After NASCAR broke away from tradition and moved to the quarter-mile track at the LA Coliseum in 2022, the Cup Series extravaganza is back to the venue to kick off the 2024 rendition of Stock Car Racing’s finest tournament. But as the fans and the industry’s best drivers ready themselves, gearing up for the bonanza, dark clouds loom over the horizon, threatening the season-opener.

With just mere days remaining for the grand opening, the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum hangs in the balance as not one but two storms threaten the event with uncertainty.

Rain, snow and wind: The opponent NASCAR didn’t see coming

Amid the roar of the packed crowd and the rumbles of the engines, 23 race car drivers will enter to give the community a spectacular season-opener on the floor of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for an exhibition feature on Sunday, Feb. 5. Popularly known as the “Clash at the Coliseum,” NASCAR’s annual preseason series is slated to be held at the transformed Olympics arena where the drivers will battle in front of their fans to give them a short track action for the ages.

But as we near the spectacle, NASCAR’s bad omen with the rain gods looks like it will be another chapter to tell as the city braces for not now but two storms coming in hot over the course of the next week. Weather reports indicate heavy rainfall with the possibility of massive flooding. NWS Los Angeles shared the weather forecast on X and wrote, “Storm #1 is coming Wednesday and Thursday. Storm #2 will affect the region sometime between Sunday and Wednesday (Feb 4-7). Storm #2 has a growing potential for damaging flooding and is the one of most concern. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.” 

The updated report warned the community to brace for heavy rains that will drench the coastline and valleys with 3mm to 5 mm of rainwater while the mountains and foothills are expected to receive up to 10mm. While there is a distressing 50% chance of torrential showers, more rain is expected after the seventh.

In a separate tweet, the news agency warned mountain climbers to avoid adventures on the above-specified dates. Sharing the details, the tweet read, “A storm system will bring significant rain, higher elevation snow and winds to SW CA Wed-Thu. Use caution in case of water ponding on roads and icy conditions with blowing snow in the mtns. A stronger storm likely on Sun!” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Big blow for NASCAR as Clash at the Coliseum gets brutal weather update 

News of the inclement weather sure puts a damper on the grand celebrations! Now it remains to be seen how the the organisation overcomes this debacle arrangements were in full swing. In a bid to make the occasion more memorable, many stakeholders had even sent out numerous lucrative announcements that would benefit fanatics.

Go Metro to run free for NASCAR fanatics next weekend

The third Clash is all locked and loaded for an epic grand commencement, setting the stage for the Superspeedway action at Daytona International Speedway. With GRAMMY-nominated and multi-platinum recording artist Machine Gun Kelly, popularly known as MGK featured to give a show-stopping race break performance during the 2024 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, fans are expected to rush into the city. 

While the weather might play spoilsport, the city and the organization are doing everything in their power to elevate the event and make it the biggest opener for the fans. Go Metro on Sunday confirmed that pn February 4, all rides to the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum will be free.

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Fans heading to the event can use Metro’s E Line train and exit at the Expo Park/USC Station, which is just a short walk to the arena. Enthusiasts can also take the Metro J (Silver Line) and exit at 37th St/USC Station, which is about a 10-minute walk to the Coliseum.

Now all we can do is pray to the rain gods for a favourable outcome!