NASCAR Clash at the L.A. Coliseum: Entry list, how to watch, schedule & more

The pre-season exhibition race returns to the purpose-built 0.25-mile track to unofficially kick off the 2023 season.

Of the 36 entries, all teams in possession of a charter, 27 will make the main event. There is a provisional for the highest finishing driver in 2022 points, should they need it. That would first go to reigning champion Joey Logano, and then championship runner-up Ross Chastain. 

NASCAR Clash at the Coliseum on-track schedule

Saturday, February 4

• (Schedule is tentative and subject to change; all times EST.)
• 3:00 p.m. ET - NASCAR Cup Series practice - FOX SPORTS 1
• 8:35 p.m. ET - NASCAR Cup Series qualifying - FOX SPORTS 1

Sunday, February 5

• 5:00 p.m. ET - NASCAR Cup Series Clash heat races - FOX
• 8:00 p.m. ET - NASCAR Cup Series Clash main event - FOX

Race weekend format

Single-car qualifying

•  Single vehicle qualifying will occur on Saturday, February 4th following the scheduled practice.
• Qualifying will be single vehicle one (1) round, 3 laps, one (1) warm-up, two (2) timed.
• Qualifying order will be determined by 2022 Owner Points (lowest to highest).
• If there are more than 40 entries to this Event, the fastest four (4) open teams will transfer into the Heat Races.

Heat Races - 4 Heat Races / 25 Laps each

• Only completed green flag laps will be counted toward the official race distance
• Heat race lineups will be set by Qualifying
• Fastest qualifier - Pole for Heat 1
• Second fastest qualifier - Pole for Heat 2
• Third fastest qualifier - Pole for Heat 3
• Fourth fastest qualifier - Pole for Heat 4, etc
• The top five (5) from each race advance through to The Clash
• Remaining five (5) finishing positions from each heat continue through to the Last Chance Qualifier Race 1 and the Last Chance Qualifier Race 2 with their starting position being determined by where they finished in their heat races.

Last Chance Races - 2 LCQ Races / 50 Laps each

• Only completed green flag laps will be counted toward the official race distance

Last Chance Qualifier Race 1

• Those that did not advance from Heat 1 & 3.
• The 6th place finisher from Heat 1 will be on the Pole.
• The 6th place finisher from Heat 3 will be on the outside Pole.
• Lineup - Inside row positions 6-10 from Heat #1. Outside row positions 6-10 from Heat #3

Last Chance Qualifier Race 2

• Those that did not advance from Heat 2 & 4.
• The 6th place finisher from Heat 2 will be on the Pole.
• The 6th place finisher from Heat 4 will be on the outside Pole.
• Lineup - Inside row positions 6-10 from Heat #2. Outside row positions 6-10 from Heat #4

LCQ 1 & 2

• Top three (3) from both LCQ 1 and LCQ 2 advance through to The Clash.
• The remaining drivers are eliminated from the remainder of the Event.

The Clash

• Only completed green flag laps will be counted toward the official race distance
• 27 Drivers will start The Clash main event.
• 26 starting drivers are locked in through their finishes in the heat races, LCQ 1, and LCQ 2.
• 27th and final spot is reserved for the driver who finished the highest in the 2022 season points standing who did not already earn a starting position in The Clash.

Major stories ahead of the new season

The Clash will serve as the unofficial start to the 2023 season, and will be the first opportunity to see new driver/team combinations on track. Most notable among them is Kyle Busch, moving from Joe Gibbs Racing after 15 years to join Richard Childress Racing. 

NASCAR also released a slew of rules changes this past week, including the addition of wet weather tires at certain oval races and the banning of Chastain's world-famous wall-riding maneuver.

Future Hall of Famer Kevin Harvick will be running his final season at the Cup level this year, deciding to retire after 2023. His 60 wins and 2014 Cup Series championship already put him in elite company, but he's not quite done yet.

NASCAR even has a new owner at the highest level of the sport, with seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson joining Petty GMS (now Legacy Motor Club) as a co-owner and part-time driver.

Practice groups

Group 1 Drivers	Group 2 Drivers	Group 3 Drivers
Kyle Larson	Ross Chastain	Joey Logano
William Byron	Denny Hamlin	Christopher Bell
Daniel Suarez	Chase Briscoe	Chase Elliott
Austin Cindric	Austin Dillon	Tyler Reddick
Alex Bowman	Kyle Busch	Ty Gibbs
Martin Truex Jr.	Ryan Blaney	Kevin Harvick
Chris Buescher	Aric Almirola	Erik Jones
Bubba Wallace	Michael McDowell	Justin Haley
Ryan Preece	AJ Allmendinger	Brad Keselowski
Todd Gilliland	Harrison Burton	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Ty Dillon	Corey Lajoie	Noah Gragson
BJ McLeod	Cody Ware	JJ Yeley

Clash entry list

No.	Driver	Team	Manufacturer
1	Ross Chastain	Trackhouse Racing	Chevrolet
2	Austin Cindric	Team Penske	Ford
3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
4	Kevin Harvick	Stewart Haas Racing	Ford
5	Kyle Larson	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
6	Brad Keselowski	RFK Racing	Ford
7	Corey Lajoie	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
8	Kyle Busch	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
9	Chase Elliott	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
10	Aric Almirola	Stewart Haas Racing	Ford
11	Denny Hamlin	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske	Ford
14	Chase Briscoe	Stewart Haas Racing	Ford
15	JJ Yeley	Rick Ware Racing	Ford
16	AJ Allmendinger	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet
17	Chris Buescher	RFK Racing	Ford
19	Martin Truex Jr.	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
20	Christopher Bell	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
21	Harrison Burton	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford
22	Joey Logano	Team Penske	Ford
23	Bubba Wallace	23XI Racing	Toyota
24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
31	Justin Haley	Kaulig Racing	Chevrolet
34	Michael McDowell	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
38	Todd Gilliland	Front Row Motorsports	Ford
41	Ryan Preece	Stewart Haas Racing	Ford
42	Noah Gragson	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet
43	Erik Jones	Petty GMS Motorsports	Chevrolet
45	Tyler Reddick	23XI Racing	Toyota
47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet
48	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
51	Cody Ware	Rick Ware Racing	Ford
54	Ty Gibbs	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota
77	Ty Dillon	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet
78	BJ McLeod	Live Fast Motorsports	Ford
99	Daniel Suarez	TrackHouse Racing	Chevrolet

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