WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR has adjusted the schedule for this weekend’s exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem in anticipation of more ice and snow covering the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, area.
The Clash was supposed to be a two-day event starting Saturday with the main event taking place Sunday evening. But area roads are not yet completely clear from last weekend’s ice storm, and more inclement weather is forecast for the next few days with up to 12 inches possible for Saturday and the area under a winter storm watch until 1 p.m. EST Sunday.
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To accommodate, NASCAR postponed all on-track activities from Saturday and will run the Clash as a one-day program on Sunday. The hope is to start with a practice at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
NASCAR estimates that even in cold weather, its Goodyear tires will produce enough grip on the quarter-mile track at Bowman Gray Stadium to race Sunday at 6 p.m.
The progress of the event will depend on the amount of snow that falls on Saturday. If The Clash cannot take place on Sunday, NASCAR appears ready to hold the event on the next clear day possible; teams will travel to Daytona Beach, Florida, around February 9 to begin preparations for the season-opening Daytona 500.
As The Clash now only lasts one day, the format will be:
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— The drivers will be divided into three training groups and each group will benefit from three training sessions. The final session times will determine their starting lineup for the main event and last chance qualifying.
— The Saturday elimination races are canceled.
— Sunday’s 75-lap Last Chance Qualifying will offer two spots in the main event to those who did not finish in the top 20 in qualifying.
— Final 23rd place in the main event will go to the driver with the most points who did not compete in the race. Two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Larson is the only driver guaranteed a spot in the race.
— The main event will last 200 laps with a midway break at lap 100. Only green flag laps count.
Chase Elliott won the event last year.
___ AP Auto Racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
