NASCAR ramping up for a new type of tradition come February 6

NASCAR is making history come February 6th of this upcoming year. What was once a tradition down in Daytona International Speedway will now be held in front of millions in southern California. NASCAR is holding its Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

The Busch Light Clash, was first known as the Busch Clash (1979-1997 and 2020-2021), then as the Budweiser Shootout (1998-2012), also as the Sprint Unlimited ( 2013-2016), and finally as the Advance Auto Parts Clash (2017-2019), has been held in front of the same fans for decades.

Its original home, Daytona International Speedway, has made it an early February Tradition one week after the Super Bowl ends. Though NASCAR has made some different changes to the race, whether its format and rules, name changes, or even running on the famous road course in 2021, It has always been held in the same place on the Florida coastal shores.

But now, come February 6, a new change and a new venue will hold the 44th annual Busch Light Clash. The L.A. Memorial Coliseum. That's right, the place that has held concerts, football games, baseball games, summer olympics, is holding an exhibition NASCAR race.

It will be a quarter of a mile asphalt paved short track, the exact length as the track here in Nevada behind Truman Elementary School, that will have 23 cars battle on the short track in front of thousands in attendance and millions watching on mainstream television.

So here are the rules, there will be 40 cars trying to make the 23 car field, and it all begins on Saturday, February 5th, with single car qualifying. Then on Sunday, February 6th, they will have four heat races with 10 cars in each heat race trying to make it in the big show. The top four qualifiers on Saturday's single car qualifying will automatically start first in their heat race.

Now here is how you advance to the big show known as the Clash. If you finish in the top four of the heat race, then you automatically make it in. That means 16 out of the 23 spots will be filled up. Winners of heat one and heat two, will make up the first row of the Clash. Winners of heat three and heat four will make up the second row.

This is where the most dramatic part of the event gets really good and the drivers will start showing their true side of themselves like they used to in the 80’s and 90’s. So if there is 10 in each heat race and the top four finishes make it in, that means there will be six guys in each heat, or 24 all together that didn’t advance. Well you would be correct, but here is when it gets good.

Those 24 that didn't make that Clash as of now, get to duke it out for 50 laps to try to make it out alive and make the top 7 to advance to the Clash. That means 17 guys all the way from North Carolina have to go back home after making the trip to Southern California. So you know they will bump, bang, and fight their way to make the race.

So why all this Kaleb? Why would the best racers in the United States care about trying to make the race at some little short track in front of millions in Los Angeles, California. Well if you survive the 150 laps of chaos the Busch Light Clash is going to have, and you manage to win that race, then you get to be one of the legends to win the iconic race.

People like Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Rusty Wallace, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, and many others. Also to mention it will be in front of millions of people on T.V. NASCAR is taking advantage with the Super Bowl being in SiFi Stadium L.A., and hopefully some of the diehard football fans can maybe be persuaded to give NASCAR a try.

The best part? It’s all going to be on your local affiliate FOX station. That's right, no cable subscription is required to watch this hot mess of good ol’ American style of short track racing.

Be sure to watch a single car qualifying at 7 p.m. our time Saturday on FS1, and coverage starting with heat races beginning Sunday at 2 p.m. our time on FOX. Then the main event, the 2022 Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, will air at 5 p.m. our time on FOX.