NASCAR: Is L.A. the right move for the Clash? Plus one key concern

The 2022 NASCAR season is set to unofficially kick off when the Cup Series drivers head to Los Angeles to run the Busch Light Clash. In a move aimed at grabbing a new audience, success may be harder to grasp than it seems.

NASCAR will try to reach a new height in fandom when the Cup Series heads out to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Busch Light Clash in under two weeks.

Ahead of the exhibition race at a quarter-mile track, one which resembles historic Bowman Gray Stadium, NASCAR had several Hall of Famers test at the Winston-Salem, North Carolina track back in late October.

The Clash has flipped the script of stock car racing and football crossovers. In 2016, the “Battle at Bristol” was an NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Virginia Tech Hokies inside Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s asphalt quarter-mile track with only two degrees of banking is the shortest track on the schedule this year, and it is set to feature entertainment acts during an intermission, with Trackhouse Racing Team co-owner Pitbull and Los Angeles native Ice Cube slated to perform.

With an outreach to a new market and a completely new track, how will the move pan out?

Aside from reaching a new fanbase in the City of Angels, it appears that NASCAR is trying to put on a show for fans watching across the globe. Given the testing at Bowman Gray Stadium and the similarities between the two tracks, the style of racing will surely be something to watch.

Known for its grassroots racing and chaotic finishes, Bowman Gray Stadium is a track like no other and NASCAR is seemingly trying to replicate that as much as possible.

And with several notable feuds having taken place last season, there could be somewhat of a carryover in a short-track non-points-paying race.

Conversely, with limited inventory of the Next Gen cars, team owners may be weary of traveling across the country to do an exhibition race.

With most teams based in North Carolina, logistical concerns are a clear factor.

Regardless, this is the breath of fresh air that NASCAR aims to be providing for old and new fans alike. Last year, the Clash was contested at the Daytona International Speedway road course for the first time, and it saw an exciting finish when Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney collided in a last-lap battle for the lead, allowing third place Kyle Busch to take the checkered flag as the winner.

This year, the Busch Light Clash should provide the “bump and runs” and “beating and banging” with which NASCAR has long been associated, but in a revisited market with a track built from the ground up in less than a year. The race is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 6.