What is the Advance Auto Parts Clash format?
By Phil Naegely
What is the Advance Auto Parts Clash format? The first NASCAR event of the year kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway.
The Advance Auto Parts Clash unofficially kicks off the 2017 NASCAR season. It’s been a long offseason for racing fans who couldn’t wait for the next season to begin. Now their wish has come true as 20 drivers take to the track.
This event is only about bragging rights and kicking off the racing for 2017. There will be no points awarded to the drivers unlike the Can-Am Duels and other races that take place at Daytona next week.
The Clash’s format for 2017 is 75 laps that cover 187.5 miles of racing. There will be a competition caution after 25 laps are completed as the race is divided into two segments of racing. Last year Denny Hamlin won the Clash while driving the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 car.
Saturday’s race is anyone’s to win. It’s less than half the field of the 40-car lineup that will compete at the Daytona 500. This means that drivers can afford to be even more aggressive. There will be even tighter passes and attempts to get an edge over a competitor. Likewise, a smaller field means fewer cars will be off the lead lap early on, which is good for the quality of racing overall.
Furthermore, Daytona’s track is one of the longest in the sport. Some of racing’s legends will hit the iconic track for the first of many events this month on Saturday. A full list of participants and how they qualified for the Clash is below.
Chris Buescher (2016 playoff qualifier)
Alex Bowman (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Kurt Busch (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Kyle Busch (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Austin Dillon (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Chase Elliott (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Denny Hamlin (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Kevin Harvick (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Jimmie Johnson (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Matt Kenseth (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Brad Keselowski (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Kyle Larson (2016 playoff qualifier)
Joey Logano (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Jamie McMurray (2016 playoff qualifier)
Danica Patrick (Former Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
Martin Truex Jr. (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner)
The following drivers also qualified but won’t be racing on Saturday night:
Greg Biffle (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner) – no 2017 Cup Series ride
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Former Clash Race winner) – recovering from 2016 concussions
Carl Edwards (2016 Coors Light Pole Award winner) – retired
Tony Stewart (Former Clash Race winner) – retired
The field will still feature 17 cars, though, as NASCAR decided to allow Cup Series rookie Daniel Suarez to drive the No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing since Edwards’ decision to retire came so close to the race and caught so many people by surprise.
All in all, 2017’s racing lineup is smaller than in the past as the qualifying rules changed for this year’s event. Nonetheless, it should be a great event under the lights to unofficially kick off the racing season.