NASCAR on Sunday released the sequel to last year’s blockbuster Clash at the Coliseum. The Cup Series continues to receive mixed reviews on the non-points, made-for-Hollywood showcase.
Martin Truex Jr. claimed Clash II by running a conservative race, mostly evading the back-of-the-pack chaos leading to 16 caution periods on the quarter-mile track.
As the series heads to the beach in Florida, questions remain on the future of the preseason franchise.
Will Clash III be produced?
Shoutout to @austindillon3 & @KyleBusch for finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively in the Clash at the Coliseum 👏 pic.twitter.com/QbpXxOKmh3
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) February 6, 2023
NASCAR Event Featured ‘Two-Faced’ Racers
In the fallout of Sunday’s 150-lap exhibition, drivers had differing opinions.
Kyle Busch told Autosport the competition was a “disaster.”
And he finished in third place.
Comparing the bumper-car action he experienced Sunday to the inaugural event, which featured five cautions, Busch said: “Last year’s show I felt like was relatively clean and good racing, some bumping, some banging, but we could run long stretches of green-flag action.
“Whereas (Sunday) was I would call it a disaster with the disrespect from everybody of just driving through each other and not just letting everything kind of work its way out.”
Busch pointed to Joey Logano, last year’s winner, for what he called “two-faced” driving. Logano made a run at Busch and spun him out on Lap 86.
“It’s really unfortunate to get raced by guys that are so two-faced,” Busch told Sirius XM Satellite Radio. “We were in the TV booth earlier in the night together and when we were all done with that he was like, ‘Hey man, good luck tonight’ and I said, ‘Great, thanks, yeah. Whatever.’ And then low and behold, there you go, he wrecks me.
“Don’t even talk to me if you’re going to be that kind of a (driver) on the race track.”
#NASCAR … Denny Hamlin on why the racing was like it was tonight and then check out his sarcasm when I asked if this should be a points race. pic.twitter.com/3vGEfbwkmT
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) February 6, 2023
What is Future of Clash at the Coliseum?
One year remains on NASCAR’s three-year deal with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. While NASCAR holds an option for the third race, it’s unlikely stock car racing’s top series will abandon the Los Angeles entertainment market, the nation’s second-largest.
Denny Hamlin took the post-race stage to work on his comedy act before hitting the road to begin preparations for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 19. Straight-faced, he spoke of the Clash’s potential for becoming a points race. (See if you can spot the sarcasm from the above tweet.)
Runner-up Austin Dillon created his own drama Sunday, spinning out Bubba Wallace after he led for 40 laps, but remains a fan of the event. He wants to complete the trilogy next year.
“Been fun,” Dillon said, as reported by NBCSports.com. “Hopefully, we can do this more often.”
Will Clash III be produced?
Stay tuned.
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