Despite winning the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum, Denny Hamlin wants some major changes put in place for the future.
The hot topic in the industry has been what happens with The Clash now. The three-year contract with the LA Coliseum has concluded, and the feeling within the garage is that the season-opening exhibition race will not be returning there. With that being the likely outcome, the question is what happens with the event. Many people would like to see the event return to Daytona International Speedway to bring back Speedweeks. Other reports have said that NASCAR is potentially looking to host the race out of the country, in Mexico.
If it were up to Hamlin, he would can the event and allow the teams more time to practice for the Daytona 500.
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"I'd probably vote that we did not have The Clash and that we'd run more practice before the (Daytona) 500," Hamlin said on his "Actions Detrimental" podcast. "I think that's a better use of resources. I think that's a better buildup to the 500. The negative to it is you're losing a race and an event on TV that has had 2 or 3 million viewers, so I don't know how you make up for that."
Back in October, Hamlin mentioned on his podcast that the season is too long.
"Well it has become abundantly clear to me then, that we have too many f—-ing races," Hamlin said. "We're just trying to fit this schedule into it's gotta start here it's gotta end there and we're trying to jam 38 races into what should be 32 at most. We're never going backward because NASCAR makes way too much money per week, but it's clear that we have these scheduling problems because we have just too many weeks. Way too many weeks."
If you take away The Clash, that is one less event and one less week of travel for the teams. But it is just near impossible to get rid of the event because the TV network — in this case, Fox — has paid for the right to broadcast an exhibition race before the season starts at Daytona.
Hamlin knows that The Clash probably won't be taken away, but it is an idea that supports his needs as a car owner and his idea that the NASCAR season is way too long.
