Charlotte NASCAR Fan Travels To LA For Clash At LA Coliseum

CHARLOTTE, NC — NASCAR held its inaugural Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Sunday, an exhibition event meant to draw new eyes to the motorsport series.

Charlotte and the Lake Norman area are considered the home of NASCAR, with the company itself located in uptown and various team shops scattered throughout the region. When the "Clash" race was announced, traveling 2,400 miles from the Queen City to the City of Angels certainly didn't seem easy, but some diehard fans wanted to make the journey to the historic event.

Among those diehard, Charlotte-area's Jason Skeen. Skeen and his wife and daughters made the trip knowing it would be something special.

"I have been to a lot of NASCAR races in the Carolinas and VA area," Skeen said. "The Clash felt very special just walking onto the grounds, with good vibes in the air. It didn’t feel as routine as some NASCAR events have become."

The event was the brain-child of NASCAR's Ben Kennedy, and part of a larger effort to increase outreach for the primarily southeastern sport into the Pacific coast. The uniqueness and gravity of a racetrack custom-built inside of the LA Coliseum was not lost on fans.

"You knew something important was happening. The view of the track and the Olympic flame in the background was incredible!" said Skeen.

This is also an important season for NASCAR as it debuts the Gen-7 racecar, a completely new iteration of NASCAR technology focused on composite parts supplied to NASCAR teams from approved manufacturers. There have been struggles in recent months with those parts arriving in time due to international supply chain challenges.

Given the obstacles of getting together a new car, ironing out the kinks and securing the necessary parts, it was just short of a miracle that it culminated with 23 cars on track on Sunday, navigating a quarter-mile bullring atop of what is normally a football field.

"The racing itself looked like NASCAR short track racing. There was bumping and banging. The Gen-7 car didn’t seem to make much of a difference from a fan perspective, which I think was a good thing," said Skeen.

NASCAR released attendance figures noting that 70 percent of tickets purchased were first-time NASCAR fans, many of whom were surprised but impressed Skeen made the cross-country trip.

For him, it was proof that fans of the sport are dedicated to seeing what the sanctioning body has to offer going into a new era of NASCAR.

"I’m very happy that we made the trip and got to experience it first hand, all the visuals of the Coliseum as a backdrop," he said of the "Clash."

The next NASCAR Cup Series race is the annual Daytona 500, held on February 20 on the Florida superspeedway.