{"id":460788,"date":"2026-02-08T01:21:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T01:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/460788\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T01:21:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T01:21:10","slug":"insiders-debate-how-nascar-should-approach-cup-series-clash-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/460788\/","title":{"rendered":"Insiders debate how NASCAR should approach Cup Series Clash future"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASCAR<\/a> is continuing to evaluate the long-term future of the Cup Series Clash. With that in mind, two of the sport\u2019s most plugged-in voices see the exhibition heading in very different directions.<\/p>\n

On the latest episode of The Teardown podcast<\/a>, Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck laid out competing visions for what the Clash should be. Regardless, they\u2019re both wondering whether it still serves a meaningful purpose in the modern NASCAR calendar.<\/p>\n

First off, Bianchi believes the solution is rooted in the past. He argued that NASCAR should consider bringing the Clash back to Daytona International Speedway, leaning into a shorter, simpler format reminiscent of the old Busch Clash.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved the 20-lap pole-sitters-only race,\u201d Bianchi said<\/a>. \u201cIt was an hour-long deal. You\u2019d flip it on, the race was over, and it was like, \u2018Oh man, these guys are back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Bianchi believes a reduced field and shorter race would curb the chaos critics associate with superspeedway racing while also reducing costs for teams. He also emphasized the importance of weather certainty, noting the risks NASCAR has faced staging the event in colder climates.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look around, it\u2019s literally snowing right now,\u201d Bianchi added. \u201cI don\u2019t want to be back here in a year or two fighting Mother Nature again.\u201d<\/p>\n

His proposal is to bring the Clash back to Daytona temporarily and use it as a bridge. Then, we can reassess the future of the event after 2027.<\/p>\n

However, Gluck pushed back strongly against that idea. He argued that the Clash at Daytona had already run its course long before NASCAR moved the event to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and then subsequently Bowman Gray Stadium.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were so many times I\u2019d be in the press box at Daytona looking out and thinking, \u2018There\u2019s nobody here,\u2019\u201d Gluck said. \u201cIt didn\u2019t feel like the season was starting. There was no hype.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Gluck, the move unlocked the true potential of the event: \u201cWhen they moved it to LA, I thought, \u2018Now I see what this event could be,\u2019\u201d he explained. \u201cThat felt like NASCAR\u2019s version of a Stadium Series.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Gluck acknowledged that the novelty has worn off and weather issues hurt the event this year, he believes the answer isn\u2019t going backward: \u201cI think this has to be a one-year, move-it-every-year kind of event,\u201d Gluck said. \u201cIf you\u2019re not using this to promote the Daytona 500, then don\u2019t just do it to check the box.\u201d<\/p>\n

Above all, Gluck questioned whether NASCAR even needs exhibition races at all unless they serve a clear promotional purpose. If they remain on the schedule, he argued, they must be bold and meaningful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEither make them points races or do something totally wild and unique,\u201d he said. \u201cStadiums, street-course mentality. Something that makes people say, \u2018Hey, NASCAR\u2019s back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

All told, the passionate debate underscores NASCAR\u2019s challenge. They\u2019re trying to balance tradition, innovation and fan interest. Whether the Clash returns to Daytona, continues to rotate, or undergoes a radical facelift, one thing is clear, and that\u2019s the fact that the identity of the race is still very much being determined.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NASCAR is continuing to evaluate the long-term future of the Cup Series Clash. With that in mind, two…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":460789,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-460788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=460788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/460789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=460788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=460788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=460788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}