LOS ANGELES – Due to an impending weather forecast and in the interest of the safety of both fans and competitors, the Clash at the Coliseum race will now be run on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. ET with coverage on FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
As a result of this schedule change, the format for the event has been modified. There will be no heat races or last-chance qualifier event. Each driver’s fastest lap time from the third and final on-track session will determine 22 spots in the 23-car field. The final spot will go to the driver who finished the highest in the 2023 driver points standings but has yet to automatically transfer into the Clash.
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The field of drivers will still be split into three groups for practice with each group getting two timed sessions. All the sessions are eight minutes long. The final session will serve as qualifying with each group split into groups of six and given four minutes to qualify. Practice will begin at 5:35 p.m. ET and be televised on FS1 starting at 6 p.m. ET.
The Clash will occur at 8 p.m. ET and run for 150 laps. There will be a break after 75 laps are complete. Only the green-flag laps will count and the race must finish under green.
"You’ve really only got one shot to get your car right," Kyle Larson said when discussing the impact of the race moving up a day. "The way the schedule was before, you could make adjustments going into tomorrow, but now you can’t. Hopefully, our team is prepared with a great race car and we can go out there qualify well and get a shot to win."
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Last year’s race saw Alex Bowman finish fourth to lead the Hendrick Motorsports quartet. Larson took fifth and has two top-five finishes in as many years in Los Angeles. William Byron’s 10th-place run gives him two top-10 finishes at the 0.25-mile venue. Chase Elliott has qualified for the event in both years with a best finish of 11th in 2022.
FULL SCHEDULE
5:35-7:30 p.m. ET: Practice and qualifying, FS1 (FS1 will join at 6 p.m. ET)
8 p.m.: Clash at the Coliseum (150 laps), FS1