Denny Hamlin first dropped a hint about the event’s schedule shuffle on his social media, but it was NASCAR’s official word on Saturday afternoon that confirmed the status. They decided to shift the preseason Busch Light Clash exhibition race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from its original Sunday night slot to Saturday night, all thanks to the weather forecast predicting a deluge and potential flooding in the Los Angeles area for Sunday.

However, shifting gears was a smart move for the sport, no doubt, but fans holding tickets for Sunday’s show were left with frowns, unlike the beaming teams and drivers. However, NASCAR seems to have a trick up its sleeve to smooth things over for the ticket holders.

Aficionados receive reassurance from NASCAR about making up for their loss

A NASCAR fan named, Dave Harris recently voiced his frustration on Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass’s post about the race being moved up, mentioning how he’d be fuming if he’d flown in and missed the race due to last-minute changes. In fact, even a few NASCAR insiders including Jeff Gluck, shared similar sentiments, likening the situation to a ‘Sophie’s Choice’ scenario with no easy way out.

He said, “If you have this race tonight, there are people that had bought tickets for the Clash that were going to come in on Sunday. We’ve got people flying across the country that had hotels, airline reservations, all this stuff. And they’re all going to be losers, right? Because if they were not able to make it out tonight for this free event, they’re going to eat the tickets.”

However, Bob Pockrass offered a glimmer of hope. He shared, “O’Donnell said: “We’re going to be reaching out to every single fan to see what we can do to make it good on their end.” … the last thing they want would be livid fans so TBD what “make it good” means when it comes to ticket refunds and if any additional ticket credits.”

Despite the sticky situation, NASCAR fans seemed to rally behind the organization, pointing out that with the weather being an issue, NASCAR’s hands were tied. What more could they have done?

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Despite some fans being miffed about missing the race, a good chunk rallied behind NASCAR’s decision to move the race up. Comments like “Half a “race” in the rain only to be called at the half way point after 15 yellow flags would have been WAY worse,” and “Fans are never gonna be happy. They are complaining it ran a day early… would you have preferred 3 days late? Most fans who couldn’t make it yesterday wouldn’t have made it tue or wed so… It sucks missing out and the only fix is figure out how to run in the rain,” showed that many understood the tough call.

One fan pointed out they were getting their money back, “I have an email from them saying a full refund will be issued not sure what else someone could expect. Parking also was refunded. Luckily we went and had a blast last night. Staying here til Tues and fyi it’s cold and rainy. Last night weather was great.”

Another fan chimed in with a reminder that outdoor events are at the mercy of Mother Nature: “It’s confusing how people are surprised mother nature can affect an outdoor sporting event 🤣 It’s not like it was only supposed to only rain Sunday and be clear on Mon. They waited as long as they could to see if the forecast would change and it’s supposed to rain through Wed.”

Read More: What NASCAR Lost by Moving the Clash at the Coliseum Up to Avoid Forfeiting the Event

Supporting NASCAR’s decision, one fan mentioned, “You know the weather forecast showed heavy rain on raceday for at least a week prior. Showed it was gonna last for days. It wasn’t top-secret information. NASCAR isn’t perfect but cmon folks check the forecast.”

Another added, “Nascar made the correct decision. I think some fans are just upset that they made it so late. It seemed that several days ago we were talking about how bad the weather was. I’m not sure what cancellation policies the airlines/hotels etc have though.”