Coliseum Clash Could Lead to Arena Rotation, International Markets

Make peace with it, because the preseason Clash isn’t turning back.

After 42 years of racing at Daytona International Speedway as the kickoff to Speedweeks, the race under its initial format had run its course. Sure, the one-off on the modified Rolex 24 course had a novel charm, but it no longer served its intended purpose -- to create hype and anticipation for the upcoming Cup Series season.

Race winner Joey Logano said this weekend delivered on that purpose.

"You watch football games lately, and they were advertising the Clash as much as they were advertising the Daytona 500," Logano said. "To me that kind of put into perspective a little bit on what this event meant to our sport, how big of a gamble this really was, right? This could have gone awful. It went great out there."

What comes next?

NASCAR holds a standard two-year option to possibly return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, but the dam has been opened and the possibilities are endless, because top level executives Steve Phelps, Steve O’Donnell and Ben Kennedy could replicate this show anywhere.

Not just any arena in the country, mind you, but conceivably anywhere in the world.

For just over a million dollars, a marginal investment in the grand scheme of things, NASCAR could construct a temporary bullring short track into any marquee sporting venue within numerous attractive markets. As was the case on Sunday, what better way to create enthusiasm for the season than a true short track race in a major city with A-list entertainers in front of 50,000 fans?

Kennedy says the senior NASCAR leadership team will return home to Daytona on Monday and mull over what everything meant in the days leading up to the Daytona 500.

"Certainly, there are a lot of new things that came along with this event, from Pitbull, Ice Cube, DJ Skee," Kennedy said. "Everything along with the format, the entire event really. I think we'll go back to that, then really think about what the future might look like both for being here at the L.A. Coliseum and this type of venue in general, too."

The race wasn’t a crashfest like some predicted. In fact, the race with its heats and elimination format leading to a shootout main event, produced generally compelling close-quarter action. The Next Gen proved capable of racing on tracks this tiny in ways the previous generation of car couldn’t.

Kyle Busch says the wider, grippier tire and larger brakes suits short track racing well.

"I don't know if the old car would have been applicable for this track," Busch said. "I say that because the tire is skinnier on that car, got a solid rear-end axle housing in it, so you wheel hop getting into the turns. The turning radius of that car, it definitely would not have put on a show that this car does."

That’s to say 2022 legitimately marks the start of a new generation of NASCAR between the Next Gen and the type of tracks capable of spotlighting it. This car is absolutely capable of racing on a downtown street circuit, but Sunday proved that NASCAR can race within a downtown setting while also on an explosive bullring.

Phelps, Kennedy and O’Donnell have already started exploring potential markets, both domestic and abroad. It’s a proof of concept that could be applied to either future editions of the Clash or All-Star Race.

"This was one of those events that we felt like it was an opportunity for us to reinvigorate," Kennedy said. "We've had the Clash for a number of years at Daytona. Wanted to shift it to a new market, do something different that we've been talking about for a while, (maybe even eventually) on the international side.

"I think we're going to continue to look at all our races, whether it's the points races, exhibition races. I think we've had a little bit of change with the All-Star Race, which has been positive for us, moving it from Charlotte, had it at Bristol, and then moving to Texas. Creating that newness for it, which I think fans look forward to."

Imagine a race in Australia’s Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, or Japan’s International Stadium in Yokohama. Wembley Stadium in the United Kingdom has played host a wide variety of sporting events over the years.

China is a market Kennedy had previously explored. Drivers like Chase Elliott fielded questions throughout the week about where else NASCAR could take this format and experience.

"That’s a good one," Elliott said. "I haven’t really ever thought about that. Like a stadium in particular, I haven’t really thought about that. But I’ve always really admired Supercross and what they do. I feel like those guys being able to race indoors and in stadiums ... I’ve always felt like that attracted a different fan base because of it. Because it’s in a big city and it’s easy to get to. Just a little different vibe and I’ve always thought that was a really nice feel for a motorsport event to go towards for the future."

All told, the Coliseum Clash was NASCAR’s version of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, Gateway Dirt Invitational or AMA Supercross -- taking a motorsports product out of its traditional venue and giving it a different look.

The final Clash on the Daytona Superspeedway took NASCAR to a dead end.

Erik Jones won that race in a car that looked like a sardine can exposed to a can opener. Only xx drivers finished the race and virtually every remaining car that survived to the end was damaged beyond immediate repair.

It took place in front of a couple of thousand fans and was mockingly referred to by segments of the industry as the Busch Crash at Daytona.

NASCAR responded first with the road course event, but then a bold new direction with the Coliseum Clash in Los Angeles. Unlike that race on the Daytona Superspeedway in 2020, the possibilities for what comes next is seemingly endless.

After a couple of decades doing the same things, NASCAR has a bold and diverse schedule, with a state-of-the-art new car. The much-maligned oversaturation of intermediate tracks have given way to dirt, short tracks and road courses.

The Coliseum was an extension of Kennedy’s vision.

"We went to some new tracks in 2021 and we're going to go to World Wide Technology Raceway this year," Kennedy said. "This was something new, something different. We challenged ourselves, the team challenged themselves to think about this event differently.

"Having Pitbull as a pre-race concert, Ice Cube as a mid-race, DJ Skee, everything around the marketing and promotion of it, it's a total team effort. It was also wiping the slate clean and thinking about everything differently. We're really proud of the outcome today and I think it was a success."