With Sunday’s weather in L. A. looking doubtful, NASCAR has decided to move the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum has been moved up to Saturday night, at 8 pm EST! This means that all four of the heat races have been scrubbed, as have the last chance qualifiers. And the big main event will take place TONIGHT! With this schedule change, it didn’t take long for the teams, the drivers, and the fans to react on social media.
You Need To Know:
Obviously, the biggest main character of this story is NASCAR as a sanctioning body. By moving the race up, fans get free access to the Clash as well as the Machine Gun Kelly half-time performance. This is great exposure for our sport and NASCAR deserves a lot of props for being able to pull this off!
Also, NASCAR on FOX is a big character today as they welcome, officially, their new analyst, former NASCAR driver, Kevin Harvick!
Part-time Truck Series driver and FOX analyst, Parker Kligerman applauds NASCAR’s decision to move the race up and gives them a huge round of applause!
Development driver, Bread Perez took to Twitter strictly as a fan to express his love for this decision.
Denny Hamlin says, “NASCAR with the WIN!”
RFK wasn’t sleeping when it came to letting their fans know of the schedule change.
Kaulig Racing’s admins tweeted this rather humorous photo of a swimming pool in the middle of the infield. If the forecast for tomorrow is correct, it’s not far from the truth!
With the Clash being moved to Saturday night, which was free to any fan who wanted to come to watch the Heat races, Diego Alvarado asks if this is the first ever free NASCAR race. It certainly is of the modern era. We know that much!
Michael Murcz pokes fun at NASCAR’s previous decision to not allow fans at the track on Saturday. Opening the gates was a big win for the fans and NASCAR as a sanctioning body.
u/shanghai_tactics took to Reddit to ask if admission for tonight’s race would still be free.
JGRFan11181920 answered the question. Gates 1 and 28 are for free-admission fans!
One_Mirror_3228 speculates that this may kill the Clash being in L. A. Netwealth5 then points out that this, most likely, was going to be the last year, anyway. They then go on to speculate that the Clash will be moved in 2025 to Mexico City.
Then Campman92 begged the biggest question: Is Kyle Busch even eligible to race in Mexico!???
Our friend and partner, Eric Estepp of Out of the Groove took to X (previously known as Twitter) to give his thoughts on this historic event!
Darian Gilliam, aka Black Flags Matter, is just thrilled to see cars back zooming around the track!
What do you think, NASCAR fans and Daily Downforce readers? Do you think NASCAR made the right decision? What do you think about the free admission? Let us know and continue to follow us on all our social media platforms for the newest news in the NASCAR sphere!
Ahead of the Daytona 500, a troubling incident rattled fans and officials when a Volusia County man, Adrian Morales, was arrested for making threats to kill or harm a former colleague. The 45-year-old sent a video on Feb. 11 to a man he knew, saying, “This is what’s in store,” while cursing and firing a gun.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office Domestic Security Unit tracked Morales to the Icon One Daytona apartments across from Daytona International Speedway and took him into custody without incident the day before the race.
Authorities released only 28 seconds of the roughly 90-second video, but the arrest report noted that in another segment, Morales said, “This is what’s gonna happen. Got all the sheriff’s department, DEA, FBI, and the rest,” while repeating that he did not care and was done.
Morales’ vicinity to the track raised alarms due to earlier grievances and messages he had sent to a NASCAR executive. His behavior prompted law enforcement to take immediate action, resulting in his detention.
According to the report, a NASCAR executive flagged Morales in 2025 after he requested sponsorship support but did not receive it, though no charges were filed.
In Saturday’s incident, however, deputies cited the video, its statements, and the fact that it was sent to the victim as grounds to believe Morales knowingly made threats to kill or cause deliberate harm.
After his arrest, detectives were able to find the AR-15 seen in the video, along with ammunition from his vehicle, in the Icon One Daytona parking lot. A judge ordered him held at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond.
Meanwhile, the race went ahead at Daytona on Sunday, where fans saw Tyler Reddick capture The Great American Race, scoring his first Daytona 500 win and his first Cup win since October 2024.
What do you think? Let us know your opinions on Discord or X, and don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
As the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season gets underway, The Daily Downforce is once again tracking how fans feel about race broadcasts throughout the year, just as we did last year. This ratings tracker exists to capture fan feedback in a clear, consistent way across the entire season for each TV partner.
After each Cup Series race weekend, we will post a fan poll asking one simple question: “How would you rate this weekend’s Cup Series broadcast?” And fans can vote and comment based on their overall viewing experience. This article will be updated weekly with the most recent race’s numbers added to the tracker.
Participation is quick and open to everyone.
| Week | Network | Race | Votes | Good | Average | Bad | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FOX | Bowman Gray Clash | 368 | 16% | 43% | 42% | Check the Poll HERE |
| 2 | FOX | Daytona 500 | 989 | 42% | 46% | 12% | Check the Poll HERE |
Remember to follow The Daily Downforce on X to catch each weekly poll, share your thoughts, and be part of the conversation.
A new trailer revealed that NASCAR will be a part of The Crew Motorfest’s upcoming free season 9 update.
Will you be playing The Crew for this new update? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
