Second Thoughts on NASCAR: Has the Clash run its course in L.A.?
You might be used to seeing my "Fast Thoughts" after race weekends posted on FOX Sports social platforms. This year, I’ll be giving "Second Thoughts" each Wednesday for some thoughts on an issue from the weekend or looking ahead to the upcoming weekend.
Much of the discussion last weekend centered on the future of the exhibition Clash considering it was the third year of it being run on a temporary track at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. That event in the second-biggest media market was cool but it lost some of its buzz even before the forecast of a dangerous rainstorm forced NASCAR to run it a day earlier than planned.
So where to next?
The temporary track concept is a good one for the Clash. Limiting the number of cars in the main event isn’t something NASCAR probably wants to do (or should do) for a points race. Teams rely on big sponsorship dollars. They need their cars in the show.
The hard part is where NASCAR can do it. There are only a handful (and maybe fewer than that) of stadiums that have the dimensions necessary for the shape of an oval track and then the fact NASCAR is there for 5-6 weeks getting the track surface prepared and a wall and catchfence erected is another hurdle to scheduling.
Would it make sense for this to be the event for NASCAR to dip its toe into an international market with its Cup Series? Yes, it would. Granted, this isn’t a great paying race (about 35-40 percent of a regular Cup race) so NASCAR might need to make it a higher-paying event to help the teams. And it might need to work out some logistics where it possibly could keep some equipment in the foreign country if there is a commitment for the event beyond one year.
There is a decent amount of clamoring among fans for it to return to Daytona, where for several years it was run on the oval and then more recently on the road course that includes part of the oval and part of the infield.
Meh.
Clash at the Coliseum recap: Great decision to move the race up
The event is designed to generate excitement for the Daytona 500 and the start of the season but the races with a limited field at Daytona — for many years, the Clash included only drivers who won a pole the previous year — just seemed to be a race where they tore up a lot of equipment and didn’t tell you much because it wasn’t 40 cars on the track.
NASCAR’s goal with the Clash should be a venue that doesn’t have a Cup race, a venue and market that creates buzz and can be a little unique. Daytona doesn’t do that for the Clash — it already has two events (the Daytona 500 and the late-regular-season race). Los Angeles did that but maybe not so much anymore. Hopefully, NASCAR can find its next great venue.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
