The details of the format include:
– Heat Race Starting Lineup – The field will be split into three practice groups, with each group receiving three practice sessions. Each competitor’s fastest lap time from their final practice session will determine the starting lineup for the heat races.
– Heat Races – Four heat races of 25 laps each will be held. Only green flag laps will be counted but overtime will not be used. The top five finishers from each heat race advance through to The Clash.
– Last Chance Qualifier – Cars that do not transfer to The Clash from the Heat races will compete in the Last Chance Qualifier Race with their starting position determined by where they finished in their respective heat races. The LCQ race is 75 laps in length and only green flag laps will be counted. There will be no overtime in play. The top two finishers in the LCQ will transfer to The Clash.
– Main Event Feature – The main event will feature 23 drivers (down from 27 in 2023) competing for 150 laps and only green flag laps will be counted. The race must end under green. A timed break will be observed at the halfway point of the race (Lap 75).
– Feature Lineup – The first 22 starting spots for The Clash is set through finishing positions in the heat races and the LCQ. The 23rd and final starting spot is reserved for the driver who finished the highest in the 2023 season driver points standings who did not already transfer into the field.
Martin Truex Jr. held off the Richard Childress Racing duo of Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch to win last season’s pre-season Clash, which has been held the last two seasons on a made-from-scratch ¼-mile asphalt oval built inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Team Penske driver Joey Logano won the inaugural event in 2022.
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