The 2022 NASCAR schedule features a true bullring
Update: Full NASCAR schedule for 2022 released
NASCAR schedules are typically released much earlier. Due to the pandemic, the release has been pushed back. As of tonight, we finally have an official look at the new NASCAR schedule for 2022.
The full 2022 NASCAR schedule is rumored to be released tomorrow but get a first look at the new track in images below.
NASCAR fans screamed for more short tracks and by short tracks, they mean real 1/4-mile or 3/8-mile race tracks. As those screams have gone unanswered in recent years, they’ve instead become former NASCAR fans hitting the dirt tracks instead. Now, the sport is taking a giant step in the correct direction.
LA Coliseum: NASCAR race
The schedule includes a bold opening race. The Clash has been moved from the Daytona Road Course to a brand new track. The Los Angeles Coliseum will host the opening race on a true bullring race track.
Related: LA Coliseum – Rumors circulate of NASCAR race in Los Angeles
The new event has been confirmed at a badass bulling race track. The first confirmed new venue for the 2022 NASCAR schedule.
A 1/4-mile temporary pavement oval will be constructed inside the facility. The stadium is traditionally a football stadium. However, it’s hosted the largest attended Baseball game too.
Construction on the new NASCAR track is set to begin on New Year’s Day in 2022.
The Superbowl is set to be hosted in Los Angeles in 2022 and that game will take place just one week ahead of ‘The Clash’.
Seating capacity for the LC Coliseum is capped at 77,500. The venue has previously hosted motorsports event like supercross and even speedway motorcycles. However, a pavement oval is something new for the facility and a thriller it’s expected to be.
The Clash will be run on February 6, 2022 with tickets on sale now.
Related: Auto Club Speedway to be converted to 1/2-mile short track (Construction Plan Photo)
Ben Kennedy comments
“We’ve been discussing the Clash for a while, and we’ve had it at the (Daytona) oval for a number of years,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of strategy and innovation.
“We moved it to the road course this year, but really wanted to think outside the box as we thought about the Clash in the future — and seeing that it’s an exhibition event, we looked at a number of different places and locations that we could host it at, and ultimately narrowed it down to the L.A. Coliseum.”
“I think the large fan base that we have here in Los Angeles, the largest that we actually have in the nation, paired with exciting racing and being here in the downtown Los Angeles market, I think will be really special.”
“We’ve had these discussions for a while, and they actually came about by us going to their website, finding their contact page and reaching out to them,” Kennedy says. “So, we started that in 2019, I had a few conversations, obviously with COVID put things on pause, but resurfaced and I would say early on this year, I’ve had a ton of dialogue. Over summer, we put a team together a couple of months ago, and really we’re off to the races and running now.”
Related: NASCAR numbers move forward for 2022 with Next Gen car
LA Coliseum – NASCAR track – IRacing 
LA Coliseum – NASCAR track – iRacing screenshot iRacing Screenshot – Los Angeles Coliseum – NASCAR track
LA Coliseum track layout
Multiple configurations of the LC Memorial Coliseum race track have already been tested via iRacing. Those tests included 5, 2.5 and zero degrees of banking around the 1/4-mile surface.
“You can only go so high, just because of the sight lines and the temporary construction, but we’ve played with a few different ones,” Kennedy says. “We’ll have more at a later date on that.”
“I think a lot of good feedback and intel that we’ve gotten from some of those test events, and I think that will ultimately help us kind of refine exactly what that model is going to look like,” Kennedy says. “So other than that, it’ll be asphalt, quarter-mile. We’ll have a few pit stalls, maybe eight to 10, inside but for non-competitive stuff. If someone has a loose wheel or needs to repair their car, they’ll be able to come in and do that.”
“What I will say, though, is the format will be a little bit different from what we’ve traditionally seen at the Clash at Daytona,” Kennedy says. “So, looking at a few different options. The group has really, really been challenged to think kind of differently about how we have all the different events leading into the main event, and I think a lot of good thoughts and input that we’ve got on it so far, so more to come on all that.”
The new NASCAR track will not just be the smallest track on the 2022 schedule but the smallest in the modern era. Currently, Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533 mile) and Martinsville Speedway (0.526 mile) are the smallest tracks on the schedule.
The Next Gen car has been confirmed for use in the LA race.
Related: NASCAR Next Gen car won’t have rear-view mirrors
