Explained: NASCAR format for the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium

This weekend, the NASCAR season will get underway with the traditional Clash — an exhibition race designed to build hype for the upcoming Daytona 500.

For the first time, this event will be hosted at the iconic 0.25-mile Bowman Gray Stadium — and there’s a complex format in place to decide who will compete in the race on Sunday.

NASCAR Clash explained

Introduced in 1979, the Clash was a way for the NASCAR Cup Series to build hype regarding its upcoming season. For most of the event’s history, it took place at the Daytona International Speedway as part of “Speedweeks,” a multi-week celebration of motorsport that began with the Rolex 24 and ended with the Daytona 500.

In 2022, the event moved to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and for the first time in history, it will take place at Bowman Gray Stadium this year.

Bowman Gray is a NASCAR-sanctioned quarter-mile track in North Carolina, and it has a rich history in the sport. Built in 1937 as a way to provide jobs for locals suffering from the Great Depression, Bowman Gray first started as a football stadium before becoming a horse racing track and then, in 1939, an automobile racing circuit.

NASCAR first raced at the track on May 18, 1949, but its small size meant it faded from the calendar as the series grew.

Now, it will make a triumphant return as a Cup Series track for the season-opening exhibition race.

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This year, 23 drivers will compete in a 200-lap feature event that will take place on Sunday, February 2 at 8 p.m. local time — but to determine who starts the race, we’ll have a complex series of heats.

On February 1, the NASCAR field will be split into three groups, which will all take part in a practice session. Each competitor’s fastest lap in practice will determine the driver’s starting position in one of four 25-lap heat races.

Per NASCAR, “The fastest driver in final practice will start from pole position in Heat 1; the second-fastest driver will start from the pole in Heat 2; the third-fastest driver will start from the pole in Heat 3, and so on.

“Only green-flag laps will count in each heat with no overtime in play. The top five finishers in each heat will advance to Sunday night’s feature event.”

The starting lineup for the main event will be organized based on finishing position in the heats. The winner of Heat 1 will star first, while the winner of Heat 2 will start second, and so on.

Any driver who does not advance to a heat will have a chance to make the field in a Sunday afternoon “Last Chance Qualifier” session. The top two finishers of this 75-lap race will advance to the 21st and 22nd starting positions for the main event.

The final 23rd-place starting position will be automatically granted to a driver who did not advance to the main race, but who finished highest in the 2024 driver points standings.

The race itself will consist of 200 laps, with a break at the halfway point. Only green-flag laps will count.

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