Clash At The Coliseum Set For Feb. 6 Before The Daytona 500 And A Week Prior To Los Angeles Hosting The Super Bowl
What a move byNASCAR.
It passed anything that happens on the track, even a dramatic last-lap dash to the finish. Just when the sport seemed to be fading into the the distance it pulls off a marketing and public relations home run by announcing a race inside the LA Coliseum to start its 2022 season.
Called the Clash at the Coliseum, this will be an invitation-only no-point exhibition race and will be held on Feb. 6. It will be a quarter-mile asphalt track put in just for this event with a banking of somewhere between 2.5 and 5%. It will be broadcast on FS1 after the Pro Bowl. The Clash has previously been held at Daytona International Speedway at NASCAR headquarters.
This is not just stepping out the box, it’s jumping into the ocean with a huge splash.
“Los Angeles is synonymous with major sports and entertainment events, so we seized an innovative opportunity to showcase NASCAR at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of strategy and innovation. “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to take center stage in this market as we get our 2022 season underway.”
The format and eligibility for the L.A Coliseum preseason exhibition, which is typically shorter than a standard points-paying event, will be announced at a later date. The event has traditionally been open to Busch Pole Award winners from the previous year and other selected invitees.
Using the historic stadium – which has hosted two Olympics as well as big-time concerts, a Billy Graham revival (drawing the biggest crowd), the Dodgers, LA Rams, LA Raiders and long-time home of the USC Trojans – is a brilliant move. NASCAR attendance and interest needs a boost and this will provide it, even for fans who cannot attend.
The non-points invitational will also provide a glimpse of the Next Gen car for the 2022 Cup Series in race conditions.
“I think given that it is a fresh concept, a fresh event, a fresh year, we wanted to start off with a fresh look with the Next Gen car,” Kennedy said.
The Coliseum has held racing events in the past. There was a truck race on asphalt in 2011 and in the 1980s and early 90s the off-road Mickey Thompson series held events once a year that drew 50,000 people. It also held races in the 1940s that attracted large crowds.
Capacity for the Clash will be around 60,000.
Tickets for “The Clash at the Coliseum” will go on sale Thursday at $65 for adults and $10 for 12 & under.
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