NASCAR has rescheduled The Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum to Saturday night in light of the severe weather that is projected to hit California.
NASCAR has decided to reschedule the L.A. Busch Light Clash doubleheader to Saturday in a surprise move to guarantee fan safety due to the city’s predicted massive flooding. When the weather comes along, racing won’t be possible until Wednesday even with the possibility of running in damp conditions.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was only going to host heat races on Saturday; however, NASCAR promptly rescheduled the event following a forecast indicating that Sunday would experience significant rain and flooding.
“Due to the threat of unprecedented severe weather on Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Mexico Series race events for the Busch Light Clash have been moved to Saturday night,” a statement from NASCAR reads.
“Thanks to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Los Angeles Public Safety for their partnership and support to make the schedule adjustment for tonight’s event to ensure a safe experience for fans, competitors, and staff.
“We understand weather conditions may worsen as the day progresses, so we encourage fans to make decisions in the best interest of safety.
“We appreciate our fans, partners, and everyone associated with this event on this unprecedented event.”
It was decided to cancel all heat races and use a single practice session to gauge the 23-car lineup. The first 22 cars in practice will determine the starting lineup, while the final spot in the field will be determined by the Cup Series standings from the previous year.
Denny Hamlin, who was the first to speculate on social media that the race would be moved up a day, hailed the decision and labeled it a “W” for NASCAR.
FS1 will broadcast the The Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, which starts at 5 p.m. Following the event is a doubleheader, the NASCAR Mexico Series.
The general admission seating remains to be available for Saturday’s free access to spectators.
“On next steps to accommodate for the unprecedented impact on this event … pre-paid Sunday parking purchased though ParkWhiz will be fully refunded.
“Continued schedule and refund updates will be available at nascarclash.com and @nascarclash social media handles.”
