NASCAR Flexed Quickly on the Weather
It certainly was an unusual decision as NASCAR tends to stick very closely to its published event schedules and plans. Even so much as running races into the very late hours of the evening, but facing monsoon type conditions in the LA area for the foreseeable future, they were left with no choice.
The problem with this became readily apparent, cancellation of the MGK concert at “halftime”, a timeslot change that moved from what has previously been a successful one, to one of the most contested timeslots in the world of TV, and even worse - pushing the event from the main channel on Fox, to FS1 which, while available in over 71 million homes, is probably the worst outcome this could been had short of an entire cancellation of the event.
The attendance appeared light compared to previous years, but I think that’s understandable given the last minute change, but I also think it’s a sign of an event that just doesn’t hold much appeal in person for Californians.
The Venue is All Wrong
Throw it all out. The LA Coliseum was a neat idea on paper, but it just doesn’t work well in a competition format. Sure, most writers and fans have been positive and upbeat about it, I am not. The mix of track size and car size leads to unimpressive racing. It’s close. It’s rough. Tempers flare. It’s all the things that NASCAR loves to use in it’s promotional materials to link back to some of the classic moments in series history, but that doesn’t mean it’s good, or memorable.
If NASCAR is truly concerned about having a good exhibition event to open the season, they should be pushing the weight of that marketing effort towards the Daytona 500 event and some traditionalism. We’ve seen the Month of May be shrunk down to a just about two weeks at this point leading into the Indy 500. I think this is a prime opportunity to have NASCAR seize the month of February and rebuild Speedweeks into what it used to be.
Los Angeles is a tough place to try and gain a foothold in anything, especially motorsports. This years TV rating have reflected that as well. Only 1.5 Million viewers. Certainly the time, date, channel reflected that, but it’s been a consistent loser.
Keep the Format
Heat racing works. It’s always worked.
If you make the event worth huge points, a playoff berth or massive money - you’ll find teams really pushing on the strategy, drivers taking big risks, and others having no problems dumping other drivers to try and capture a big prize.
I also seem think that this could easily be an event where up and coming talent should have a shot to race their way in. We’ve seen young talent be brought up before by winning one-off races. Others who are able to get a car and crew together should absolutely have a chance to make the show. I think of people like Rajah Caruth who have absolutely earned everything, but could stand to use that push over the top.
NASCAR needs a single event where 60+ cars could turn up and run. It’s an exhibition after all, what’s the harm?
The other side of this is that the latest generation of cars work incredibly well with a short track package. Gather what you have and show it off. Noise and power coupled with low grip and what appears to be a difficult car to try and drive. It has to evoke emotion naturally. Whatever this is and has been doesn’t do that naturally. Much like most of LA and Southern California, The Clash feels very plastic. We don’t need botox, or any sort of enhancement surgery. We just need heart, soul and hard work.
Should NASCAR find a different market?
My opinion? Take the energy, and marketing dollars and make a single event not only worth something, like an automatic berth into the playoffs. But leverage historical relevance. Go to Slinger, go to Lanier, resurrect Rockingham, head to South Boston.. there are so many better options where you could host a mid-summer street fight.
The value in reaching back to the roots, while being able to find the staying power we used to see with the Bristol night race might sort this out and gather the necessary eyes and attention to make it work.
Getting away from LA and Southern California feels like it’s a requirement at this point. There is no need to continue trying to make this work. It was a neat concept. But it’s time to let it go and find something new.