Way back in March 1998 I scored a press credential for the inaugural Las Vegas NASCAR and wrote that NASCAR and Vegas were made for each other. Well, it appears that the combination of Los Angeles and NASCAR is yet another partnership made in heaven.
When I first heard about the plans to run the Busch Lite Clash at the L.A. Coliseum, I was highly skeptical, and I was not alone in that assessment. But after the smoke from Joey Logano’s victory burnout on Sunday had cleared, I had to admit that the event was an unqualified success.
One of NASCAR’s goals was to penetrate the Los Angeles market and introduce new fans to the product. Based on the nearly full grandstands, mission accomplished. And the choice of ancillary entertainment, Pit Bull and Ice Cube rather than the traditional country music stars, indicated an outreach to a younger, more urban demographic. Now to see if those new fans will stick with the product.
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The Next Gen car, although not designed for quarter-mile tracks, performed well with minimal teething problems. A couple of transaxles failed, but the new composite bodies weathered the beating and banging rather well, and 18 of the 23 starters finished the race. A couple of drivers even shifted gears twice a lap, a feat of dexterity given the 13-second lap times. And the word I kept hearing in the driver interviews was “fun.” And that tells me that we may see more of this type of race in the future.
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A challenge of a totally different sort will be coming up this week as practice starts Tuesday for the Daytona 500. The new cars have had extensive testing at Daytona, but not for 500 miles, and not in a 40-car pack.
The TV broadcast schedule for the upcoming week is all on FS1 up until Sunday when FOX will air the race itself. The first practice airs at 2:05 p.m. on Tuesday with a second practice session at 3:35. The qualifying broadcast will be at 5:05 p.m. Wednesday with Duel 1 on Thursday at 4 p.m. followed by Duel 2 at 5:45 p.m. (estimated). Friday see a practice session at 3 p.m. and final practice will air Saturday at 8 a.m.
The Daytona Camping World Truck NextEra Energy 250 broadcast is on FS1 at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and FOX will air the Xfinity series Beef, It’s What’s for Dinner 300 on Saturday at 2 p.m.
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Our friends in Vegas have Denny Hamlin favored to win at 8-1 odds, a good bet since he’s won two of the last three and three of the last six Daytona 500s. Logano, with momentum from the Clash, is at 9-1. Last year’s champ Kyle Larson is 10-1 along with Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott. Ryan Blaney is 12-1, William Byron 14-1, and the trio of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Brad Keselowski are all 16-1. Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch, and Bubba Wallace are 18-1 and Martin Truex Jr. is 20-1.
If you want a dark horse bet, try Formula 1 and Indy Car champion Jacques Villeneuve, who is entered at 250-1 odds. One lucky gambler put down $100 last year on Michael McDowell at 100-1 and walked off with $10,000.
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And finally, congratulations to Joey Logano, not only for his Clash win on Sunday, but also for the new addition to his family. His wife Brittany gave birth to their third child on Tuesday, a girl named Emilia Love. She will join mom, dad, and big brothers Hudson and Jameson.
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