Mother Nature has been a disruptor numerous times in NASCAR’s history. Occasionally, weather has necessitated races to be completed on the following day. NASCAR even celebrates drivers who won on Mondays. With yesterday’s forecast of Sunday’s dangerous weather for Los Angeles, one would expect another Monday adventure with the seasonal showcase, the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum Race.
Saturday afternoon delivered an unanticipated announcement that the event would be run early on Saturday afternoon. The qualifying format for the modified race in its third rendition follows:
From the expansive entry list, there will be a 23-driver lineup in Saturday’s main. The fastest 22 times in final practice will make the main event due to the heat races and Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) being canceled. The 23rd and final position in the grid is reserved for the driver who finished highest in the 2023 season points standings and did not transfer on speed in practice.
FULL STARTING LINEUP FOR 2024 BUSCH LIGHT CLASH
| POSITION | DRIVER | CURRENT ELO DRIVER RATING* |
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | 1874 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 1853 |
| 3 | Ty Gibbs | 1694 |
| 4 | Alex Bowman | 1614 |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | 1635 |
| 6 | William Byron | 2046 |
| 7 | Ross Chastain | 1883 |
| 8 | Kyle Larson | 1915 |
| 9 | Bubba Wallace | 1898 |
| 10 | Justin Haley | 1512 |
| 11 | Tyler Reddick | 1723 |
| 12 | Ryan Preece | 1759 |
| 13 | Brad Keselowski | 1652 |
| 14 | Chase Elliott | 1753 |
| 15 | Michael McDowell | 1735 |
| 16 | Todd Gilliand | 1589 |
| 17 | Noah Gragson | 1484 |
| 18 | Corey LaJoie | 1561 |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | 1843 |
| 20 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 1599 |
| 21 | John Hunter Nemechek | 1455 |
| 22 | Chase Briscoe | 1698 |
| 23 | Ryan Blaney | 2100 |
* CIELO Rating revision (3.0.6)
(sps – 2024-02-03)