NASCAR’s Clash returning to Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR’s exhibition Clash is returning to Daytona International Speedway for the first time in six years.
The sanctioning body announced the move Tuesday, saying the race will be held Feb. 13, 2027. It will be sponsored by Wheatley American Vodka.
The race doesn’t count for points and is the lead-up to the season-opening Daytona 500, which is set for Feb. 21.
Daytona hosted the Clash from 1979 to 2021. It was moved to a temporary track inside Los Angeles Memorial Stadium for three years in an effort to shake up the annual event and then relocated to tiny Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the last two years in a return to NASCAR’s grassroots racing.
The event was postponed twice this year because of historic winter weather in North Carolina. Snow-covered roads were too dangerous for teams and fans to get to the historic short track.
Following a week off, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track this weekend at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa for the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol.
William Byron saved enough fuel over the closing laps to claim his second series win of the season in the Iowa race last year after leading 141 of 350 laps, including the final 74.
In the last Cup Series race, Corey Heim held off a late surge from Christopher Bell to secure his second series victory and first at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.