Canelo Alvarez grand marshal for NASCAR's Clash at the Coliseum
The 2023 NASCAR Clash at the Coliseum (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)INSET: Saul "Canelo" Alvarez at a ceremonial weigh-in in Las Vegas. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - Super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will serve as grand marshal for the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on Feb. 4, NASCAR officials announced Monday.
"Canelo is synonymous with strength, victory and triumph," said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR's senior vice president for racing development and strategy. "He's a fan favorite in Los Angeles and Mexico, and we're honored to have him give the command to start engines for the Busch Light Clash."
Racing will begin at 1:30 p.m. Sunday on the Coliseum's temporary, quarter-mile asphalt track with the NASCAR Mexico Series' King Taco LA Batalla en El Coliseo, followed by the NASCAR Cup Series' Busch Light Clash at 5 p.m.
There will be 23 drivers in the final race competing for 150 laps. Only green flag laps will count and there will be a break at the midway point of the race after 75 laps.
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The lineup for 22 spots will be determined by the finishing positions in the heat races and the last chance qualifier. The 23rd spot will go to the driver with the highest spot in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series standings who hasn't already qualified.
There will be four 25-lap heat races. The top-five finishers in the heat races advance to the main event.
The last chance qualifier is for the drivers who did not advance in the heat races. It will be 75 laps and the top-two finishers advance to the Clash.
The heat race starting lineups will be determined through practice sessions. The field will be split into three practice groups and the drivers' fastest lap time in practice will be used to set the starting order for the heat races.
NASCAR has opened its season with the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum for the past two years. Joey Logano won the inaugural event in 2022, while Martin Truex Jr. won the 2023 trophy in February.
Ticket information is available at nascarclash.com.