Without a shadow of a doubt NASCAR’s opening exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium was a rousing success.

A sold out facility and riveting short track racing is exactly what NASCAR should be shooting for in this race. However, early reports from Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal make it seem as if the top brass does not plan to bring the event back to the cherished Madhouse. 

If the Clash does need a new home, I believe it needs to find its way back to the West Coast in order to solve one of the major issues plaguing the sport. It’s almost inaccessible for those based on the area. 

NASCAR’s top series only makes its way out west five times, with four of those being at two tracks, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Granted the Phoenix does have the championship race, but it is likely that will change in the future. 

The Cup Series only making the trip to the Golden State for one road-course race in the mid-summer, during scorching temperatures, and ignoring the Pacific Northwest is simply malpractice on behalf of NASCAR. 

Not to mention the Pacific Coast is now devoid of a traditional oval race after the loss of Auto Club Speedway in Los Angeles.

The only problem that is truly presented by the West Coast is the lack of already-built NASCAR-quality racing facilities. However, there are tons of fans to be made here and if NASCAR wants to return to national prominence they’ll have to invest and get a little creative.

I believe in order to become a true fan of NASCAR, you need to see a live race, feel the energy and speed. So I propose bringing the Clash or a points paying race to one of these four venues for 2026 and beyond.

Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

Before the people who know my eccentric Seahawks fandom collectively roll their eyes, just hear me out. Located in the heart of Downtown Seattle, Lumen Field could be the perfect location for The Clash.

Being able to take public transportation or walk from a bar to a race is unprecedented ease of access for most fans, which could attract fans that are typically uninterested in motorsports. Not to mention how sponsors might be able to take advantage of the location for easy activation opportunities.

The only issue with this location is, I’m not sure how exactly a track could fit in the stadium comfortably and the issue of noise and weather would be things to overcome. However, I believe the pros outweigh the potential cons and the option is worth exploring. 

Lumen Field’s easily accessible location in downtown Seattle, combined with the lack of stock car events in the Pacific Northwest could lead to a perfect storm of an event.

Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, Bakersfield, California

This paved oval in the middle of Southern California is one of the most NASCAR ready tracks on the West Coast. Already playing host to ARCA West races and NASCAR Weekly Series events, give this place the Bowman Gray renovation treatment and the Clash could be there tomorrow.

The half-mile length of the track would mean on-throttle time for the cars compared to the previous four Clashes and the possibility of a larger field in the main event or elimination of heat races entirely. Ideally, bringing the Clash and its necessary renovations to Kern Raceway would open the door for a possible points-paying race in the future.

Some issues I foresee at this place is the need for much more seating and facilities, the place only sits up to 17,000 fans with a gigantic grandstand on the front stretch. Other than that though, I’m shocked NASCAR hasn’t invested more in this track already.

With the Auto Club Speedway (R.I.P) short track’s future in question or at least a couple years out, investing in this place that already has a big name attached to it, should pay off big for NASCAR.

Evergreen Speedway, Monroe, Washington

If NASCAR can’t find its way to Lumen Field in some capacity, they need to turn their attention to the only sanctioned NASCAR track in Washington State, Evergreen Speedway. The track at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds has played host to the ARCA West Series in 2023, a Craftsman Truck Series race from 1995-2000 and currently Formula D races.

The track features two possible oval layouts, one at 0.625 miles and another smaller paved oval sitting at 0.200. Each layout provides something different, allowing NASCAR to possibly showcase each type of stock car racing in one weekend. 

My argument for this track is very similar to Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in that all this track needs is some money and expansion in order to host the Clash or a points-paying race in the future. 

The travel expenses for teams could be an issue as this would be quite a long trip and a big risk, but if NASCAR wants a foothold in the Pacific Northwest building up Evergreen Speedway would be the perfect place to start.

All-American Speedway, Roseville, California

Alright, alright, yeah this one is never happening and just for me, but NASCAR is on the rise in Northern California and this is the one of the only paved oval around here. The track has played host to the ARCA Menards West Series since 2008, when the speedway was moved to a 0.333 mile track.

The speedway is in good condition and sits on a fairground, which leaves plenty of opportunities for sponsor activation and parking. The banked third-mile oval would also bring a similar beat and banging style of racing that we saw at the Bowman Gray Clash.

I love this place, but the track’s got bigger issues than the two local tracks above it. Aside from the common issue of adding SAFER barriers, the place only sits 4,000 people currently. That’s 3,500 less than Evergreen and 13,000 less than Kern, the amount of renovations would need to be substantial for this place to host the Clash.

However, let a Northern Californian kid dream here, the Sacramento area is a fantastic sports market and one that always shows out for the Sonoma race in July, just throw us a bone NASCAR.

Putting together this list was a little bit of a struggle and while I went in hoping that I could find the answer to stock car racing on the West Coast, there is a bigger problem here. 

There is a distinct lack of paved ovals near the Pacific and I think that’s partially why NASCAR struggles to gain a foothold in this area of the country. Local tracks are where fans and stars are made, even without a ton of infrastructure California has produced more Cup champions than most states.

If NASCAR really wants to expand their sport to these areas, which I believe they do, they need to provide much more support for these local tracks and make them the place to be on Saturday nights.