The NASCAR Cup Series’ preseason exhibition race, The Clash, is moving to a new location in 2022, while the venue where it’s being held is getting a makeover.
The 2022 Clash is set for Feb. 6 – two weeks before the official season opener, the Daytona 500 — but instead of being at Daytona International Speedway like usual, the race is moving to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which has played host to everything from the Olympics to the Super Bowl and World Series. It will be the first time the Clash is not at Daytona since its inception in 1979.
And on December 21, NASCAR broke ground at the Coliseum, turning the field that’s home to USC Trojans football into a quarter-mile, asphalt short track.
It’s a bold jump by NASCAR to move The Clash to the West Coast. However, as we’ve previously written, it’s a gimmick but an awesome gimmick that could actually work — especially with the cars likely beating each other up.
And if that’s not intriguing enough already, the exhibition race will also be the first with NASCAR’s new Next Gen car before it makes its official debut in the Daytona 500.
Since construction on the Coliseum began last month, progress seems to be moving quickly with the preseason event less than a month away. Here’s a look at how the football field is being transformed into a NASCAR short track.
