NASCAR to kick off 2022 season with Clash at the Coliseum
By Bob Pockrass
FOX Sports NASCAR Writer
LOS ANGELES — The 150-lap main event of NASCAR’s annual preseason exhibition race will feature 23 cars on a quarter-mile, purpose-built asphalt track inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Only one of those spots is determined.
NASCAR will use heat races to set the field for the Busch Light Clash on Sunday, Feb. 6, and there will be only one provisional for the driver who was highest in the 2021 driver standings. That means 2021 Cup champion Kyle Larson — and only Larson — knows for sure that he will be competing in the main event.
Here is how NASCAR will set the field:
— Up to 40 cars will be entered. The charter agreement requires the 36 chartered teams to participate in the event. Teams will have practice sessions Saturday, as well as single-car qualifying runs to determine the starting order for the heats (fastest in Heat 1, second-fastest in Heat 2, third-fastest in Heat 3, etc.).
— The heat races, of 25 laps apiece, will begin at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX. The top four finishers from each 25-lap heat will fill the first 16 spots in the lineup of the main event, with the winner of Heat 1 on the pole, the winner of Heat 2 on the front row, the winners of Heats 3 and 4 on the second row, etc.
— The cars that did not advance (24 cars if 40 enter) will be split into two 50-lap, last-chance qualifying races. Drivers from Heat 1 and Heat 3 will be in the first last-chance qualifier; drivers from Heat 2 and Heat 4 will be in the second. The starting order will be based on how they finished in their heats, with the fifth-place finishers from the heats on the front row for each of the last-chance qualifiers. The top three finishers from each qualifier will advance to the main event (spots 17-22).
— The 23rd and final spot in the main event will go to the remaining driver who was highest in the 2021 driver (not owner) standings.
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NASCAR Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation Ben Kennedy discusses why NASCAR is moving its annual preseason exhibition race to Los Angeles.
After the heat races, coverage of the Sunday night main event will continue on FOX, with a one-hour NASCAR RaceDay starting at 5 p.m. ET and the main event starting at 6 p.m. ET.
The main event will be 150 laps for the debut of NASCAR’s Next Gen car. It also will mark NASCAR’s first time constructing a temporary asphalt track in a stadium setting.
"There’s no doubt that this race is going to be awesome," FOX Sports analyst Clint Bowyer said. "The different qualifying events and format for the Clash are only going to add to what will be an unforgettable weekend."
Other competition elements for the Clash:
— Caution laps will not count throughout the event.
— There will be a halftime break at Lap 75 of the main event, and teams will have six minutes to work on their cars.
— If teams need a new tire or a fender repaired, they can do that in the infield, where teams will have three crew members in case they are needed.
Bob Pockrass has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s. He joined FOX Sports in 2019 following stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @bobpockrass. Looking for more NASCAR content? Sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass!