The highly anticipated Busch Light Clash at the world-famous Los Angeleluis Memorial Coliseum is just under 50 days away, and a monumental step took place early Tuesday morning when the official “groundbreaking” took place to transform the 98-year-old facility into a short track.
NASCAR’s annual non-points paying exhibition race has called the Daytona International Speedway home since 1979. In what is truly a “Next Generation” change alongside the new racecar for 2022, next season will mark the first time the Clash moves away from the beaches of Daytona for the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles.
FOX Sports’ Michael Waltrip was among those on-hand for the groundbreaking of what will become the temporary short track for the February event.
History in the making.#BuschLightClash | https://t.co/7bpRDf9Gsk pic.twitter.com/rOFo5YDiTG
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) December 21, 2021
The venue change will also see a format shuffle for the 2022 Clash. On-track activity will occur on Saturday, February 5th, with a practice session at Noon ET on FS2, before single-car qualifying at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. The top four fastest qualifiers from positions one through four will take the pole for their respective heats based on their qualifying spot.
Heat Races will commence at 3 p.m.ET with four races at 25 laps apiece, with the top four from each heat race locking themselves into the main event for Sunday evening.
The remaining six finishing positions from each heat will be mixed together for the last chance qualifiers (LCQ), with the top three finishers from LCQ 1 and LCQ locking into the Busch Light Clash.
A 2021 Points Provisional will take the final spot of the 23-car field, reserved for the driver who finished the highest in the 2021 point standings who did not transfer based on finishing position. 
The track being built for the Clash is expected to exceed $1 million according to Sports Business Journal.
The 2022 Busch Light Clash is set to take place on Sunday, February 6th, at 6 p.m. ET on FOX.
