NASCAR Insider Breaks Down the Consequences if the Clash at the Coliseum Would Have Gone as Scheduled

The Clash at the Coliseum kicked off the new season. Albeit, earlier than usual because of a massive storm on the horizon, But NASCAR definitely wanted this race to be run. However, there were plenty of risks that the higher-ups had to weigh before they could green light the race. Though one has to wonder, what if NASCAR had not chosen to reschedule the race and instead went ahead with their original schedule?

In a recent conversation, NASCAR insiders Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi discussed this prospect. According to Gluck, bringing the race forward was a logical choice. He acknowledged that some fans were complaining that teams did not want to wait too long and wanted to go home. Bianchi agreed and mentioned that the situation was not as simple as people thought. He said that if the paddock waited until that Wednesday, there would be no track. This was because the track was scheduled to be taken apart on that day.

What was supposed to happen to the track after the NASCAR race?

Let’s not forget that the LA Coliseum is a temporary track, and would be converted back to a regular field. Once the race concluded, the venue would be taken apart, starting with the SAFER barriers and catchfence. If the teams lingered until Wednesday, there would not be a track to race on. Even if the weather conditions were favorable on that day, the aftereffects of the storm would have severely disrupted services.

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Things like emergency services would have had to be repurposed elsewhere to deal with relief efforts. In short, the race cannot run without emergency services on standby, like ambulances and fire-trucks.

Bianchi said, “So there’s all of these different factors involved. When you look at that, they don’t have a choice. You could maybe wait until Wednesday, but there are no guarantees you’ll get that race in. Because of outside external factors or factors out of your control. However, if you move it up a day early, yeah you’ll take a hit, but you can get that race in.”

Having said this, surely many would’ve wondered why not wait until the next weekend? Surely the weather would’ve been fine then.

Why couldn’t the Clash at the Coliseum be moved to a later weekend?

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Bianchi revealed that rescheduling the race, a few weeks or even months later, was just not feasible. Gluck agreed and highlighted the likes of Ford and Toyota, who have new cars. They would have lined up new parts for the upcoming race at Daytona, so would need to get there as soon as possible and put everything together.

At the end of the day, bumping the race up by one day was the right call. It ensured that they got the race done and dusted, and it wouldn’t impact the schedule for the rest of the season.

READ MORE: Cup Series Rookie Expresses Displeasure With NASCAR’s L.A. Coliseum Visit as He Charts the Clash’s Future