The 2024 NASCAR Clash at the Coliseum will kick off earlier than scheduled. This is because the sport is racing against Mother Nature to host a successful race. As it turns out, a massive storm is expected to hit the Los Angeles area on the expected race day. So the obvious choice was to bump the race up the schedule to avoid the oncoming storm.

Instead of its usual time on Sunday, the race will run at 8 p.m. ET before the NASCAR Mexico race. NASCAR is running from pillar to post to let this race run without a hitch. Many NASCAR drivers went as far as to praise the sport’s efforts to run the race in safe conditions. The likes of Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and Kyle Busch sang NASCAR’s praises for the level-headed decision.

Did NASCAR drivers react to the move?

As Elliott put it, “It’s one of the most logical decisions we’ve made as an industry, potentially ever.” Meanwhile, Busch called it a genius move and said, “Not sure how much we can still be able to do that, down the road. I remember going to Fontana last year. We all knew it was coming, we all knew the snow was going to be there on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Could we run a race on a Thursday or Friday ahead of time? Instead of waiting till Monday? I don’t know. Obviously, as bad a weather that is coming, three days straight, we all don’t want to be here wasting money on hotel rooms and everything else. No matter how great we feel like the state of California is.”

READ MORE: NASCAR Update: Clash at the Coliseum Moved Up to Tonight to Beat Massive Rainstorm

In a press conference, NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell explained the decision. He confessed that they knew that NASCAR could potentially suffer a huge financial hit at the event. In addition to that, the decision to bump up the race timing could also tank the ratings. However, he insisted that the move to bring the Clash forward was the right thing for the sport. It was tough because the choice was between running it tonight or canceling it entirely.

How will this affect the fans and their hard-earned tickets?

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Truthfully speaking, rescheduling a day before the race was much better than canceling it entirely. There is nothing worse than dealing with angry fans if a race has been canceled. At least by rescheduling the race, they can still have a chance to watch it. Of course, there is the issue of refunding tickets, but as long as they bought tickets via Ticketmaster or NASCAR, they will be refunded. The same applies to pre-paid parking via Park Whiz.

One thing is for sure: NASCAR should be applauded for the way it is handling the situation. As Steve O’Donnell explained, they were risking revenue, but they wanted to run the race as safely as possible.

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