“Do You Know Who Your Base Is or Not”: NASCAR Takes Heavy Beating From Fans After Another “Bad Decision” Ahead of Season Opener at the Coliseum

NASCAR and the Clash—it is one of the most iconic pairings. Maybe as iconic as the Daytona 500 itself. But changes in the sport have been afoot for quite a while, and that enthusiasm touched the Clash too. Unfortunately, there have been more misses than hits.

Changes to the prestigious race were introduced in 2022. Response to those changes from outsiders—fans, former drivers, etc.—were largely negative. The sentiment hasn’t changed too much a year since then.

The biggest change was shifting the race from Daytona International Speedway, the home of NASCAR, to a newly constructed race track. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was created for the purpose of holding the Clash, giving the event the name “Clash at the Coliseum.”

Despite its intimidating yet beautiful backdrop, fans were hardly impressed. They were further irked by the dilution of the competition. Prior to 2022, the race used to be an invitation-only affair. Only drivers who had won poles in the previous Cup Series season were invited. But NASCAR had now opened the race up for all drivers.

Read More: “Holy Mother of Pearl It’s…”—Bubba Wallace’s NASCAR Team Teasing Sensational Daytona 500 Update Drives Fans Into a Frenzy

Despite opposition from several quarters, NASCAR has refused to bow down to the pressure. And still reeling under that pressure, the organization announced that Cypress Hill will give the pre-race performance. It might have seemed like an innocuous piece of information but it ended up stirring up a lot of emotions. Now, with only a few weeks to go before the Clash, it looks like fans will have to make their peace.

NASCAR does a do-over of the Cypress Hill announcement

If fans believed that Cypress Hill was going to be the only “woke” move the organization would make, it looks like there’s more. NASCAR shared a video on Twitter containing Rapper Wiz Khalifa’s announcement that he would be performing in the event during the race break.

A majority of fans were very displeased with the decision, calling out the lack of connection between NASCAR and its fanbase. Some of the fans complained that they would be sleeping or muting the TV during the event.

Watch This Story: 3 Times NASCAR Was 100% Right

Social media might not be the best barometer for fan sentiment. But at the same time, this seems to be turning into a pattern. Do you think NASCAR needs a little introspection to reconnect with fans?