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Kyle Larson Believes the Clash Will “Accidentally Work Out for NASCAR” Despite the Sudden Changes

Published 02/04/2024, 3:04 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Motorheads have been glued to their screens since the season warm-up aired live. The Busch Light Clash at the L.A. Coliseum stirred up a lot of excitement. However, last-minute schedule changes really had us at the edge of our chairs. The event was shifted to Saturday night, and the racers were surprised by the sudden change of plans. Yet Kyle Larson holds the opinion that this development garnered more attention for the event.

The Clash was organized via an agreement between NASCAR and the University of Southern California, which manages the Coliseum. They struck a three-year deal that allowed the construction of a track to conduct the race. The contract dates have expired and the following Clash event may be held in a different venue and city.

Kyle Larson has a positive mind about Clash changes

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Larson spoke to the media at a press conference, immediately succeeding the Busch Light Clash. He expressed his thoughts about the sudden changes in the event schedule, and how smoothly the authorities handled it.

He said: “Yeah, I mean it was awesome. Um, I was not planning on racing, um anything other than a heat race today. Um, and had no thought that the, like, running the whole race was actually an option. So, you know, Cliff [Daniels, #5 crew chief] had asked me if I heard the rumors or whatever around, you know, 11:30 or so and that got me excited. So, uh, happy that they were able to do that, and obviously I’m sure it, uh, they take a huge financial hit, NASCAR does.” 

Larson further said that the fans saved the day by showing up. “But you know, I think, at the same point, the crowd is awesome out there for a spur-of-the-moment race and your free admission and all that. So hopefully a lot of these fans who’ve maybe never been to a race before, you know, will now fall in love with the sport and you know venture out and kind of grow from there. So maybe this could, uh, accidentally work out really well for NASCAR.”

In an unexpected development, NASCAR had to shift the airing of the Busch Light Clash to Saturday night. The reasons cited were inclement weather conditions that were unforeseen. However, the exhibition race attracted a whole stadium of dedicated fans who were evidently not going to flinch due to simple weather changes.

Watch This Story: Denny Hamlin Triumphs in First Clash at the Coliseum, Eliciting Cheers from Fans

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Kyle Larson aced the Busch Light Clash

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Larson, representing Hendrick Motorsports, left his fans dewy-eyed as he raced to the top ranks. At the Clash, Larson finished fifth place. Although he and his #5 fell back to eighth place initially, he gained ground by three spots in the overtime finish. He brought glory to the Hendrick team by grabbing top-10 finishes, along with Alex Bowman and William Byron.

Larson was the champion of the 2021 Cup Series. In 2023, he shone with wins, even in the Xfinity and Truck Series. He also won multiple sprint car races, including in his own series – High Limit Sprint Car Racing. He clinched four wins for his Chevrolet team Hendrick Motorsports. Looking at this, it is only natural for fans to expect greater things from him in the 2024 season.

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Read More: Kyle Larson Unveils Inspiration Behind Starting His High Limit Racing Series

 

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Written by:

Sumedha Mukherjee

401Articles

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Sumedha Mukherjee is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports who is known for her in-depth track analysis as well as her lifestyle coverage of Cup drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. Inspired by the Kiwi's journey so far, Sumedha has also written pieces on Shane Van Gisbergen, predicting how the Supercars Champion would do in the new and unfamiliar American setting. Pairing her research skills with her vast experience as a writer, Sumedha creates stories her readers can easily get lost in.
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Edited by:

Ranvijay Singh