NASCAR's 'The Clash' Returning to Daytona International Speedway

After a five-year absence, The Clash is returning to Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR's season-opening exhibition will race on the track's oval configuration for the first time since 2020. Also announced alongside the race's Daytona return is a new multi-year sponsorship agreement from Wheatley Vodka. Beginning with next year's running, the event will be known as the Wheatley Vodka Clash. It will be held on Saturday, February 13, 2027, and Wheatley Vodka will become the official vodka partner of NASCAR. Beginning in 2022, The Clash departed from Daytona in favor of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It was held there three years before moving to Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina for the last two seasons. NASCAR's early-year exhibition race debuted in 1979 as the Busch Clash. It featured nine drivers who earned a pole position in the prior season in a 20-lap dash. Buddy Baker won the inaugural running. The event underwent a series of changes in the following years. From 1998 to 2000 it became the Bud Shootout, and then the Budweiser Shootout from 2001 to 2012. That gave way to the Sprint Unlimited in 2013, the Advance Auto Parts Clash in 2017, and finally the return of the Busch Clash for 2020 and 2021. In its final year before moving, The Clash was held on Daytona's road course configuration. "The pairing of a fan-favorite event like The Clash with a premier vodka brand in Wheatley American Vodka is the perfect way to welcome home one of NASCAR's most beloved traditions to open Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth for 2027," said Daytona International Speedway President Frank Kelleher. "The Wheatley Vodka Clash adds another can't-miss event to an already unforgettable week, creating even more opportunities for our fans to experience the energy and excitement that make Speedweeks so special."