“Bring it on”: Los Angeles welcomes the NASCAR Busch Light Clash
by Christina Liu
The enticing smell of caramelized onions and grilled sausages wafted through the air outside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. All through Exposition Park, crowds sporting brightly colored NASCAR shirts and baseball caps descended on the small kiosks and carts lined up offering hot dogs and cold beverages.
“Hot dogs, hot dogs, come get your hot dogs!” Lupe and Lesley Analco said from their stand.
Shielded from the blazing sun by a large umbrella, the mother-daughter pair was busy grilling from their simple cart as thousands of fans made their way to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum for this year’s historic NASCAR Busch Light Clash.
Since the race’s inception in 1979, the Clash has always been held at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida. February 6, 2022 marked the first time NASCAR brought the race out to the west coast and onto a football stadium.
The 99-year-old Coliseum is the home of the USC Trojan football team and hosted two Super Bowls, two Olympic Games, the 1959 World Series, and numerous big-name concerts. Now, the stadium boasts a quarter-mile racetrack for the exhibition race.
“We've been selling at the Coliseum for a long time, at football games, concerts and all of that,” said Lesley Analco. “We were unsure of coming to sell today because we've never come and sold at a NASCAR event or any car event.”
But like many others, they were intrigued and decided to come check it out.
“It’s my first time at an auto race,” one man said as his son played with toy cars next to him. “I’m from West L.A. and we've seen a football game at the Coliseum, but that's about it. My son likes cars and we heard an advertisement about it, so I’m here to see if he might like it.”
People like this father-son duo are exactly who NASCAR is trying to target. According to Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s vice president for strategy and innovation, the company’s decision to bring the race to this iconic stadium in the world’s entertainment capital was part of their initiative to expand their appeal.
The strategic move has surely brought many new spectators to the Clash this year. NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell said in a press conference on January 31 that more than 70% of ticket buyers have never attended any NASCAR event before.
“You want to put on a good race,” O'Donnell said. “But I would say, already it is a success.”
Mike Elvert, who has been following NASCAR for over 40 years, was sitting in Exposition Park people-watching and having an energy drink before going to the Coliseum.
“I ran into a lot of fans that have never been here, brand new to the sport,” he said. “I love to see the new fans coming in and I think this is a great idea. I think any expansion on the sport is great and I hope they move over to other tracks or venues—I would totally be interested in going, too.”
Others couldn’t resist coming to witness the short quarter-mile track and narrow lanes. Christopher Dobson, who was on his way to the Coliseum with his father and sister, said they came today because the track is half the size of the Bristol track, their father’s favorite.
“I just want to see how they're doing it in this stadium,” said Luanna Dobson. “It's going to be interesting.”
“Plus it's right here, and I've been a huge USC fan forever,” said her brother, Christopher, who was proudly wearing a USC t-shirt. “Putting the two together, it's perfect.”
The main event featured 23 cars tearing through 150 consecutive laps. Also for the first time, the exhibition event was open for all teams and drivers and not by invitation only.
Nearly 14,000 cubic yards of asphalt were carefully laid atop the Coliseum’s field for the event. The first fourteen rows of seats closest to the track were closed off for safety and barriers were installed on the interior of the track. According to a NASCAR official, the company spent over $1 million to host this year’s race.
Christopher and Luanna’s father Stephen has been following NASCAR for as long as he can remember. He was succinct with his expectations: “It's going to be bumper cars.”
It certainly was. All drivers had to adapt to racing under the limitations of the small track, and after four intense heats and two last-chance qualifying races, Joey Logano took the win, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske.
Immediately after the festivities concluded Sunday night, disassembly of the temporary racetrack began, returning the Coliseum to its characteristic football glory. NASCAR moves on to Daytona, Florida, where the season opens with the Daytona 500 on February 20.
“I wouldn't mind if NASCAR came back—I like the fact that we have different things going on,” said Mya Brown, a South L.A. native and clear bag vendor at the Coliseum. “I like it. Bring it on.”