The Clash is coming back with a south of the border flavor.
NASCAR has confirmed that its season-kickoff exhibition event will once again be held on a temporary quarter-mile short track built inside of the historic L.A. Coliseum.
NASCAR has held the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum for the past two seasons.
The race is open to all chartered teams and has a few slots for non-chartered teams to qualify into.
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Qualifying and heat races set the field for a main event, which was won by Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. in the first two years. But this time around, drivers from the NASCAR Mexico Series are being invited to show off their stuff in a preliminary race.
The full schedule and format of the 2024 Clash has not been announced, but the main races will be held on Feb. 4.
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“This is a tremendous win for our fans and our sport,†said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s senior vice president, racing development and strategy. “Not only will the fans see the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series in action, they will also bear witness to the talent and skill that is found within the NASCAR Mexico Series. I can’t think of a better way to begin our 2024 season.â€
The news comes just a day after NASCAR said its other unusual event, the Bristol Dirt Race, would not return in 2024.
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Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez drove in the Mexico Series before shifting his career to the U.S. full-time.
The Coliseum venue is particularly important to NASCAR in 2024 because Auto Club Speedway in Fontana is set to be demolished and replaced by a short track that won’t be ready until at least 2025, which means the series likely won’t have a points race in Southern California for the next season or two, although the full 2024 schedule has not yet been finalized.