NASCAR to award medals to 2023 Clash at the Coliseum podium-sitters

Just like last year, NASCAR is set to kick off another racing season in 2023 with the Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum. The exhibition-style race introduced to the sport at the beginning of the 2022 season successfully managed to explore new avenues for the sport as statistics showed a record number of first-time ticket-buyers.

Situated conveniently in the bustling city of Los Angeles on the west coast of the country, the Busch Light Clash provided the perfect mix of proximity and throwback to stock car racing heritage with the return of a 1/4 mile-long oval. The venue, which has hosted two Olympic Games in the bygone years of 1932 and 1984, will award drivers of the exhibition race with medals this February instead of the usual trophies associated with racing.

The winner of the Busch Light Clash will claim the gold medal, while the first and second runner-ups will claim the silver and bronze medals respectively. In a field that is expected to be around 40 cars big, the top-three finishers will effectively form a podium like many other genres of racing around the world. The ceremony to hand out the medals will take place under the Olympic Cauldron, also signifying the history of the venue and as a nod to the Olympic Games.

NASCAR’s senior vice president for racing development and strategy, Ben Kennedy, will be presenting the medals to the drivers. He spoke about the significance of the change this year, saying:

“These will be tremendous prizes for our drivers who are competing inside a venue that’s hosted two Olympic Games and is preparing for a third, not only do the medals honor the rich tradition of this stadium, but they also provide a special element unique to NASCAR’s 75th anniversary.”

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Full weekend schedule for the 2023 NASCAR Busch Light Clash

The following is the complete schedule for the upcoming NASCAR exhibition race at the LA Memorial Coliseum:

Saturday, February 4th, 2023

2:00 pm ET: Cup Series Garage Hours

6:00 pm ET: Cup Series Practice (Group 1,2,3)

8:30 pm ET: Cup Series qualifying

Sunday, February 5th, 2023

11:00 am ET: Cup Series Garage hours

1:00 pm ET: Cup Series Fan track access

5:00 pm ET: Cup Series Qualifying heat #1

5:15 pm ET: Cup Series Qualifying heat #2

5:30 pm ET: Cup Series Qualifying heat #3

5:45 pm ET: Cup Series Qualifying heat #4

6:10 pm ET: Cup Series Last-chance qualifying race #1

6:35 pm ET: Cup Series Last-chance qualifying race #2

7:05 pm ET: Pre-race concert

7:50 pm ET: Driver introductions

8:00 pm ET: Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum