rick Ware Racing’s No. 15. For Grala, it’s the first of 25 races with the company.
Two drivers from Kaulig Racing are among the other faces in unfamiliar areas. Josh Williams will drive the organization’s No. 16 Chevrolet, while Daniel Hemric will compete in the Cup Series once more in their No. 31 Chevrolet.
John Hunter Nemechek begins play for Legacy Motor Club with the No. 42 Toyota team. For Rick Ware, Justin Haley will drive the No. 51 Ford, Zane Smith will drive the No. 71 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, and Carson Hocevar will drive the No. 77 Chevrolet.
The expected candidates for Sunoco Rookie of the Year are Berry, Smith, and Hocevar.
On-track action is scheduled to begin on Saturday. With the addition of Saturday’s combined practice and qualifying season, NASCAR modified the race schedule for this year. The starting position of a driver in the heat race will be decided by their fastest lap from the last practice session.
There will be four 25-lap heat races. There won’t be any overtime; only green flag laps will be recorded. Each heat race’s top five finishers will move on to The Clash.
Drivers will be back at the Coliseum on Sunday for the Busch Light Clash main event and the final opportunity qualifying race. A 75-lap final chance qualifying race will be held for the drivers who do not qualify for The Clash. There won’t be any overtime and only laps completed under the green flag will be considered. The final chance qualifier’s top two finishers will move on.
The Busch Light Clash section will start with 23 drivers. Four fewer spaces than the 27 drivers who participated in The Clash the previous year.
All laps finished under the green flag will be counted in the 150-lap Clash. It needs to be a clean finish.
There will be a break on lap 75, the halfway point. During the interval, Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) will perform.
Stars will be visiting the event. Canelo Alvarez, the legendary boxer, will be the grand marshal and Dillon Francis will be the live DJ. The national anthem will be performed by Nita Strauss.
Fans in attendance can look forward to a doubleheader weekend. Along with competition, the NASCAR Mexico Series will have practice and qualifying on Saturday. Daniel Suarez, a driver in the Cup Series, is registered for that race. Sunday afternoon’s race, which serves as a prelude to the Busch Light Clash (6:30pm ET, FOX), will get underway at 4:30pm ET on FS1.
The Clash’s current winner is Martin Truex Jr. As a tribute to the L.A. Coliseum’s two Olympic Games history, NASCAR will once more hold a podium ceremony for the top three finishers, awarding medals to those drivers.