Despite rumors that suggested the races would be cancelled or moved to another NASCAR-affiliated short track, the “Battle at the Beach” will return to Daytona International Speedway in 2014 as part of Speedweeks.
Debuting last year, the Battle was a way to generate some excitement at the track during the normally dormant Monday and Tuesday after the Daytona 500 qualifying weekend.
NASCAR set up a temporary course on the back straight using part of the track and part of the apron, outlined by stacked tires and pylons that delineated a roughly .4-mile oval that required drivers to nearly stop for the turns, making for a lot of crashes and caution-flag laps. If it is run on the same days next year as this year, that Monday and Tuesday would be February 17 and 18.
Though it hasn’t been announced, the format is expected to be the same as in 2013, when three non-points races featured the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tours, and the Late Model division of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
Top finishers in the regular season in those divisions earned spots in the Battle, with remaining slots filled by time trials and heat races. The University of Northwest Ohio sponsored the races, and is expected to return.
