Breaking down reactions to NASCAR's Busch Light Clash in Los Angeles | HEY, WILLIE!

HEY, WILLIE!

That Busch Clash “race” was a joke. A completely inappropriate venue, pathetic presentation and promotion.

There is more excitement watching cars jockeying for position on I-95. Leave the quarter-mile racing to the NHRA.

ALLAN IN ORMOND

HEY, AL!

In my self-appointed role as barstool pollster, I’ve made a snap-decision on reactions to the Busch Light Clash.

Those who were predisposed to hate it hated it.

And many, or most, of the predisposed hated it for a variety of reasons — breaking of Daytona tradition, the whole Hollywood thing, the tiny track, the musical offerings, etc.

In the aftermath, they kept those same gripes but added “boring race” to the list. To which I say, “I’ve seen worse.” Much worse, in fact. If you’ve sat through the occasional tedium of a race at Pocono, Dover or New Hampshire, where Jeff Burton led all 300 laps 22 years ago, you’ve been bored to tears.

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There wasn’t a side-by-side finish in L.A., but there was enough shoving and uprooting to make it interesting throughout much of the day — not all, but much of the day. And if we’re being honest, so-so racing happens a lot during the year. Only the TV commercials make you think otherwise.

Meanwhile, if you really and truly want to see old-school short-track racin’, you can get your fill over the next week-plus at New Smyrna and Barberville.

HEY, WILLIE!

Watching the Light Clash, as opposed to the regular heavy-hitting Clash, reminded me of someone trying to make chicken soup … without the chicken.

FRED

HEY, FRED!

Changing hats, from pollster to psycho-analyst, I think the predisposed haters are largely upset due to fear of what comes next.

They’ve seen this “NASCAR goes Hollywood” strategy before, and it cost them North Wilkesboro and Rockingham, gave them Fontana, and along the way it began to appear as one long appeal to those who couldn't care less.

Now they’ve gone back to Hollywood and you wonder what’s up the other sleeve.

But as stated here recently, unlike the previous generation of NASCAR leadership, this one seems to be giving as well as taking. Rockingham is getting a modernized makeover and they’re putting the cardio paddles to North Wilkesboro — two promising moves for those former NASCAR playgrounds. Same with Nashville Fairgrounds.

Also, there are some young drivers with personalities and they don’t seem willing to let PR teams suck that out of them.

And for those who fear they’ve heard their last steel guitar at a NASCAR event, cheer up, you’re getting Luke Combs again at the Daytona 500.

HEY, WILLIE!

Are you convinced now that the Clash at Daytona is really dead? Although they were late in arriving, they packed a pretty good crowd in L.A., much more than Daytona in the last decade for the Clash.

RANDY

HEY, RANDY!

You learn over time to avoid declarative statements like that.

Yes, the crowd looked good in the Coliseum, but the inner cynic just surfaced and requests to point out a couple of things.

1. Given the mammoth marketing effort put into the Clash, and the population center they were dealing with, of course there were people in the stands.

And 2. I’ve always wanted to dig into the books and compare attendance to paid attendance. Might be overlapping or nearly so, or it might not.

HEY, WILLIE!

I identified with the old “Tide Ride,” but the “LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro” doesn't quite cut it for me.

Yeah, I know... old habits.

C.S.

HEY, C!

I miss Ward Burton’s old Gwaltney Meats Chevrolet.

HEY, WILLIE!

The last time I had a semi-serious interest in anything NASCAR was the 1959 Daytona 500. I was drinking a Falstaff beer in the nearly empty infield and thought it was a pretty interesting race.

Fast-forward to 2022. Once again, I figured that a Busch Clash in California on a portable race track might be interesting. So, Sunday morning I started combing the News-Journal for a green-flag time. I did find a vague entry on Page C2 for 6 p.m.

My one race-fan buddy explains that racing news and race times aren’t intended for casual watchers like me. The hard-core folks know all that stuff. True?

MAC IN DELAND

HEY, MAC!

True. Well, maybe true.

But all the same, with the actual season approaching, I’ll pass along your reasonable suggestion.

HEY, WILLIE!

Great mention of Soldier Field. Nothing like a demolition derby there on a summer Saturday night in the early-’60s.

JIM

HEY, JIM!

I listed Chicago’s historic Soldier Field among other possible venues for future Clashes, but need a mulligan because an NFL stadium wouldn’t work. The football season stretches into January and there wouldn’t be enough time to build the track.

Though I'm sure a lot of Bears fans wouldn't mind the late-season distraction.

(Anyone smell a however coming?)

However, you have to believe NASCAR is considering its options with the mid-season All Star Race exhibition. Settle the politics of that one, and suddenly you’re making calls to stadium operators in Chicago, Green Bay, Dallas and other enticing locales.

Also, who's to say they can't just invent another exhibition and plant it whenever and wherever works best?

— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR fans disliked L.A.'s Busch Clash: Here is why | HEY, WILLIE!