Weather forces NASCAR to move Clash in L.A. to Saturday night

NASCAR officials have moved the preseason Clash at The Coliseum exhibition to a Saturday night start, adjusting the race weekend schedule because of the threat of torrential rain and possible flooding Sunday in Los Angeles.

Memorable moments from Busch Light Clash Memorable moments from Busch Light Clash

The non-points event for the NASCAR Cup Series was rescheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), one day earlier than its original start time at the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The inaugural exhibition race for the NASCAR Mexico Series, initially scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday, will be held Saturday night after The Clash at 10:30 p.m. ET.

The rest of Saturday’s schedule was shuffled to accommodate the move. Practice for the NASCAR Cup Series was rescheduled to Saturday at 5:35 p.m. ET. Four 25-lap qualifying heats and a 75-lap last-chance qualifying race were canceled, and the first 22 starting spots in the main event are to be decided based on practice speeds. A final provisional berth in the 23-car field is reserved for the top finisher in the 2023 Cup Series standings who has not otherwise qualified for the feature.

Admission to the event will remain free with limited fan services available and general admission seating. NASCAR officials indicated that ticket holders to the Clash would be contacted “in the days ahead on next steps to accommodate for the unprecedented impact on this event.” Officials also indicated that pre-paid Sunday parking would be fully refunded.

NASCAR officials said in a statement: “Due to the threat of unprecedented severe weather on Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Mexico Series race events for the Clash have been moved to Saturday night. Thanks to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Los Angeles Public Safety for their partnership and support to make the schedule adjustment for tonight’s event to ensure a safe experience for fans, competitors, and staff. We understand weather conditions may worsen as the day progresses, so we encourage fans to make decisions in the best interest of safety. We appreciate our fans, partners, and everyone associated with this event on this unprecedented event.”

Joey Logano (2022) and Martin Truex Jr. (2023) won the previous two editions of The Clash in Los Angeles. Before its move to the Coliseum, the event had been held on the grounds of Daytona International Speedway each year since its inception in 1979.