A flurry of opinions surfaces after two particular NASCAR fixtures every year: The Clash and the All-Star Race. A group argues that these events are pointless and don’t serve any purpose in their current format. Another group loves them and deems them irreplaceable necessities. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a solution to satisfy both these groups.
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For a long time, Junior has tried to convince the promotion to make the rules for entering these two events stricter. But Daytona HQ has turned a deaf ear, as it always does. The argument against the races is that they are not fun anymore. The Clash is but an exhibition event that drains money from the pockets of team owners.
And the $1 million purse for the All-Star Race no longer feels like a meaningful reward. So, Junior has a special proposition that goes by the name of “The All-Star Clash”. He said on The Dale Jr. Download, “We do this in January. Right after the New Year. It’s a bit like, ‘Hey, everybody! We are back. Celebration. Offseason is f***ing over! Get ready.'”
He wants to pool all the money currently spent on the Clash and the All-Star Race into one new marquee event. He believes that the purse for this event can go to a more attractive point around the $3 million mark. “You need to pay enough money that they will wreck their mother to win. That’s what a million dollars used to do,” he added.
Junior’s vision for a NASCAR coming-out party
The proponents of the Clash argue that it is the one single session that serves as a practice run ahead of the season-opening Daytona 500 every year. By Junior’s suggestion, this requirement would still be met. The event he proposes would be a great way to get some action on the track after a deep hibernation in the offseason.
Also, the higher prize money he suggests would satisfy those not willing to give up on the All-Star Race. He said, “You take these two races that nobody really seems to know exactly what to do with, and you combine them, you put all the money you can into it, to say that’s your coming out party every single year. Where you’re like ‘All right, everybody, NASCAR’s back!'”
The only question mark is the entry list. Who gets to race in the All-Star Clash? Junior noted that the criteria could be race winners and past champions up to the last five or ten years. Additional entries could come via an open race and fan vote. In the end, 23 cars could be on the track to race. This is not a bad way to fix a long-running issue.
