Stewart frustrated with NASCAR after reaching out to run Busch Clash
The first race of the 2021 season is the Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway. The Clash will run on February 9, 2021 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
New for 2021, the special non-points event will be run on the Daytona Road Course. It was previously run on the 2.5-mile oval.
The starting field for the race has been set since the end of the 2020 season. Eligibility is based on performance from the previous season.
With the strike of a pen, NASCAR executives could have made The Clash extremely exciting. NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart wanted to run the upcoming race and even reached out to try and make it happen.
Tony Stewart told the AP that he expressed an interest directly to NASCAR in running the 2021 Busch Clash. However, the former NASCAR champion says he was ignored on his request.
Per the current rules, Stewart would not be eligible. However, since the lack of follow up, Stewart feels snubbed by the sport.
2021 Busch Clash: Eligibility
-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
-NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers from previous season
-2020 NASCAR Cup Series race winners
-2020 NASCAR Cup Series stage winners
2021 Busch Clash Drivers
There are 24 drivers eligible to run the ’21 Busch Clash:
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.
Links
Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Daytona International Speedway | NASCAR