It’s only fair… College football with Tennessee and VA Tech played out at Bristol in 2016. Now, we have NASCAR running inside the LA Coliseum. Granted, the coliseum is marketed as a “multi-use” facility but it is built primarily around a football platform in scale and design. There is also, on any given normal day, no asphalt to speak of inside the coliseum. NASCAR spent over a million dollars to “pave” a 1/4 mile track within the coliseum space in order to run the “Busch Light Clash”.
Make no mistake. It’s a gimmick. Football at Bristol was a gimmick. It was done because it could be done and it would be one of those “I was there when…” things or one of those “different to be different” experiences. That football game, however, may have sparked an idea which made the Bristol “dirt track” transformation possible. (Another gimmick… Fun to watch and a good race, when it got going… But still a gimmick)
There are any number of short tracks across the country that would have loved to have the exposure and experience of having NASCAR bring their biggest names into their space. Size, however, does make a difference. It could be argued that the “Clash” is a television event with far more viewers on their couch than in the stands. That can be said of any televised sport. In person ticket sales and on-site fan experiences are a another big part of the success. The LA Coliseum is huge and can hold over 70,000 people. (*masks and proof of vaccine / negative test are among the attendance rules)
There aren’t any “weekend” type race tracks that can accommodate that kind of on site volume. Taken in the context of television and ground level interest for the sport in general, would it not be beneficial to have “The Clash” move about the country showcasing short track racing? It is a harsh reality for many of these tracks that attendance is down and interest is being split to other types of entertainment. Highlighting these types of tracks and the racing within by having NASCAR bring a big show to one or more could make a big difference. Look at the interest in the new SRX Super Star series, for example…
However this plays out it will be interesting. Practices and qualifying are Saturday (Feb 5) with heat racing and the main event Sunday (Feb 6) afternoon and evening.
The Daytona 500 is coming up on February 20th with the “Duels” run the Thursday before. ARCA, Xfinity and Camping World series also go green. The “Clash” at the coliseum is a minor distraction from all the action centered at Daytona. The ROLEX 24 just ran and NASCAR will ramp up.
But first, let’s go to the other side of the country with an expensive gimmick to start the season…