DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Two weeks removed from an overwhelmingly popular Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, NASCAR executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovations officer Ben Kennedy shared his vision for future versions of the season-opening exhibition event.
“We were very happy with the performance of the Clash,” Kennedy said. “I had the opportunity to be there the entire weekend, meet a lot of the local folks and also walk around on Saturday and Sunday…
“To have over 15,000 people there, sold out on Saturday and Sunday, it’s an opportunity for us to promote the season ahead and promote our biggest event, the Daytona 500. It did just that. Being on big FOX, having a great turnout like that and being able to put on a good racing product—we were pleased with it.
“We’re learning a lot, a few small tweaks we’d like to make if we do bring the Clash back there at some point in the future.”
In 2022, the Clash ventured away from Daytona International Speedway for the first time and embarked on a three-year tenure at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Kennedy says the season-opening event may not be limited to the continental United States.
“It’s an opportunity, as we think long-term, for us to think about, ‘Hey, does it potentially go international? Does it rotate? Does it stay domestic?’ We’re looking at a number of different options long-term for where that event could go.
“It is an exhibition race. It is prior to the season. It is an opportunity for us to promote the season in new, novel and different ways. I think that’s what we’ve done over the past few years.”
Source: Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service
