Analysis
NASCAR Cup Los Angeles Clash
Analysis: How the LA Clash showed NASCAR can be fun again
Sunday’s preseason Clash race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was risky, unorthodox, and unprecedented – a combination NASCAR has typically tried hard to avoid.
Jim Utter
Edited: Feb 7, 2022, 10:51 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Moving the Clash – held at Daytona International Speedway as part of Speedweeks since its 1981 inception – was a bold step in and of itself.
Taking it to a football stadium and run on a made-from-scratch ¼-mile track was unheard of – and there were plenty of doubters, both within NASCAR’s ranks and its fan base, when it was first unveiled.
But this weekend’s event showed NASCAR at its best when it strays from its typical this-is-how-we’ve-always-done-it mantra.
Sunday was how a sports season should kick off – with a big party focused more on entertainment than competition but offering plenty of both.
Fly-over, C-17, 446th Airlift Wing, McChord AFB - Washington
Photo by: Gavin Baker / NKP / Motorsport Images
It served as a stunning showcase of what’s ahead – the debut of a revolutionary race car in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series, a test of NASCAR’s willingness to try new venues and its commitment to reach a new and more diverse fan base.
It’s hard to see how NASCAR didn’t succeed on all accounts.
Read Also:
“It’s pretty innovative. We’re doing some cool stuff that brings you back to your short track days,” said driver Austin Dillon. “The format of this was nice. Not a whole lot of practice. You had to come here, do it, qualify, race.
“That type of stuff brings you back to your Saturday night short track. Get to the track, get a little bit of practice, heat race, race, enjoy it. That was cool. I think that’s great.”
In this race weekend, NASCAR showed its willingness not only to try new venues but also new ways of competition.
The race had a set field of 23 and only one driver – reigning Cup champion Kyle Larson – was guaranteed a spot in the field. There were heat races and last chance qualifiers, providing drivers plenty of opportunities to make the main event but absolutely no guarantees.
The main event was just 150 laps with a halftime break and no traditional pit stops.
Austin Cindric, Team Penske, Ford Mustang eCascadia
Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
It was anything but typical NASCAR. And for that reason, it was perhaps exactly what NASCAR needed.
“When you look at this Next Gen car, all the pressure that was on, really the entire industry, all the long hours coming into this, I think a lot of us in the industry forgot that we're in a pretty cool sport,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “It is fun to be a part of.
“Today was what we’re all about. It was important for us to come out here and look like we’re having fun, even if we weren’t. That wasn’t the case. I think everybody was really enthusiastic and ready to go. They wanted to win this race. I think that showed.”
Even before the success of Sunday’s event became clear, NASCAR was being pushed to declare where it plans to venture next for a stadium race, or whether it will continue to hold the Clash in Los Angeles or even adapt the ¼-mile track configuration into the regular Cup Series schedule.
In NASCAR’s history, many times something new is tried or discovered and turns out successful, it has become commonplace to instantly attempt to replicate it in hopes of “cashing in” on that success.
That should not be the case here.
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry M&M's, #8: Tyler Reddick, Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet Camaro Guaranteed Rate
Photo by: Lesley Ann Miller / Motorsport Images
The most important thing NASCAR may have discovered this weekend isn’t a new track, a new venue or even finding new fans.
Like O’Donnell alluded to, it may well be something far simpler – rediscovering the pure fun and entertainment racing can provide, both for the fans who watch and those who work within the industry.
It was at its best a much-needed reminder of why we race.
If that is the only tangible benefit NASCAR receives from the weekend – and it certainly isn’t – NASCAR got far more out of this experiment than it invested.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Austin Dillon snags third in the Clash, praises format
Next article NASCAR Clash at LA Coliseum proved TV ratings bonanza
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jim Utter
Erik Jones agrees to multi-year contract extension with Legacy Motor Club
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Erik Jones agrees to multi-year contract extension with Legacy Motor Club
Goodyear's option tires at Richmond "were like Mario Kart with a star"
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Richmond II
Goodyear's option tires at Richmond "were like Mario Kart with a star"
NASCAR: Austin Dillon move was "really close to crossing the line"
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Richmond II
NASCAR: Austin Dillon move was "really close to crossing the line"
Latest news
Honda confirms Diogo Moreira for factory team in 2027; David Alonso heads to LCR
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP 1 h
Honda confirms Diogo Moreira for factory team in 2027; David Alonso heads to LCR
Vincent Biard: “The Maserati GT2 was thrilling in 2026; next year we want continuity and progress”
Sponsored
Sponsored
Portimão
1 h
Vincent Biard: “The Maserati GT2 was thrilling in 2026; next year we want continuity and progress”
Barcelona set to host IndyCar race in 2027 under multi-year deal
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 13 h
Barcelona set to host IndyCar race in 2027 under multi-year deal
Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
15 h
Winners and losers from a Chase-altering NASCAR Cup race at Phoenix
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe