CONCORD, N.C. - It’s that time of year again.
This Saturday, Feb. 3, Hendrick Motorsports and the NASCAR Cup Series will take to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the third edition of the Clash in California. The race, which has been run on a temporary 0.25-mile oval built inside the historic venue, will be the third installment of the unique event. It will also serve as the unofficial kickoff to the 2024 season before the series heads to Florida for the DAYTONA 500 two weekends later.
RELATED: Looking back at Hendrick Motorsports' past wins in the Clash
While the event has been run inside the historic event venue since 2022, Hendrick Motorsports’ seven wins at the preseason event have all come at Daytona International Speedway. The winning ways began with Ken Schrader’s back-to-back victories in 1989 and 1990 and continued with vice chairman Jeff Gordon’s two victories in 1994 and 1997. Jimmie Johnson took home the honors in 2005 followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008. Johnson holds the team's most recent victory in the exhibition event as he took the win in 2019.
In the 2023 Clash at the Coliseum, Alex Bowman led the Hendrick Motorsports quartet with a fourth-place finish in Southern California. This race marked crew chief Blake Harris' first event with Bowman on the No. 48 Ally Racing team. Kyle Larson earned a fifth-place result, making him one of three drivers with top-five finishes in both Clash races in Los Angeles. William Byron rounded out the top 10 and is one of four drivers (along with Larson) to finish in the top 10 in both races at the Olympic venue. Chase Elliott has qualified for both Clash races at the Coliseum, with a best finish of 11th in 2022.
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KEY NUMBERS TO KNOW FOR THE CLASH
Data provided by Racing Insights
Bowman, No. 48 team
The group’s strong run during last season’s event is a positive sign for the weekend. Bowman’s average running position of 5.65 at the LA Coliseum is the third-best in the Cup Series. His 4.00 average finish is also the best among Hendrick Motorsports drivers.
Larson, No. 5 team
With five career victories in special events (three All-Star Race wins and two All-Star Open victories), Larson leads all drivers in the Hendrick Motorsports stable in this category.
Byron, No. 24 team
Since the Clash moved to Los Angeles, no driver has spent more time in the top-10 positions during the main event than Byron (300 laps). The 26-year-old driver also ranks second for laps run inside the top five (157 laps).
Elliott, No. 9 team
Elliott has three victories in special events (two wins in the Duel at Daytona and one in the All-Star Race). He has qualified for both races at the Coliseum. In the most recent short-track race at Martinsville Speedway in October, Elliott led a season-high 83 laps.
Hendrick Motorsports
While Rick Hendrick’s team has yet to win the Clash when the race takes place in California, their seven victories in the event rank third in the event's history. In fact, it’s the only special event (All-Star Race-11 wins, All-Star Open-five wins or Duel at Daytona-16 wins) that the team does not have the most or is tied for the most victories. The team's 39 special event wins are the most in the series.
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HOW DOES THE FORMAT FOR THE CLASH WORK? LOOK NO FURTHER.
The format for the Clash will look a little different than a normal race weekend. 22 spots in the 23-car field will be set based on the fastest times in final practice. The 23rd and final spot in the field will be awarded to the driver who finished the highest in the 2023 season driver points standings but has yet to automatically transfer into the Clash.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AND TV COVERAGE
Saturday, Feb. 3
5:35-7:30 p.m. ET: Practice (Three timed sessions for three groups), FS1
8 p.m. ET: Clash at the Coliseum (150 laps, halftime break at 75 laps), FS1
WILL THE RACE BE ON THE RADIO?
Yes, listeners can find the event on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
WHERE CAN I STREAM THE BROADCAST?
Fans can watch all the action with the FOX Sports Live app. For live updates and additional content during the race, head over to X and follow @TeamHendrick for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
HOW CAN I FIND FS1?
The location of this channel may vary depending on location. Enter your zip code and select your television provider at this link for assistance in finding what channel number FS1 is on your provider.