Advertisement

Format for NASCAR Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Is Too Complicated

2
Mike Pryson
·4 min read
nascar exhibition race busch light clash at the coliseum
NASCAR Clash at Coliseum Format Is Too ComplicatedAllen J. Schaben - Getty Images

NASCAR moved its Busch Light Clash to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum at least in part to bring the racing series to a new audience.

Sunday will be a day for fast cars, loud engines, the stars of NASCAR and the excitement of a new season—all with a backdrop of one of the most recognizable sporting venues on the planet.

So, riddle me this. Why does NASCAR's format for the Clash—the big chance to showcase the series to a new (and what looked like last year to be younger) audience—have to be so convoluted?

You don't think the format is all that complicated? Try explaining it to your buddy, your spouse, or the guy or gal in the next cubicle at the office.

ADVERTISEMENT

Good luck with that. I bet you lose them at "chartered teams." Probably at "heat races." Definitely at "owners points." (What do I say when someone asks me 'why do owner's points from last year matter when many of the drivers that scored those points are with different teams this year?')

Below is the format for the Clash, per NASCAR. And, no, there will not be a test afterward.

Thank goodness. I'm sure I'd fail.

2023 Busch Light Clash Format

• For 2023, NASCAR has expanded the starting field for the season-opening exhibition race in Los Angeles from 23 to 27 cars.

• All 2023 NASCAR Cup Series chartered teams and associated drivers will be eligible to enter the Clash, as will non-chartered teams and drivers for four additional starting spots.

• Single-car qualifying for the Clash will take place on Saturday, Feb. 4 following a scheduled practice, with one round of three-lap qualifying (one warmup, two timed) for each car.

• The qualifying order will be set from lowest to highest of 2022 owner's points, while the fastest four Open (non-chartered) cars will transfer into the Heat races if there are more than 40 entries.

• Qualifying will set the starting order for the four Heat races, with the fastest qualifier winning the pole for Heat 1, the second-fastest qualifier winning the pole for Heat 2, and so forth.

• Each Heat race will be 25 laps with only green flag laps counting, and the top five finishers from each Heat race will advance to the Clash.

• The remaining finishers will move on to one of two 50-lap Last Chance Qualifiers, with the top three in each race advancing to the Clash.

• The final starting spot will be reserved for the driver who finished highest in points in 2022 who did not already earn a starting spot in the Clash.

• The Clash will be 150 laps, with only green flag laps counting.

auto feb 06 nascar busch light clash at the coliseum
Joey Logano won last year’s Clash at the Coliseum.Icon Sportswire - Getty Images

Heat races? Different rules for non-chartered vs. chartered cars? Last chance qualifiers? The driver who finished highest in points in 2022 who did not already earn a starting spot in the Clash?

Sorry, NASCAR. This is no way to introduce a new fan to Cup Series racing.

NASCAR doesn't need to be Saturday night at the local dirt track, but just on a bigger stage. Run a single-car qualifying, celebrate a pole winner and move on to the Clash. If you must have multiple races to keep the crowd entertained or fill a TV window, have the top half of the qualifiers race in the Clash, and the second half of the field take part in an opening, or jayvee, race, for also-rans.

Keep it simple. Don't make a new fan find an expert to tell him or her where a favorite driver will start in the Clash if the driver finishes fifth in the second heat race.

There's no need to gimmick it up to the point where few outside of the officials' booth can figure it out. I can only image how lost fans in the stands will be throughout the entire qualifying process.

Is my guy in? Did he make the Clash? I saw him qualify third, so why doesn't he start third?

The Clash is a non-points exhibition and it is the only race on the schedule with a halftime break built-in to the race. This year, it's Wiz Khalifa who will entertain at the Coliseum during halftime. (Hopefully, FOX will give Khalifa a little more air time than the 8 seconds that NBC gave to Ozzy Osbourne for his much-hyped NFL season-opening halftime show back in the fall. Yes, I'm still bitter.)

It's already going to be an entertaining weekend. No reason to to make the race format so complicated.

Don't worry, NASCAR. I'll still watch.

If nothing else, I'll have to tune in to find out which driver finished highest in the points in 2022 who did not already earn a starting spot in the Clash.