Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) Chairman and Nascar Hall of Famer O. Bruton Smith announced that he has filed a preliminary injunction against Nascar and its track-owning subsidiaries for a rumored move of the pre-season Busch Clash to the Los Angeles Coliseum.
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| The Los Angeles Coliseum |
“Bristol Motor Speedway has been known as ‘The Last Great Coliseum’ for over a decade now”, said Smith to a media contingent outside SMI’s Concord, North Carolina headquarters. “We filed the trademarks and copyrights on that quite a while back, and I’ll be damned if I let those Frances (referring to the France family that controls Nascar) get away with infringing on them!”
The race, which would be held on a temporary “short track” circuit inside the history football and Olympic stadium, would likely bring a renewed interest in the oft-ignored pre-season non-points event—something Smith was quick to pounce on.
“They (Nascar) just need some more gimmicks to get attention on their dull-as-dishwater non-points event”, Smith ranted. “You want something interesting, you do what I did this year at Bristol, The Last Great Coliseum—hold a race in the mud!”
While the “Coliseum Clash” has yet to be officially confirmed, multiple sources have reported the move as a done-deal. However, Smith has pledged to take every step necessary to prevent that.
“Nascar stole my idea for holding races at speedways under the lights”, Smith contended. “Nascar stole my idea of buying a bunch of tracks to take their race dates. They even stole my idea to start a stock car racing series! But they’re NOT going to steal my Coliseum concept!”
Smith then joked that Nascar was free to hold the race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, which he owns.