Where will The Clash go in 2025?
NASCAR just opened their 2024 season with an exhibition race at the LA Coliseum. The facility features a temporary 1/4-mile oval near the heart of Los Angeles, California.
Unfortunately, extreme weather forced NASCAR to drastically condense the race weekend. Just hours before cars touched the track on Saturday, the main event was moved from Sunday to Saturday night.
That move allowed NASCAR to get the race in with a single-day format. And, it could be the last race we see at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
NASCAR signed a 3-year deal with the city to host the event. 2024 was the last of that current deal.
There’s already rumors flying high about where it will go in 2025.
Of those, rumors include The Clash heading to Mexico or Canada. Other rumors see The Clash moving to various short tracks to boost NASCAR Regional tracks. There’s also a lot of talk, specifically from fans wanting it to return to Daytona International Speedway.
Side note: If it went to Mexico would Kyle Busch be able to race?
Dale Earnhardt Jr wants The Clash to return to Daytona
“I don’t know where The Clash goes from here,” Dale Earnhardt Jr stated via Dirty Mo Media.
“I thought the race was entertaining. Did it live up to the standards of The Clash? Maybe, not.”
“I miss Daytona Speedweeks. I miss how The Clash and all the other events helped build up and set the tone for the Daytona 500.”
“You’d come in there, run The Clash and that was kind of the appetizer of the whole meal. First off, one of the things that really ticks me off is to hear people say that, ‘The Clash just needs to go away.’ “
“The people that say that, never won that race. The Clash has a history, a very important history, going back to its original format of pole winners. It was a brief tease for the Daytona 500.”
He added, “It fit in that space perfectly. It does not need to be more than that, it does not need to be going around to all these other racetracks. It doesn’t need to go to Mexico, Canada, Coliseum, your local short track, South Boston or anywhere.”
So where should it go?
“It needs to go back to Daytona. It needs to be that tease.”
What format?
“It needs to be pole winners. If it’s 12-14 cars, I do not care. If it’s 20 laps and it lasts 15 minutes, I do not give a s***. That’s all it needs to be.”
“Every race in a season has it’s role. Every race needs to stay in it’s lane and that’s what The Clash needs to do.”
Busch Clash Results: February 3, 2024 (NASCAR Cup Series)
Yet, a return to Daytona is unlikely
“I favor bringing The Clash back to Daytona. I believe that’s probably very unlikely that happens.”
“If you take it back to Daytona, it’s pole winners and it’s a 20-lap race, it’s not going to be very lucrative for a business. It’s not going to make you a lot of money. There’s better opportunities financially, that’s why it goes to The Coliseum.”
“That’s why it probably ends up somewhere else next year. The local communities, the governments and so forth buying in. Getting our sport in front of a different audience, I understand the importance of that.”
“They already are probably having conversations with where it’s going next.”
“If they’re going to go off-the-wall, out of their box and take this thing somewhere crazy, there’s a track called Brands Hatch, over in Europe. They have this little short course, it’s called the Indy Course. If there’s a short track in the road course world, it’s those style of tracks.”
“That would be my hope, that we go to a short, bullring of a road course. If they can’t take it to an oval or back to Daytona.”
NASCAR expects financial hurt with abrupt Clash rescheduling
The Clash
TV Ratings
2024 Clash
LA Coliseum
1.511M
FS1
2023 Clash
LA Coliseum
3.647M
FOX
2022 Clash
LA Coliseum
4.283M
FOX
2021 Clash
Daytona
1.755M
FS1
2020 Clash
Daytona
2.455M
FS1
2019 Clash
Daytona
2.294M
FS1
2018 Clash
Daytona
2.255M
FS1
2017 Clash
Daytona
1.849M
FS1
