The Busch Clash at the Coliseum doesn’t count for NASCAR Cup Series championship points and is basically just for bragging rights but it does provide a first glimpse at all the changes that took place over the off-season.
To wit, it’s a chance for new driver, crew chief and spotter pairings to get their communication processes down in a setting that basically has no consequence. The season begins in earnest in two weeks at Daytona for the Daytona 500.
But, the Clash still a green flag, checkered flag, trophy and check and racers treat it seriously.
Here is the biggest changes that will get first glimpses this weekend at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum:
- Josh Berry now drives the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 with the retirement of Kevin Harvick, who will start a full-time NASCAR on FOX broadcasting career this weekend.
- Noah Gragson will make his first start with Stewart-Haas Racing in the No. 10 with the full-time departure of Aric Almirola, who will race part-time in the Xfinity Series this season
- Kaz Grala will make 25 starts for Rick Ware Racing and that doesn’t even include this race or the Daytona 500, which will come in a Front Row Motorsports entry
- Then there is Josh Williams, a journeyman Xfinity Series racer, who in addition to a full-time slate with Kaulig in Xfinity will start with the team this weekend in the Clash
- Daniel Hemric gets his second Cup Series opportunity, this time with Kaulig, driving the No. 31
- Josh Hunter Nemechek was the winningest Xfinity Series driver last year and now returns for a second stint in the Cup Series, this time with Legacy Motor Club
- After spending the past several seasons with Kaulig, Justin Haley will drive the No. 51 for Rick Ware Racing this season starting with the Clash
- Zane Smith is driving the No. 71 for Spire Motorsports this season but he’s under lease from Trackhouse
- Rookie Carson Hocevar is driving the No. 77 last driven by Ty Dillon
Remember that only 23 cars will start the main event of the Clash on Sunday following a series of heat races and a last chance race.
Format
Teams have been sorted into three groups based on the final 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship standings.
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.
The starting lineups for the four 25-lap heat races will be decided by the fastest times in the final practice session. In other words, the fastest overall time earns the pole for heat one, second fastest gets the pole for heat two, third fastest is on the pole for heat three and the fourth fastest gets the pole for heat four. The fifth fastest time will start second in heat one and so forth.
Only green-flag laps will count in each of the heat races, with no overtimes.
The top five finishers in each heat will automatically advance to the Sunday night main event, while the drivers who finish below fifth in each heat will advance to the 75-lap last chance race on Sunday afternoon.
The top two finishers in the LCQ will advance to the Busch Clash and start 21st and 22nd, respectively. Like the heat races, only green-flag laps will count with no overtime. The final position in the main event is reserved for the driver who finished highest in the 2023 standings to have not yet locked into the feature.
TV Schedule
Practice on Saturday is set for 6 p.m. ET on FS1 with the heat races scheduled for 8:30. On Sunday, the 75-lap last chance race is set for 6:40 p.m. ET and the 150-lap main event scheduled for 8 p.m. The entire Cup Series portion of the event on Sunday will air on FOX.
Entry list
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing Busch Beer Chevrolet | Phil Surgen |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske Freightliner Ford | Brian Wilson |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing BetMGM Chevrolet | Keith Rodden |
| 4 | Josh Berry | Stewart-Haas Racing SunnyD Ford | Rodney Childers |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports HendrickCars.com Chevrolet | Cliff Daniels |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing Castrol EDGE Ford | Matt McCall |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports CELSIUS Chevrolet | Ryan Sparks |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet | Randall Burnett |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet | Alan Gustafson |
| 10 | Noah Gragson | Stewart-Haas Racing Rush Truck Centers Ford | Drew Blickensderfer |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing Sport Clips Toyota | Chris Gabehart |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske Menards Ford | Jonathan Hassler |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing Mahindra Tractors Ford | Richard Boswell III |
| 15 | Kaz Grala | Rick Ware Racing N29 Captial Partners Ford | Billy Plourde |
| 16 | Josh Williams | Kaulig Racing Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet | Travis Mack |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing Fastenal Ford | Scott Graves |
| 19 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing Bass Pro Shops Toyota | James Small |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing Mobil 1 Toyota | Adam Stevens |
| 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing Motorcraft / QuickLane Ford | Jeremy Bullins |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske Shell-Pennzoil Ford | Paul Wolfe |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing Columbia Toyota | Bootie Barker |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports Liberty University Chevrolet | Rudy Fugle |
| 31 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing Cirkul Chevrolet | Trent Owens |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports Margaritaville at Sea Ford | Travis Peterson |
| 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports gener8tor Ford | Ryan Bergenty |
| 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing United Rentals Ford | Chad Johnston |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Dollar Tree Toyota | Ben Beshore |
| 43 | Erik Jones | LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Family Dollar Toyota | Dave Elenz |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing Jordan Brand Toyota | Billy Scott |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing Ralph’s / Food 4 Less Chevrolet | Mike Kelley |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports Ally Financial Chevrolet | Blake Harris |
| 51 | Justin Haley | Rick Ware Racing Walmart Health & Fitness Ford | Chris Lawson |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing Monster Energy Toyota | Chris Gayle |
| 71 | Zane Smith | Spire Motorsports Focused Health Chevrolet | Stephen Doran |
| 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports Delaware Life Chevrolet | Luke Lambert |
| 99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing Worldwide Express Chevrolet | Matt Swiderski |