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Busch Light Clash At The Coliseum Groundbreaking Ceremony
As construction begins on the quarter-mile, asphalt track for the Busch Light
Clash at the Coliseum, NASCAR and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum executives,
racing event staff from Auto Club Speedway, and FOX Sports personality/2-time
Daytona 500 Winner Michael Waltrip conducted a groundbreaking ceremony and
were available for one-on-one interviews.
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| For the first time since 1956, when NASCAR held a race in Chicago’s Soldier Field, the famed stock car racing organization will kick off its season not only inside a major city stadium, but with a short quarter-mile track. It will also be historic for the cacophonous debut of NASCAR’s seventh generation cup cars: The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Toyota TRD Camry and Ford Mustang. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021) |
The thought came up in the annals of NASCAR, why don't we hold the
introduction of the future racing platform in an attention-getting and iconic
environment and do this while capturing the essence of first races on a short
track where most drivers begin to learn their craft - racing!?!?!
This thought came to life in September and the Gods of motor culture, living in
Los Angeles, did not allow any real blockages in the path of these great NASCAR
visionaries and creative planners.
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| To Anheuser-Busch executives who run the sponsorship side of the business this back-to-back big weekend visibility on a national basis, managed out of the West Coast, is all in a big brewers portfolio. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021) |
The folks at Budweiser, the Busch Light title sponsor of the Clash, were more
than happy at the open dates of February 5th & 6th 2022 since this did not
conflict with their other large sponsoring duties set to be shown in
activities surrounding the NFL's final game of the 2021 season - Super Bowl
LVI, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, February 13, 2022.
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| Auto Club Speedway's Dave Allen is looking forward to "hosting" two races in the same month, in the same geographical basin, with the same racing series. Dave shares his thoughts in this Social Media VIDEO done live while standing on the new dirt of the floor inside the LA Coliseum. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021) |
NASCAR and Los Angeles City also began to recognize that the best folks to aid in managing the elements of a stockcar racing event - the timing, the crowds, the legalities - just might be the management of the Auto Club Speedway. It happens that after 3 races in Daytona, including the Daytona 500, the 4th season championship points paying race on February 27th, 2022 is planned to be held at Auto Club Speedway that is 2.0 miles in a very large "D" shape.
Why of course they can handle a non-points paying race on a very small
quarter-mile (micro) "D" shaped 2% banked track on the floor of the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum.
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| This beginning layer protects the surface that was perfectly laid down for sporting contests on turf back in 2018 when the Coliseum went through a modernization upgrade with event suites and media facilities. Click HERE to see the NASCAR transformation in their first commercial advertising the Busch Light Clash. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021) |
Busch Light Clash By The Numbers
130,000 Sq. Ft. of plywood and visqueen field protection
9,200 Cubic Yards of packed fill & aggregate base material
3,840 Ft. temporary track walls
6,900 Sq. Yds. asphalt track & apron paving
6,800 Sq. Yds. asphalt infield paving
1,400 Ft. track catch fencing
1,400 Ft. safer barrier perimeter
Modification To Tunnel Entry
ENDS
META/FB Photo Gallery Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021) >>>
Without any clear description (in ads or website descriptions), one is left to
assume that given the formats of the qualifications heat races and the length
of the Busch Light Clash race overall plus the note of "Modification To Tunnel
Entry" the pits for preparing/repairing cars for racing are outside of the
stadium.
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| Michael Waltrip gets interviewed by KCBS2/KCAL9's Jim Hill. Michael was very impressed at the plans for this track and the use of the new Next Gen racing platforms. Said Michael “If this event goes well, you could see pop-up racetracks in a lot of big cities around America and NASCAR being the center of the stage.” Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2021) |
This day's ceremony on December 21, 2021 took place exactly 100 years to the
date after the venue's original groundbreaking and further follows two Summer
Olympics (1932 and 1984 ... and scheduled again in 2028), two Super Bowls, a
World Series, University of Southern California Trojan home football games,
Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Dodgers, Billy Graham Crusade
(record 134,254 attendance), a motocross event that utilized the steps of the
Peristyle end covered with dirt while the floor was transformed into whoops or
moguls, Stadium SUPER Trucks 2013 Round #3 LA Coliseum SST On NBC with similar modifications to the floor and Peristyle end, concerts by the Stones, U2, the Who, Springsteen and numerous other
headliners and JFK’s acceptance speech at the 1960 Democratic National
Convention.
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| This race track is seriously becoming a reality. Image Credit: NASCAR via YouTube Commercial |
Welcome NASCAR's Busch Light Clash to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, featuring the new seventh generation racing chassis and engine, which marks the first time the preseason Clash will be held outside of Daytona
International Speedway since its inception in 1979. Again, it will give the
sport its first competitive look at the Next Gen car on February 5 & 6 in
a non-points event, embellished through a pre-race concert by Pit Bull.
NASCAR Cup Series Clash exhibition race broadcast coverage GREEN Flag drops
Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the L.A.
Coliseum >>>
Schedule HERE.
... notes from
The EDJE
TAGS: NASCAR, Busch Light Clash, Auto Club Speedway, Michael Waltrip, USC, Next
Gen, 670 HP, The EDJE
