Busch Clash: How to Watch NASCAR Exhibition Race, What Time and What Channel

Tuesday night, NASCAR‘s Cup Series drivers will get back behind the wheel for the first time during the Busch Clash. This exhibition race will provide 21 drivers with the opportunity to get back into form. Here is when the race at Daytona International Speedway takes place.

The Busch Clash will take place on the Road Course at the Florida track, starting just after 7 p.m. ET. The Busch Guy will command the drivers to start their engines at 7:02 p.m. ET after country duo Pryer and Lee perform the national anthem. The green flag will wave at 7:14 p.m. ET. FS1 will broadcast the race on TV, while SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry MRN’s call.

The 2021 Busch Clash is different than last year’s iteration due to a change in setting. Previous races have taken place on the oval, but this year will move to the Road Course. This change will provide the drivers with extra practice laps before the Cup Series race on the Road Course on Feb. 21.

The last time the 21 drivers took part in the Busch Clash, Erik Jones secured the win for Joe Gibbs Racing during a crash-filled event. Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon took second place while Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer finished third. This year, Jones will start in the fifth row while making his Richard Petty Motorsports debut.

Ryan Blaney of Team Penske and Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports will lead the smaller field to green for the 35-lap race on the Road Course. Defending Daytona 500 champion Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski will make up the second row. Chase Elliott, the defending Cup Series champion, will line up next to Cole Custer in the fourth row. Elliott has dominated on road courses in recent years, including his victory during the GoBowling 235 in August.

The Busch Clash is shorter and does not count in the points standings, but the race does help drivers get acclimated to their cars after a relatively short offseason. Additionally, the race kicks of Speedweeks, the six-day celebration of motorsports featuring exhibition races. Though the drivers still head to the track in pursuit of an early win.

“The Clash, in general, has always been a bit of a test session,” Keselowski said ahead of Tuesday’s race, per the Tennessean. “So it kind of feels like it’s normal in that regard. But I want to win the d— race, too. It’s the first race of the year and it’s a trophy. Is it a normal race? No, but that doesn’t matter.”