NASCAR announces Busch Light Clash schedule change

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season was unofficially scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 4 with the Busch Light Clash preseason exhibition race at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

But as a result of the threat of torrential rain and flooding in Los Angeles throughout Sunday afternoon and evening, NASCAR has made the proactive decision to move the race up to Saturday night, rather than wait until Sunday only to end up not running it anyway.

Considering the fact that the forecast doesn't look much better until Wednesday, moving the race up by a day was clearly the right call.

The event is no longer set to consist of four 25-lap heat races or a 75-lap last chance qualifier. There will only be a 150-lap main event around the flat, purpose-built, quarter-mile oval inside the home of the USC Trojans.

Busch Light Clash start time

The race is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET, just as it was initially scheduled to begin tomorrow night. However, it is now set to be shown on Fox Sports 1 as opposed to Fox to accommodate the change in date.

The practice/qualifying session is scheduled to begin at 5:35 p.m. ET. The field is still set to consist of 23 drivers, with 22 determined by this session and another determined by last year's standings.

This year's race is set to be the third at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after it had been contested at Daytona International Speedway for 43 straight years going back to 1979. Team Penske's Joey Logano won the race when it was first contested at the venue in 2022, and Joe Gibbs Racing's Martin Truex Jr. won it last year.

Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the Busch Light Clash from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Begin a free trial of FuboTV today if you have not already done so!