Busch Light Clash weekend schedule and format

Please Note: NASCAR Schedule Change – The Cup Series practice and qualifying for the NASCAR Busch Light Clash have been moved to 5:35 p.m. ET. The Busch Light Clash will be at 8 p.m. ET tonight on FS1. The Mexico Series race will take place tonight following the Busch Light Clash on FS2. Heat Races and the Last Chance Qualifying Race have been canceled. The lineup (22 drivers) will be set by the fastest laps in final practice which will be televised on FS1. The 23rd position will be based on 2023 driver points.

NASCAR travels to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Busch Light Clash on Feb. 4. The exhibition race on the 0.25-mile asphalt oval will feature 36 Cup Series drivers vying for 23 spots and the opportunity to claim the trophy in this historic venue.

The race will consist of 150 laps, only green flag laps will count and the race must finish under green.

There will be three practice sessions on Saturday, set by 2023 owner points. The 2023 Cup Series champion (Ryan Blaney) will be in the third group, the driver second in points (Kyle Larson) will be in the second group, the driver third in points (William Byron) in the first group, and so on throughout the field.

Group 1: William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, Josh Williams, Austin Cindric, Erik Jones, Chase Briscoe, Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith

Group 2: Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, Alex Bowman, Ryan Preece, Corey LaJoie, Austin Dillon, John Hunter Nemechek and Justin Haley

Group 3: Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Daniel Suarez, Noah Gragson, Daniel Hemric, Todd Gilliland, Harrison Burton and Kaz Grala

Each driver’s fastest lap time from their final practice session will be used to determine the starting lineup for the four heat races.

The four heat races will be 25 laps each with up to 10 drivers per heat. The lineup is set by practice times. The driver with the fastest practice time will claim the pole position in Heat 1, the second-fastest will start on the pole for Heat 2, the third-fastest on the pole for Heat 3, the fourth-fastest in practice will be on the pole for Heat 4 and so on throughout the field. Only green-flag laps will count in the heat races with no overtime.

The top five finishers in each heat will advance to the Busch Light Clash while the drivers who finish below fifth will compete in the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). The starting positions are determined by the finishing order in the heat races. The top two finishers in the LCQ advance to the Clash and start in positions 21 and 22. Again, only green-flag laps will count with no overtime.

The final position is reserved for the driver who finished highest in the 2023 season points standings and did not transfer in the heat races or LCQ. Ryan Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion, is automatically locked into the Busch Light Clash.

This year, the NASCAR Mexico Series will also compete in the famed Los Angeles Coliseum. NASCAR Cup Series regular, Daniel Suárez, a former participant in the Mexico Series, will drive a Jimmy Morales entry in the Mexico Series exhibition race with crew chief, José Blasco-Figueroa.

The Clash at The Coliseum is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on FOX with radio coverage provided by MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

All times are Eastern.

Saturday, Feb. 3

1:15 p.m.: Mexico Series Practice 1 – No TV
2:45 p.m.: Mexico Series Practice 2 – No TV
4:30 p.m.: Mexico Series Qualifying – FS1

6 p.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
8:30 p.m.: Cup Series Heat Race 1 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
8:45 p.m.: Cup Series Heat Race 2 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
9 p.m.: Cup Series Heat Race 3 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM
9:15 p.m.: Cup Series Heat Race 4 – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM

Sunday, Feb. 4

4:30 p.m.: Mexico Series King Taco La Batalla en El Coliseo
FS1/FOX Deportes/MRN/SiriusXM
Distance: 37.5 miles (150 laps), 60 Minute Time Limit

6:30 p.m.: Cup Series Last Chance Qualifying Race – FOX/MRN/SiriusXM
Distance: 37.5 miles (150 green flag laps), Stage Break: Lap 75

8 p.m.: Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum – FOX/MRN/SiriusXM
Distance: 37.5 miles (150 laps) Stage Break: Lap 75
The Purse: $2,210,000

Post Race: NASCAR PressPass

The starting lineup:

  1. Heat 1 winner
  2. Heat 2 winner
  3. Heat 3 winner
  4. Heat 4 winner
  5. Heat 1 – second place
  6. Heat 2 – second place
  7. Heat 3 – second place
  8. Heat 4 – second place
  9. Heat 1 – third place
  10. Heat 2 – third place
  11. Heat 3 – third place
  12. Heat 4 – third place
  13. Heat 1 – fourth place
  14. Heat 2 – fourth place
  15. Heat 3 – fourth place
  16. Heat 4 – fourth place
  17. Heat 1 – fifth place
  18. Heat 2 – fifth place
  19. Heat 3 – fifth place
  20. Heat 4 – fifth place
  21. Last Chance Qualifier Winner
  22. Last Chance Second Place
  23. Points Provisional – The driver who finished highest in the 2023 season points standings and did not transfer via the heat races or LCQ

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

Angie Campbell
Angie Campbell
A native of Charlotte, NC, Angela (Angie) was first introduced to racing by her father. An avid fan of NASCAR, she found a way to combine her love of racing with her passion for writing. Angie is also an award-winning member of the National Motorsports Press Association. Follow her on Twitter @angiecampbell_ for the latest NASCAR news and feature stories.

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