NASCAR: Busch Clash is good, but it can be better

The Busch Clash took place this past Sunday, continuing the tradition of unofficially kicking off the NASCAR Cup Series season. While the exhibition race is good, it can be better.

The Busch Clash always proves to be worth the long offseason wait. This year, the 88-lap, two-stage sprint was tense, tight and packed with action and calamity, and the 18-car field was filled with NASCAR‘s best.

But there are ways to make the Clash better than it is now.

First of all, that 18-car field can be expanded. To qualify for the 2020 Clash, you had to check off one of the following:

Won a Busch Pole award in 2019
Won a past Busch Clash and competed full-time in 2019
Won a past Daytona 500 and competed full-time in 2019
Won a past Daytona 500 pole and competed full-time in 2019
Qualified for the 2019 playoffs

This list seems pretty basic, but also kind of exclusive, although it did technically include 20 drivers; two simply did not compete.

One way to expand the field is to make it solely based on points, such as expanding eligibility to those who finished in the top 25 in the championship standings the previous year.

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This opens the door for small to medium-sized teams to get an opportunity to run a car, get some notoriety and potentially even future sponsorships.

Looking at the 2019 championship standings, Chris Buescher, Matt DiBenedetto, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ty Dillon would have all qualified under this system. DiBenedetto has especially been a fan-favorite since the Bristol Night Race last season, so getting eyes on him with his new team would be great to get eyes on television screens.

Speaking of getting eyes on screens, allow part-timers, Xfinity Series, Truck Series drivers, or even retired legends to field a car. The biggest narrative the last two seasons is lack of star power and names now in the Cup Series.

What a headline it would be if something along the lines of somebody beating Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Tony Stewart winning or Hailie Deegan beating the boys were to take place. In more ways than one, this could also give the younger drivers more notoriety, and it would accrue more fans for the sport in the process.

I understand the cost factors of fielding a Cup Series car, especially in a race that tends to produce quite a few wrecks, as we saw Sunday, but if costs come down thanks to the new Gen 7 car, a man can dream.

While 75 laps and two stages, with the stage break at lap 25, is a nice length for an exhibition event, possible changes to the format of the race are endless; you could make it shorter to around 50 laps with only one stage, you could lengthen it to between 100 laps and 150 laps with stage breaks, or you could lengthen it with no stages at all.

It all depends what you define entertainment as.

Personally, I like the longer race with two stage breaks. 100 laps, stage breaks at laps 25 and 85, and a 15-lap shootout; no holds barred to win it all. This is NASCAR, home of pushing to the brink to win.

But how can anyone win it all if there really isn’t anything to put it all on the line for? NASCAR doesn’t release purse winnings anymore except for the All-Star Race, which is a big part of the marketing for the race.

Why can’t it be the same way for the Clash? Maybe add a little spice to it: $50,000 to stage one and two winners and $250,000 to the grand winner. Putting money on the line gives it more meaning and fans more of a reason to tune in.

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Finally, NASCAR could bring a similar event to the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series. Lower the requirements and advertised winnings and shorten the race a little, and now you have excitement across the three national series, giving younger drivers a spotlight and a chance to shine and giving the fans a better look at who could be hoisting the championship trophy at the end of the season before it actually starts.

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