Los Angeles ¨C NASCAR on Tuesday started building a temporary asphalt track inside LA Memorial Coliseum, the first time it has constructed such a race course, ahead of an exhibition race on Feb. 6.
The ¡°Clash at the Coliseum¡± will see the sport¡¯s top drivers compete on a quarter-mile track inside the stadium in downtown Los Angeles.
¡°Compared to a lot of the existing tracks on the club circuit, this track is going to be so unique,¡± said NASCAR President of Design and Development Derek Muldowney.
The short and flat track ¡°means that the cars are going to be running very close together. And it means a lot of the passing is going to take place under bumping, grinding kind of situations,¡± Muldowney said.
Southern California racing fans will get to see NASCAR¡¯s Next Gen car models, which will be used in Cup Series competitions next year.
If successful, NASCAR could host more similar events.
Two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip said the stadium location was significant because it¡¯s an experiment for NASCAR. ¡°If this event goes well, you could see pop-up racetracks in a lot of big cities around America and NASCAR being the center of the stage,¡± he said.
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