Ever since NASCAR removed The Clash from Daytona, a loud section of the fanbase had constantly expressed their desire for the exhibition race to return. Now, that wish finally looks set to come true, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was quick to react.
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“Speedweeks,” he shared on X, reposting Jeff Gluck’s report on The Clash returning to Daytona on February 13, 2027.
The Super Bowl will be held right afterward, making it a jam-packed weekend for fans of both sports.
Gluck noted that NASCAR has yet to make it official, as sponsorship talks are still being finalized. The Daytona 500 has been moved to February 21 (announced last year) completing the traditional Speedweeks schedule that many fans have missed.
It also solves several problems NASCAR has been dealing with regarding this race. Recent editions were hit by weather issues, including the snowstorm that disrupted the 2026 race at Bowman Gray. The Clash has been held here twice now. Before this, the race was held at Los Angeles’ Coliseum for three years.
Now, NASCAR’s updated superspeedway engine and aerodynamic package will get a full-race test on the same track that hosts the season opener. Since The Clash doesn’t give out championship points, teams can learn without risking their title hopes.
The move should also bring back the event’s old identity. Before NASCAR experimented with larger fields and heat races, The Clash was an exclusive shootout for the sport’s fastest and biggest names. Industry expectation is that the entry list will once again be much smaller, making the race feel special from the moment the green flag drops.
Fans Couldn’t Wait to Welcome NASCAR Clash At Daytona Home
If Dale Jr.’s one-word post captured the mood, the comments underneath made it even clearer.
“Yes! Back to the good ole days!!” one fan wrote.
Another added, “I don’t care if it’s a bad race or whatever. This just feels right.”
Others were even more direct. “Welcome back to the place you belong Clash!!!” one fan posted, while another said, “Christmas came early. This is so badass.”
Perhaps the most common feeling came from a fan who wrote, “Let’s fucking go no more gimmicky short tracks for the clash while it was a nice little experiment this is the way we need to kick off the nascar season into high gear.”
That reaction isn’t really about Bowman Gray or the Los Angeles Coliseum. It’s about what Daytona represents. The NASCAR Clash at Daytona lived there from 1979 through 2020, becoming the unofficial start of NASCAR’s biggest month before it bounced between different venues over the last six years. For a lot of fans, the event never quite felt the same after it left.
That’s why Dale Jr.’s post landed the way it did. He didn’t have to explain what Daytona means to NASCAR fans. One word was enough, because for many, Speedweeks has always started with The Clash. Now, it finally looks like it will again.