NASCAR has hosted the pre-season Clash at a few venues over the last few years, including Bowman Gray, which has been hosting the short exhibition since last year. But rumors suggest that the Clash will return to its original home. 

The Clash was first held at the iconic Daytona oval back in 1979 as a way to cater to a television audience as well as generate attention towards the season opener at Daytona. It continued to do so till 2020.

Jordan Bianchi wrote an article for The Athletic confirming that sources inside NASCAR are on the verge of finalizing the details to get the Clash back to its home in 2027. 

Bianchi’s article stated that the final hurdle is sponsor details before NASCAR makes the announcement. The article also highlighted why the Clash was moved away from Daytona following the last time it was held there in 2021. 

The exhibition race lost its popularity, and while the Clash was always held at the Daytona Oval till 2020, 2021 saw it shift to its road course. Then, the race was moved to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which played host from 2022-2024. 

Bowman Gray’s quarter-mile oval then hosted the Clash in 2025 and 2026, with fans, drivers and stakeholders across various roles in NASCAR sharing in the excitement of the Clash returning to Daytona. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won the Clash in 2008 back when it was called the Budweiser Shootout, replied to Jeff Gluck sharing Bianchi’s article on X and wrote, “Speedweeks.”

This was a hint of the excitement of the Clash returning to its role as the kickoff event for the speedweek leading up to the Daytona 500. 

Fans revel in excitement of Clash update

Speedweeks has been a legacy in NASCAR where, for a week ahead of the Daytona 500 season opener, various races and events are organized at Daytona to get the hype going as NASCAR engines get ready to rev for another long season. 

The rumors regarding the Clash’s return to Daytona have fans excited. Jeff Gluck, who shared the update using Jordan Bianchi’s article on X, saw a flurry of comments come in with a rare positive sentiment from fans. 

One fan didn’t elaborate and simply wrote, “NASCAR is so back,” while another was rather heartfelt message as a fan wrote, “Best news I've heard in a long time! We just might be getting a piece of the good ol' days back!!”

Good old days or not, we will have to wait and see, but the praise got even more uncanny when a fan wrote, “Steve O'Donnell and Ben Kennedy are bringing our sport back.”

We aren’t sure when NASCAR bosses received such kind of praise from fans last, but some fans were a little more critical of the possible calendar change. 

A fan wrote, “How this move is ultimately received is going to depend in large part on how the new superspeedway aero package performs.”

It will be interesting to see when NASCAR announces it, and also whether they choose to keep the Clash at Daytona for the long term. But based on the fans’ initial reaction, we surely hope to see a good crowd for next year’s Clash.

What are your thoughts on the Clash returning to Daytona? Let us know. 

Read more at Daytona Racing Digest.

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason