It‘s safe to say that the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has been a popular venue for the rivalry between UCLA and USC for decades.
On Saturday, Feb. 4, that competition will take a new turn — this time on the temporary, quarter-mile racetrack designed for NASCAR Cup Series cars. The USC Racing and UCLA‘s Bruin Racing Formula SAE teams will race against each other in a time-trial competition featuring student-built racecars.
Later in the day, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will practice and qualify on the same track in advance of the highly anticipated 2023 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 5.
“These cars are designed by some of the brightest young minds in engineering and racing, and these students are proof positive that the future of our sport is in great hands” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR‘s senior vice president for racing development and strategy. “We can‘t wait for them to showcase their hard work and ingenuity on our LA Coliseum track.”
Formula SAE is an intercollegiate engineering competition where students across the globe design, build, test, and race prototype open-wheel racecars. During these competitions, participating teams are scored in multiple categories evaluated by industry professionals, including design, cost effectiveness and performance in dynamic events. These competitions are important for students of all majors to apply technical skills cultivated within classes and campus maker spaces. In addition, they provide resume-building experiences for students seeking internship and career opportunities.
USC Racing tested its Formula SAE car on the Coliseum‘s temporary track last year, and Bruin Formula Racing has also been running local testing sessions with its vehicle. Excitement is high for both student-run organizations to compete inside the iconic venue on Feb. 4, 2023.
This friendly contest between the two universities only adds to what‘s shaping up to be another exciting weekend of NASCAR racing action and entertainment in the heart of Los Angeles. It was announced earlier that hip-hop legends Cypress Hill will perform prior to the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on Feb. 5, and more performances will be announced in the coming days.
— NASCAR —
