NASCAR has a tentative agreement for multiple race at the Los Angeles Coliseum
This weekend, the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to open. And the traditional season opener in Daytona remains with the Daytona 500 but there’s a new twist on the schedule beyond that.
The Clash portion of Speedweeks has been moved to California and will open the racing season. The Clash is an exhibition event featuring all the same stars of the NASCAR Cup Series in a race that pays earnings but not season points.
Related: LA Coliseum – Take a lap around the 1/4-mile NASCAR track (Video)
This year’s race is completely unique to years prior. A temporary 1/4-mile oval has been constructed inside the outdoor football stadium owned by the University of Southern California.
At the same time, NASCAR will debut a totally new race car. The spec chassis has drastically leveled the playing field from the front to the back of the grid.
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the race inside the LA Coliseum. And it could return for multiple years…
NASCAR agreement with LA Coliseum
Joe Furin, general manager of the LA Memorial Coliseum, told NBC Sports that the agreements with NASCAR include a 3 year deal. However, the 2023 and 2024 races are options, for now. NASCAR can decide if it wants to return next year or not.
After Sunday’s race, NASCAR has exactly 90 days to decide. That puts the deadline at May 6, 2022.
Weeks ago, NASCAR’s Ben Kennedy hinted at this agreement above but didn’t clarify the details. He did say that they need to host the race first to decide what to do for next year.
The stadium fits 78,000 fans in for football games. However, the GM noted that attendance for the NASCAR race sits in the 50,000-60,000 range as the bottom rows are being used as a safety buffer between the track and the crowd.
Secure those bumpers, they’ll drop the green flag on the Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum this Sunday.
