Busch Clash at DAYTONA – Criteria, Entries & More

A total of 24 drivers are eligible to participate in the annual preseason non-points race on February 9 that unofficially kicks off the 2021 NASCAR season. The 2021 Busch Clash At DAYTONA will mark the first time in history the traditional exhibition-style event will tackle the track’s 14-turn, 3.61-mile road course, a 35-lap contest with a mandatory caution after lap 15. This season’s criteria to be eligible for the event are as follows:

• 2020 Busch Pole Award winners
• Past Busch Clash Winners who competed full-time in 2020
• DAYTONA 500 Champions who competed full-time in 2020
• Former DAYTONA 500 Busch Pole Winners who competed full-time in 2020
• 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers
• 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Race winners
• 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Stage winners

2021 Eligible Participants / The Busch Clash at Daytona

The starting field for the 2021 Busch Clash at Daytona will not be a predetermined number of cars; rather, the field is limited to drivers who meet more exclusive criteria…

• Aric Almirola
• Ryan Blaney
• Alex Bowman
• Clint Bowyer
• Chris Buescher
• Kurt Busch
• Kyle Busch
• William Byron
• Cole Custer
• Matt DiBenedetto
• Austin Dillon
• Ty Dillon
• Chase Elliott
• Denny Hamlin
• Kevin Harvick
• Jimmie Johnson
• Erik Jones
• Matt Kenseth
• Brad Keselowski
• Joey Logano
• Ryan Newman
• Tyler Reddick
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
• Martin Truex Jr.

The Busch Clash At Daytona Tidbits

• The first Busch Clash at Daytona was held on February 11, 1979, and the event was won by Buddy Baker (194.384 MPH).
• This event will be the 43rd running of the Busch Clash at Daytona.
• The number of participants has ranged from a low of seven in 1981 to a high of 28 in 2009.
• Like the past four seasons, the starting field for the 2021 Busch Clash at Daytona will not be a predetermined number of cars; rather, the field will be limited to drivers who meet more exclusive criteria. (24 drivers are eligible for this year’s event).
• The 2021 season marks the first time in the exhibition‐style event will compete on the 14‐turn, 3.61‐mile Daytona International Speedway Road Course
• The format for the Busch Clash at Daytona has changed 15 times since its inception in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1979.

The Busch Clash at DAYTONA will be broadcast live Tuesday evening starting at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.