By ZECH YODER
For those expecting to watch the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Sunday night, I hope you set your DVRs to FS1 on Saturday, too.
In a decision that has never occurred in NASCAR, and will likely never be repeated, NASCAR scrubbed the qualifying races on Saturday night and moved the Clash to Saturday. The entire event was nearly canceled due to the severe weather event that hit Southern California on Sunday and Monday.
To NASCAR’s credit, the Clash went off without a hitch (at least from my perspective) and the event was entertaining. Although time restrictions on Saturday prevented NASCAR from completing the qualifying races, the three-minute sprint qualifying heats were stirring and resulted in big names like Championship 4 contender Christopher Bell missing the 150-lap feature, and 2023 Cup Series Champion Ryan Blaney only getting in because he was the 2023 series champion.
Denny Hamlin won by taking the lead in the final laps after Ty Gibbs, who was dominant for most of the race, slid up the racetrack during a late restart. As anticipated, the race was physical and had a lot of “bumping” and “banging,” especially deeper in the field. There were extended periods of green-flag racing, and the constant lap traffic made it challenging for whoever as leading the race.
As mentioned above, Ty Gibbs was the class of the field but struggled on restarts and let Hamlin sneak by on a late restart. Ultimately, the event was as I had expected and nothing more. The actual racing was (and will continue to be) mediocre. The track is simply not big enough to handle 23 Cup cars. The result is bumper cars instead of a legitimate race. If you were paying attention, much of the contact occurred in a chain-reaction fashion. Entertaining, maybe, but it did not highlight the exceptional skills possessed by NASCAR Cup drivers.
The three-year contract with the LA Coliseum has ended and every indication is that NASCAR is not planning on renewing its contract and will not hold the Clash at the LA Coliseum next season.
The big question right now is where does it go? I’ve heard speculation about going international, either Mexico or Canada.
Realistically, I don’t think it can go to Canada. Canada in February? Too cold. To attract enough attendance, it’s going to need to be somewhere warm. So, Mexico? Not a good idea. First, the logistics of a NASCAR race in Mexico would be a significant economic burden on the teams. Second, I don’t think a NASCAR race in Mexico will do much to build its American fanbase. And if NASCAR wants to expand its fanbase in America, Mexico is the wrong place to start.
I would love to see NASCAR take the Clash to one of America’s iconic short tracks. There are several in Florida: New Smyrna? Five Flags?
More than that, I would like to see the Clash go back to Daytona. A simple 25-lap shootout, exclusively for those drivers who won a pole in the previous season. Focus on the racing. That is what makes Daytona great.
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.