NASCAR shifts season-opening exhibition to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR volition unfastened the 2022 play wrong Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum successful 1 of the biggest shakeups to its docket successful years.

The yearly accumulation Clash, held astatine Daytona International Speedway since 1979, volition displacement to Los Angeles adjacent year. The invitation-only contention was ever the kickoff to competitory NASCAR racing and held the week earlier the season-opening Daytona 500.

The 2022 contention volition beryllium held Feb. 6, 1 week earlier the Super Bowl and 2 weeks earlier the Daytona 500. The contention volition beryllium wrong the stadium connected a temporary, quarter-mile, asphalt track. The historical Coliseum is location of the University of Southern California shot squad and seats 77,500.

The announcement made Tuesday nighttime connected Fox Sports precedes the merchandise of the afloat 2022 schedule.

“Los Angeles is synonymous with large sports and amusement events, truthful we seized an innovative accidental to showcase NASCAR astatine the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR elder vice president of strategy and innovation. “We’re thrilled to person the accidental to instrumentality halfway signifier successful this marketplace arsenic we get our 2022 play underway.”

NASCAR has tally wrong stadiums before, including determination events astatine Bowman Gray Stadium successful Winston-Salem and a Cup contention astatine Soldier Field successful Chicago successful 1956.

Eligibility for The Clash has not been announced, but the drivers volition beryllium utilizing the Next Gen cars that are acceptable to debut successful 2022.

Tickets for The Clash astatine Daytona person been connected merchantability for months and the contention had been billed arsenic the opener to six days of racing astatine Daytona. Tickets for “The Clash astatine the Coliseum” volition spell connected merchantability Thursday astatine $65 for adults and $10 for 12 & under.

NASCAR volition instrumentality to the Los Angeles country aft The Clash for its accepted halt astatine Auto Club Speedway. NASCAR did not contention successful Los Angeles successful 2021 due to the fact that of the pandemic.